First off, the music. I couldn't have picked a better selection myself. AIC "Dem Bones," Ozzy "Mr. Crowley," Seether "Remedy," Foo Fighters "Everlong," System of a Down "BYOB" and "Sugar," STP "Plush," Pantera "Walk," plus Tool, Metallica, Drowning Pool, Godsmack, Jet...after a while (and too many beers - remember I had an extra hour of beer too!) I started getting too into the show and forgetting to write down the songs.
Second, the show. Watching Preying Mantis, you don't get the feeling of being in a bar watching a cover band. You feel like you're at a concert. The fact that Tiffany's is freakin' huge is part of it, but mostly it's just the way the band puts on a show. They've got the moves and demeanor of longtime, experienced rockers. The singer, Jack, reminded me of James Hetfield back in the day when Metallica was Metallica. He's got a great voice, especially for stuff like Pantera and Drowning Pool. Maybe not so much for Ozzy songs...he cracked a little, but then again, Ozzy does that too. Anyhow, when they play Ozzy, the thing to watch is Ron...he makes a Randy Rhoads solo look as easy as "Jingle Bells."
Third, they gave me something I've been waiting to hear since I started doing this SA Rocks thing: a kickass bass solo. (The other is some badass double bass on drums, still waiting for that one.) I know that it's much more difficult to perform a wailing solo on a bass guitar than it is on a (regular?) guitar, so I'm always very impressed by that. Metal Mike's solo goes right up there on my list of best bass solos, along with Metallica's "Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)" and the one performed by the bassist for B.B. King when I saw him at The Majestic years ago.
I was a little bummed that Chris, their usual drummer, wasn't there on drums because I've spoken with him a little on MySpace and was looking forward to meeting him in person, but Jason did a great job filling in and I loved the drum set up! You can't see it too well in the pictures, but there's this really cool glass partition around the drums.
I also have to add that I was impressed by Jack's method of taking a shot of tequila. I've never seen anyone spit a lime straight up in the air and catch it in his mouth before.
Metal Mike was telling me that some clubs in town don't want to book Preying Mantis because they think they're too heavy. I think they're making a big mistake. The crowd at Tiffany Billiards was not a bunch of longhairs in concert t-shirts (not that there's anything wrong with that), but your average bar crowd that looked like they'd had a long week of work and were ready for some fun, and they loved every minute of it. I even saw a couple there who looked like they were in their 50's and they didn't seem to mind the music a bit. So, note to clubs...you might want to rethink that!
If you haven't seen Preying Mantis, you definitely should. You can catch them this coming Friday (Nov 4) at the Hooligan's on I-35 or check Preying Mantis' schedule for future gigs. Many of you probably remember Ron Jarzombek from WatchTower and SA Slayer, but if you don't know who he is and how great a guitarist he is, go right now and check out his stuff at spasticink.com. He's amazing.
If you're a guy, you can stop reading now. This last note is for the ladies. You may have read on here occasionally me complaining about the restrooms at various clubs being tiny, nasty, etc. (You know, when you drink beer, one of the consequences is frequent trips to the restroom, so the quality and size of the restrooms becomes very important.) I have officially voted Tiffany Billiards as having the Best Bathroom Ever...not only is it large with many stalls, but the walls are lined with posters of guys who look like this:
Does it get any better than that?!
ADDED NOTE: I have one more thing to say. To local waitresses: I waitressed at bars for many years and girls, you're making a big mistake when you make the assumption that women don't tip and pass my table by. When I buy a beer, I give you a five and the change is yours. Last night I had at least 8 beers (probably more, I didn't count). That's $18+ that you missed out on. Out of all the bars I've gone to over the last 6 months, checking out bands for SA Rocks, the only bar where I was waited on is Rock City Bar. And they don't even have waitresses. The bartender did it.