taken from: Time Out Chicago

Live review: No Doubt + Paramore + Bedouin Soundclash at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Posted in Music by Raf Miastkowski on July 13th, 2009 at 4:21 pm

After all these years, why would the 39-year old Gwen Stefani choose to go back on tour with her old SoCal bandmates and ex-boyfriend? Considering she got married to Gavin Rossdale, had a pair of kids, launched a massively successful solo career, and cashed in on a couple of clothing lines, jumping around on stage and screaming “I’m just a girl!” at the top of her lungs just doesn’t seem to make much sense anymore. Perhaps Gwen simply misses strutting around as a rock goddess as opposed to pursuing the pop-star-turned-entrepreneur career track of someone like Diddy. After all, many people forget just how instrumental the strikingly spazzy songstress was in shattering the glass ceiling for female rockers in the 90’s. Why is it so hard to believe she wants to re-capture some of that old magic? No Doubt has said the new tour is about reconnecting with its audience and inspiring the band to write new material. Sure, there’s all that cheddar too, but maybe Gwen would prefer to recruit another generation of fans as a bona-fide rocker rather than a quirky pop diva. After experiencing the ska-pop group’s epic, indefatigable, nostalgia-fueled show Saturday night at Tinley Park’s First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, that’s not such a hard pill to swallow.

Walking up to the stage as a quartet of silhouettes projected onto a massive white scrim, No Doubt showed early on that everything was going to be turned up to 11. As the white fabric dropped, it revealed a massive, spider-like walkway structure with Adrian Young’s drum kit resting in the middle. The band sported white wardrobes and matching blonde-mohawked haircuts, with Gwen rocking black boots, a tiny tank top, and a toned figure that rivaled G.I. Jane’s. The stage was so polished, so impressive, that the band’s previous Rock Steady tour looked like a county fair gig in comparison. Launching into “Spiderwebs,” No Doubt instantly riled up the noticeably older crowd and soon had the capacity crowd of 25,000 people jumping up and down to “Hella Good.” By the time “Underneath It All” finished up, Gwen was proclaiming that it was “The loudest show of the tour so far.” During “Ex-Girlfriend,” a retro-cool spy montage featuring the band appeared in the background, with the entire stage turning red as the songstress screamed “Why am I so Jealous!?”. Surprisingly, The Beacon Street Collection’s “Squeal” made an appearance, though it was truncated because Gwen admittedly forgot the lyrics. Before “New,” Stefani made sure to freshen up with a new outfit consisting of a sparkly checkerboard hot-pants dress and black tights. Undoubtedly, one of the highlights of the night was when Gwen got the entire lawn section going absolutely bonkers with concertgoers up front looking on in awe during the funky, trumpet-backed “Different People.” Of course, the obligatory push-up demonstration occurred before the set ended with “Just A Girl.” Gwen effortlessly pumped out ten reps before amping up the seething crowd to a memorably ear-splitting boy vs. girl shout-off.

For the encore, Gwen dressed down to more comfortable camo pants and a sparkly polo before picking up the action again with “Rock Steady.” Though I liked how the band decided to play their go-to power pop ballad “Don’t Speak” earlier on, I thought that opening the encore with “Rock Steady” didn’t sustain the frenzied energy of the crowd. Next came the band’s new cover of “Stand And Deliver,” which saw the entire band and a young boy from the crowd banging on drums at the front of the stage while Adrian pranced around the stage hilariously in a pink tutu. Hoping that the band would close out the evening with the barreling “Sunday Morning,” I was pleasantly surprised when they actually chose to do so. The crowd summoned whatever energy they had left to close out the night with a bang, and stuck around to applaud the band copiously as No Doubt lingered on stage waving to their fans. Sure, No Doubt chose to postpone developing new, mature material for this tour, instead wanting one more go-round with their old catalog of songs about breakups and youthful enthusiasm. Though at first glance it doesn’t seem like a winning formula, when it’s pulled off with this much shimmer and swagger it’s not to be missed.

Opening for No Doubt was a pair of compatible and competent bands. First up was Bedouin Soundclash, which skillfully performed crisp, uppity, reggae-influenced jams reminiscent of the Clash. This time around No Doubt didn’t pack quite as much dancehall ammunition, so Bedouin Soundclash’s reggae flavor and tiki lounge vibe was a welcome addition. Then came Paramore, a tight, energetic pop-punk group that features 20-year-old orange-haired banshee Hayden Williams. Though some of the band’s songs felt a little stagnant and manufactured, riot girl Williams showed some serious spunk while hopping around on stage just like Stefani did when she started out so many years ago. The band also exhibited some surprising showmanship, which was appreciated by the numerous fans cheering them on.

Tags: Chicago, Concert Reviews, No Doubt, Tour

taken from: Canada.com

Hayley talks about touring with No Doubt, fayleys and being the chick the media focuses on

No doubt about Paramore’s rise. -by Heath McCoy

When Tennessee pop-punks Paramore first joined No Doubt on that band’s comeback tour back in May, singer Hayley Williams remembers seeing a gang of young girls in the front row all doing their very best imitation, style- wise, of Gwen Stefani.

It was a scene that Williams, 20, could certainly understand.

Growing up, she was a big No Doubt fan who found herself in awe of the band’s dazzling, charismatic frontwoman.

“I look at Gwen Stefani and she’s barely even a real person she looks so amazing,” said Williams in a phone interview. “She’s an amazing woman to have done as much as she’s done and to be impacting so many people still . . . I really hope to follow a career path like that.”

Of those dedicated Stefani-ites, Williams couldn’t help but notice that “they didn’t really know who we were.”

But the Gwen-gang kept turning up at shows, Williams says, and after awhile she began to feel like they had also become Paramore fans.

Meanwhile, there’s been another group in those crowds that seems to be growing in number steadily and those young women have a different look.

Instead of Stefani’s platinum blond, they’re sporting bright orange locks in homage to Williams herself. It’s something she’s seen increasingly over the last year or so and she still doesn’t quite know what to make of it.

“It’s odd to look out there and see a bunch of Mini-Mes,” says Williams. “You’re wondering what possessed them to do such a thing . . . It sort of does a reverse psychology on you. You’d think you’d be like `Hey, all these people want to look like me. I feel pretty cool.’ But actually it makes you feel more self aware and I’m not really fond of that.”

“I wake up in the morning and sometimes I just want to wear a T-shirt and blue jeans and now I have to force myself to do that, because I can’t care what people think, you know? . . .

“It’s very hard to see why people would come to shows dressed like me when they could aspire to look like Gwen Stefani.”

As taken aback as she is though, Williams can’t help but feel like such a phenomenon is a sign of huge things to come for the band she joined in high school.

Indeed, Paramore’s last studio disc, 2007’s Riot!, has hit platinum sales of one million in the U.S. As for the group’s next record, Brand New Eyes, set for release in late September, it was produced by the highly sought after Rob Cavallo, whose studio credentials include Green Day, My Chemical Romance and Avril Lavigne.

With all of this, Williams can’t help but feel that Paramore is on the verge of a major breakthrough.

“I feel it’s the calm before the storm, I really do,” she says. “We’re so stoked. I can’t wait for everybody to hear (the new record).”

Part of Williams’ love for Brand New Eyes comes from her insistence that making the record “saved our band.”

She’s vague about the exact tensions that existed, but it was widely speculated when the band cancelled its European tour last year that Paramore was close to splitting up.

Many assumed that the root of the problem was that age-old malady of mostly male rock bands fronted by attractive females. We’ve seen it before from Blondie to No Doubt. The media shines the spotlight on the chick and the dudes get bent out of shape.

That certainly seemed like the issue when MTV.com quoted the band’s guitarist and Williams’ co-writer Josh Farro saying: “We are a team. We are a band. It’s not just Hayley – it’s not her band.”

Williams acknowledged as much.

“I got the most frustrated about it because I just wanted to be one of the dudes,” she says. “With people focusing on me, yeah, there’s times I shy away from it and I’m sure the guys don’t always love it. But we take it in stride. As long as people are listening to our music, that’s what we care about.”

As Williams’ sees it, the band’s real grief came from growing pains. “After being so close-knit for so long (and living) under a magnifying glass, we needed some room to spread out and learn who we all are individually. We didn’t have that room before and this record gave us that.”

Much of the credit for that goes to producer Cavallo, whose approach is described by Williams as “nurturing.”

“The best thing Rob did for us is to let us play and not really keep his thumb on us,” she says. “He never overstepped and tried to steer us in a direction we weren’t completely sold on . . . He let us try things. He knew it was crucial for us to figure out who we were . . . It gave us a chance to talk about the inner struggles we might have had and the problems between (us as) friends. Once that was laid on the table there was nothing but honesty . . . I feel like for the first time ever (on record) you can hear all five of us.”

One bond that exists between the members of Paramore which helped them to carry on is their shared Christian faith, something that comes through in songs such as Hallelujah, Miracle and Let The Flames Begin.

Williams says that at times, while rising up through the punk-pop ranks, the band did feel like they were “the minority” among their peers, which may have solidified their unity.

But she stresses that while Paramore takes pride in their faith they “don’t want to be pigeonholed as a Christian band.”

“Our music and our message is so much wider than being just for the Christian public,” Williams says. “We don’t want to preach . . . We just want to play our music. I’m not singing songs about God and my relationship with God. I’m singing about life.

“But (Christianity) is a part of us and it’s very real. If people want to know Paramore, that is a part of us.”

Calgary Herald

Canadian tour dates (With No Doubt):

July 13 – Winnipeg

July 15 – Calgary

July 16 – Edmonton

July 18 – Vancouver

Tags: Articles, Hayley Williams, No Doubt, Paramore, Tour

taken from: Boston.com

(click on photo to go to gallery)

No Doubt hasn’t lost its bounce
By Sarah Rodman
Globe Staff / June 22, 2009

MANSFIELD – It’s been eight years since No Doubt’s last studio album. Since then lead singer Gwen Stefani has produced two successful solo albums and two kids. But evidence of either was scant during the band’s exuberant regrouping Saturday night at the Comcast Center.

It was as if the antic ska popsters had been cryogenically frozen in 2003 after the release of their greatest hits album and thawed just in time for the show.

The quartet, aided and abetted by endlessly energetic horn blowers-keyboardists-backing vocalists Stephen Bradley and Gabriel McNair, bounced, skipped, skanked, and pogoed through a delightfully high-octane, hit-rich 90 minutes.

Stefani was her typical tireless self, balancing her girlie lyrics and tough-chick rock-star cheek with veteran skill. No doubt many of the moms in the largely female crowd of 17,000 were more amazed at Stefani’s sculpted abs than perturbed that her solo material wasn’t included.

But there was honestly no room for “Hollaback Girl’’ as the live No Doubt jukebox kept issuing forth can’t-misses: the bubble-pop electricity of “Hella Good,’’ the ska stomp of “Bathwater,’’ the dancehall curves of “Hey Baby,’’ the caffeinated guitar riffs of “Just a Girl,’’ the lighter-beckoning break-up ballad “Don’t Speak.’’

The band frolicked on a stark white stage with an octopod-like riser hoisting drummer Adrian Young – resplendent in two-tone mohawk, black briefs, and checkered thigh-high hose and later, a tutu. They amped up the mood with stylish, colorful new videos to accompany the songs, including a spy motif for the dizzying “Ex-Girlfriend’’ and, appropriately, a futuristic cityscape for “New.’’

The night’s two sweetest moments came when vintage home video of the fresh-faced No Doubt-ers floated by during “Running’’ and when Stefani hauled a female fan from the pit onstage to show off her devotion in the way of elaborate band tattoos.

It would behoove the group to make a new record as soon as possible. They clearly still have the juice and if they wait much longer they could get trapped in turn-of-the-century amber, relegated to oldies status before their time.

Points to No Doubt for bringing along the outre and extremely limber Janelle Monae to spice up the beginning of the night. Monae, jitterbugging around the stage like a female André 3000 sporting a fluffy pompadour and Colonel Sanders tuxedo, was a sight to behold, but the sounds weren’t quite as beguiling as her industrial space funk was hampered by typical opening act sound issues.

If Monae’s act was treated like something to be withstood by most in the audience, middle act Paramore was embraced wholeheartedly. The chipper pop-rockers, led by spitfire Hayley Williams, buzzed genially and energetically through their stack of bouncy radio hits.

Tags: Boston, Concert Reviews, Live, Photos, Tour

taken from: Boston Herald

No Doubt delivers Hella Good show

By Lauren Carter / Review
Monday, June 22, 2009

You could say they left No Doubt about their live-performance prowess.

For just over 90 minutes at the Comcast Center in Mansfield Saturday night, lead singer Gwen Stefani and her larger-than-life band mates ignited the venue as if their multiyear hiatus from music never was.

The dynamic, uber-stylish Stefani, now a 39-year-old mom with her own clothing line, could have passed for a 23-year-old fitness instructor as she sprinted across the stage, danced, pranced – and leading into “Just a Girl” – launched into a push-up session, all without compromising her vocals.

The band, now at work on their next project, hasn’t released a studio album since 2001’s “Rock Steady,” but apparently it’s only a matter of getting back into the ska-pop groove rather than trying to find it, as the show was a marriage of superb audio and visual detail.

A futuristic white set matched the band’s white get-ups, including the midriff-baring tank top that served as a window to Stefani’s chiseled abs. Bassist Tony Kanal and guitarist Tom Dumont played subtle, faux-hawked counterpoint to Stefani’s punk-feminine style while drummer Adrian Young performed in knee socks and underwear, later appearing in a tutu.

Yes, the look is as much a part of No Doubt’s cheeky, carefree appeal as their sound.

From the feisty opener “Spiderwebs,” the band – which included dreadlocked horn and keyboard players Stephen Bradley and Gabriel McNair – never faltered while Stefani cooed and worked the stage.

On the sinewy bass of “Hella Good,” the frenetic “Ex-Girlfriend” and the rap-infused “Hey Baby,” Stefani was all boundless energy. On mellow tracks “Don’t Let It Go Away,” “Simple Kind of Life” and the reggae-laced “Underneath It All,” she scaled it back and let swagger take a backseat to singing.

Stefani has had a successful solo career while the band took a break, but none of her hits surfaced Saturday; it was all about bringing No Doubt in all its facets back to the masses, from monster smash “Don’t Speak” to the synth-heavy cover of Talk Talk’s “It’s My Life.”

Judging by the capacity crowd’s thunderous demand for an encore, which included “Rock Steady” and “Sunday Morning,” the masses have missed them.

Opening act Paramore is a band modeled after No Doubt: melodic, punk-infused power pop featuring a dynamic frontwoman in Hayley Williams and an all-male band. The fivesome delivered a brilliant set that included the buoyant “Where the Lines Overlap” and their track from the vampire flick “Twilight,” “Decode.”

Tags: Boston, Concert Reviews, Live, Tour

taken from: RockSteadyVybes YouTube

Tragic Kingdom was played live last night for the 1st time in 12 years! They replaced End It On This with TK. Check out the video Nick took:

Tags: Live, Tour, tragic kingdom, Video

There are 2 new No Doubt shirts for sale on their website. The neon one is available at Hot Topic also:

(click on the photo to redirect)
 

http://www.merch.com/nodoubt/default.asp

Tags: Hot Topic, Merch, No Doubt, T-Shirt, Tour

taken from: Adventures of a Niagara Falls Tour Guide

Life as a tour guide is a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get. One day it’s an Amish Family visiting from Pennsylvania, the next day it’s a group from Mumbai, India. And then the next day you’re hosting a super cool rock band.

I had the pleasure of escorting members of the group No Doubt around Niagara Falls yesterday. The weather was overcast and drizzly, but the group’s spirits were high.

We did all the typical things, Maid of the Mist, Cave of the WInds, etc. as well as a brief tour of Buffalo. What can I tell you after my brush with celebrity? This group was comprised of the most down to earth people. They were polite, generous and tolerated my jokes.

Ken, their manager, is a calm man with an excellent sense of humor. Although there was not much time to chat with everybody, I did have some other individual conversations. Adrian seems like a really involved dad! He was intrigued about some of the history of the Falls, especially the contributions of Nikoli Tesla. Stephen is flat out funny. He is very quick witted and charming.

I also met some of the band members from one of the other groups touring with No Doubt. Band members and crew of the group Paramore are young and having a great time while touring. It’s amazing how much they’ve accomplished and most of them aren’t even 25 years old.

So if you’re a fan of No Doubt and wondered what they are like off stage, I can tell you they totally rock!

Tags: Niagara Falls, No Doubt, Tour

taken from: Post Gazette

Of course I gotta post the review from my concert )

It’s hard to watch No Doubt for 90 minutes and not end up at least mildly in awe of Gwen Stefani.

The singer who gave us “Just a Girl” not only has big pipes but she seems like the kind of girl who could hold her own in a ska-punk circle pit.

She’s also a 39-year-old mom with a toddler and a baby, and she somehow managed to show up for this reunion run with a perfectly flat belly and a full reserve of energy.

On Saturday night, Stefani saw to it that the thousands who endured the traffic to the Post-Gazette Pavilion got a party for their trouble. No Doubt hit the stage after spirited opening sets by the Sounds and Paramore looking like an Orange County mod squad in their gleaming whites. For the next hour and a half No Doubt bounced around the stage seeming truly excited to be finished with that five-year break.

With no new album and no new agenda, fans got the best of No Doubt, starting with the ska-pop breakout “Spiderwebs” and then “Hella Good,” a club banger that had the excitable crowd bouncing as one.

Surely, the Penguins’ Stanley Cup victory the night before upped the party vibe, and Stefani made early mention of it, to a roar of cheers. Spontaneous and fully in charge of the stage, she pulled a fan up for a hug, chatted with people about items they were holding up (like a picture of her husband Gavin Rossdale) and had everyone turn around while she got the fans on the lawn to jump on “Different People.”

In her skin-tight clothes and pin-up platinum hair, Stefani has her own retro-futuristic style, with electric movements and facial expressions that can quickly go from smile to sneer.

The set was fast-paced with upbeat songs such as “Underneath It All,” “Don’t Let Go Away” and “Ex-Girlfriend,” featuring the band members — Tom Dumont, Adrian Young and Tony Kanal — in a cool James Bond-style video. The dance hit “Hey Baby” broke into rap with vocal assists from horn player/keyboardists Stephen Bradley and Gabrial McNair.

Stefani was on top of the vocals throughout but got her chance to really shine on the ballad “Don’t Speak,” which also came with an intricate acoustic solo from Dumont. No Doubt pumped the energy up again with its cover of “It’s My Life,” a gender-bending sing-along on “Just a Girl” and the slow reggae groove of “Rock Steady.”

Stefani kept commenting on the big, fun-loving crowd that greeted them. If No Doubt has any doubts about the viability of this reunion, they had to be put to rest by the response from the 17,000 in Burgettstown.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09165/977446-388.stm#ixzz0IVLC2rHf&D

Tags: Pittsburgh, Reviews, Tour

I will have video coming tomorrow probably… I’m just so tired from the 5 hour drive!

Tags: Concert, Gallery, Pittsburgh, Tour

taken from: Celebrity-Gossip

Well into her No Doubt reunion tour, Gwen Stefani was spotted rocking out at the Cruzan Amphitheater last night (June 3).

The “Hella Good” songstress looked to be enjoying herself as she and her bandmates whipped the West Palm Beach crowd into a frenzy.

Probably the cutest spectator at the No Doubt gig was none other than Gwen’s son Kingston, who watched his mommy rock out from the side stage area.

And of course, he sported a pair of sound-dampening headphones so as not to injure his precious little ears.

Check out the great quality photos:

Tags: Photos, Tour