By T.J. Tranchell

After 30 minutes of hard rock, Buckcherry vocalist Josh Todd announced to the crowd that he had been suffering from bronchitis for six days and that his voice was giving out. After playing their hit, “Crazy B—-,” another 2009 Rally headliner cut their time in Sturgis short.

The half hour Buckcherry was onstage was loud and fun, despite the swamp-like conditions of the Buffalo Chip lawn.  Buckcherry has the look of a biker band, except for guitarist Stevie D., who looks like an Asian Angus Young.

During the shortened set, Buckcherry did manage to play their other well-known song, the anthem to cocaine “Lit Up.”

All indications were that this would be a Friday night to remember. Todd and company gave no notice that things would end earlier than expected until Todd’s sudden announcement of his condition.

I don’t blame him for wanting to cut things short. It’s wet and he didn’t have a shirt on. Despite that, plenty of engines revved, showing the band some love.

Buckcherry did succeed in one area beyond expectation: They left the crowd wanting more.

I have never seen Tesla and Hinder in the same place at the same time. After seeing their respective performances Thursday night at the Buffalo Chip, I am convinced they are the same band.

Let’s look at the evidence, shall we? Both are five-piece groups consisiting of a vocalist, lead and rhythm guitarists, bassist and drummer. Each has mastered the power ballad and incorporating acoustic guitars into said ballads. They have each toured and been associated with various glam-metal bands.

Perhaps what happens is that between sets, Tesla goes backstage and unzips their middle aged costumes and return as the younger versions of themselves. If that isn’t the case, Hinder should be looking at Tesla closely. In 20 years, Hinder will have the same kind of loyal cult following Tesla enjoys and be opening for whatever band becomes the new them.

Speculation aside, each band gave a great performance, even in the fog/haze that engulfed the Chip.

Watching Tesla is a lesson in Riffology 101, right down to the iconinc instruments used. Guitarist Frank Hannon used the classic red Gibson SG and the white double-necked model. Hannon’s six-string sidekick Dave Rude sported a Gibson Les Paul. Bassist Brian Wheat occasional rocked the Hofner violin bass made famous by Paul McCartney.

Rude also employs the “Crash” Davis technique for guitar playing by looking like he is breathing through his eyelids.

Near the end of the set, Hannon and Rude traded solos before the rest of the band joined them for an instrumental “We Will Rock You.” The biggest reaction of the night came when Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider rushed on stage to shake hands with drummer Troy Luccketta.

Some of the crowd left between the two bands but any space left open was soon filled by a Hinder fan. Maybe it was frat night at the Chip, I don’t know. I do know that the beach balls and condom ballons did not apppear at any of the previous shows I have seen there.

Hinder did manage to win the biker crowd with their cover of Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild.” The band sang their hits and the frat boys and their girlfriends sang along. The rest of the crowd seemed captured, as well, and did the best they could without actually knowing most of the lyrics. Frontman Austin Winkler made it easy to follow along and the set time seemed to go by faster than the hour and a half it was.

It would be interesting to have been backstage once Hinder said their goodbyes to the crowd. Maybe they shook the hands of their musical heroes, Tesla. Or, just maybe, they slipped back into their old skins and prepared to move on to the next city, with not a soul the wiser.

By T.J. Tranchell

You can only fit so many classic routines into one set. Cheech & Chong couldn’t fit the “Dave’s not here” bit into their performance Tuesday night at the Buffalo Chip, but the majority of the show was filled with sketches that felt more like flashbacks than anything else.

Tommy Chong’s wife Shelby started the show after a slight rain delay and did fine. Her jokes ranged from the political to the obscene. She nearly lost the crowd during some of the political material but always had a pot joke to fall back on. It’s difficult not to think she only landed this gig because she’s sleeping with the star. The funniest part of her act was watching her trying to keep her dress from flying up in the wind. Thankfully, she has another talent that came into play later.

Many of the bits Cheech & Chong performed were slightly updated versions of old routines. A current reference would be tossed in, like a picture of George W. Bush holding a stick of weed during the “Let’s Make a Dope Deal” bit. The material remains strong enough that it’s still funny, even without the updates.

Between bits, Chong did most of the talking, usually about his prison time. Even though he is getting good comedy out of it, he still sounds bitter about the ordeal.

There was no onstage bitterness between the two old friends. During Shelby’s act, she mentioned that the duo would be doing a new film and possibly a sitcom,  which she joked about titling “Grumpy Old Stoners.” Perhaps there is some disillusionment with the way life has gone for them. If that’s true, it didn’t show much during the performance.

Cheech fell back into his stereotypical Chicano role with ease, but had a breakout moment when he came onstage in a tattoo bodysuit and pink tutu for “Earache My Eye.” So the bit was lip-synced. It was still funny.

Chong had two moments of brilliance and both were examples of less publicized talents.

First, in the character of bluesman “Blind Melon” Chitlin, Chong exposed his abilities as a blues guitarist. If Steve Martin can make a banjo album, there is no reason Chong shouldn’t be able to record a blues album.

His second flash of brilliance came during the encore. As Cheech sang his anthem “Born in East L.A.,” the Chong couple danced a bit of salsa. Shelby redeemed herself of her previous showing as a comedienne by proving herself worthy of a “Dancing with the Stars” title. Her gray-bearded husband matched her step for step.

Cheech & Chong ended the night with the stoner national anthem “Up in Smoke.” What could have been a farce was instead two seasoned comedy professionals doing a show. Yes, the years apart show, but it adds to their humanity, making them sympathetic characters as opposed to mere shadows of their youthful selves.

If a new Cheech & Chong movie really is in the works, let us hope some of that sympathy is included and that it doesn’t turn into a bad joke.

By T.J. Tranchell

Perhaps Tipper Gore was right. Aggressive music just might lead to aggressive thinking. I listened to Korn during most of the day and yeah, I am rather angry.

It began during the hours of my “real job,” the one that is meant to pay the bills and fund the dream of writing full time. Yes, some of it was my fault, but I was ready to move on. I’d miss the opening bands, but I’d get to the Full Throttle in time to see Korn’s entire performance because the Full Throttle Web site told me they wouldn’t be taking the stage until 10:30 p.m.

Perhaps I misinterpreted the schedule. Perhaps I would have arrived at the stage sooner if I didn’t have to make a loop through free parking only to have to pay $5 to park in the grass across the street. I was not alone in that lot. I wasn’t alone in arriving just before Korn exited the stage before their encore.

Things weren’t all bad. I was ready to be angry about paying $4 for a bottle of Coke. It was a 24-ounce bottle and I got two plastic Wild Turkey Bourbon glasses filled with ice to drink it from.

Then I saw a guy whose face looked like it exploded. I asked if I could take a photo, but he did not seem too proud of how his face came to be bleeding all over his shirt. Maybe he took an elbow to the face in a mosh pit.

Not that there were any pits going on. The large and decidedly youthful crowd was very polite. Moving through clumps of people was easier than I thought it would be. No one pushed or shoved, not even when the show ended.

So yeah, I have no idea if any of the songs I wanted to hear were played. I’m not entirely disheartened. The songs I did hear provided me with the metal fix I needed. And I became less angry as the night went on, short as it was.

And, to tell the truth, the final encore was worth it. Beginning with “Got the Life,” and transitioning into a forceful set of Pink Floyd covers, Jonathan Davis and company looked like they’d played their guts out. Unlike Pink Floyd, when Davis sings that he doesn’t need any thought control, he sounds like he intends to do something about it, not just decry the state of the educational system. Pink Floyd’s “Goodbye, Cruel World,” is a suicide lament from a man who is doing everything he can to remove himself from the world. Korn’s “Goodbye, Cruel World,” is more like bidding farewell to the planet right before blowing it up.

So I feel better now. I may have been late but I stayed to the end. I could use some Wild Turkey in these cups if you have any. Like the good doctor said, we are, after all, professionals.

By T.J. Tranchell

George Thorogood looks almost exactly like the bulldog depicted in one of his band’s many logos. It is a fun yet slightly menacing look and he plays the part well. He may advocate against drinking and riding, but there is something in his face that makes one think he’d buy your little brother a beer and sleep with your girlfriend.

In other words, he could be the king of Sturgis and it would be hard to find someone to challenge him for the title.

Thorogood and his band the Destroyers (also known as the Delaware Destroyers) connected with the crowd in a way rarely seen at the average rock show. The bikers accept him as one of them and he gives back all he can, coming back for two encores.

Much like the biker audience (roughly four times as large as the audience for Saturday night’s performances by the Family Stone Project and the Classic Rock All-Stars), Thorogood is a throwback to another time. His brand of rock is bluesier than anything getting radio time. When his lyrics make a reference to John Lee Hooker or he dedicates a song to Johnny and June Carter Cash, it isn’t just fluff. Those are his roots.

The Cash dedication came in the form of the blues classic “Cocaine,” which Cash performed during his tours of prisons.  The rendition rang truer than if Thorogood had chosen a more obvious tribute such as “Walk the Line” or even “Folsom Prison Blues.” Thorogood could easily make “Cocaine” his song, but knows better.

The songs Thorogood does own are anthems to rebellion. The loudest reactions were to the Destroyer hits “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” (a John Lee Hooker original), “I Drink Alone,” “Get a Haircut and Get a Real Job,” and their biggest hit, “Bad to the Bone.” None of these songs made it to the first encore or even second. The way it looked, Thorogood might have played until dawn. He’s performed at the rally three years in a row now and with this kind of reception, don’t be surprised to see him here again.

Thorogood also promised to get arrested. Promise or not, arresting the king might not be a good idea.