Rock acts cook at KROQ Weenie Roast

By MARK CARPOWICH
Staff Writer

A hot day. An all-male lineup.
No wonder they call it the Weenie Roast.
KROQ's seventh-annual summer concert, held June 19 at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater, served as a venue for a much more testosterone-driven, rock-oriented event than the station has put on in previous years. And, as was the case three years ago, it was a band not part of KROQ's regular rotation that stole the show.
In an ultimately inevitable recognition from alt-rock fans who seem to be turning more toward hard rock, heavy metal veterans Metallica were the heroes of the day on Saturday, bringing a sun-baked crowd to life with their hour-long set, the penultimate of the evening. Like the 1996 appearance of KISS, the legend and music of Metallica, as well as the anticipation from both the audience and the other musicians on the lineup, warranted the band topping the bill. Unlike 1996, however, the San Francisco hard-rock staples were denied their deserved position at the concert's apex.
Not that the Red Hot Chili Peppers are anything to sneeze at. The show's headliners, fresh on the heels of a new album, a reunion with John Frusciante (the only one who can truly play guitar for this band) and a post-drug-addiction reawakening, were hardly short on fireworks, sending a sellout crowd home with a mix of rock ("Give It Away"), softer rock ("Scar Tissue") and borderline ballads ("Under The Bridge").
The band's set, derived mostly from the newly released Californication and hits from 1991's BloodSugarSexMagik, seemed brought to an early close by a handful of fans who found their way on stage and tried to get to bassist Flea. And while the Chili Peppers were exciting to both the eye and ear, their set was not the climax Metallica would have brought to a day filled with acts oriented toward a harder edge but too often unable to deliver.
Limp Bizkit, one of the day's most anticipated acts, had the unenviable task of preceding Metallica, and unfortunately will likely be remembered more for encouraging fans to create a "Star Wars"-type scene by throwing trash, rather than for the musical buzz it has created through its rock-rap fusion and recent surprise rooftop gigs. Kid Rock, musically not far removed from Limp Bizkit, was equally disappointing, showing why he is more KROQ flavor-of-the-month material than a legitimate draw. His delay in setting up on time resulted in a set shortened from the already abbreviated 30 minutes he had been allotted, but no one in the crowd was seen shedding any tears.
Non-hard-rock acts like Sugar Ray and Live were surprisingly solid in essentially playing the role of outsider at a concert dominated by their metal brethren, but neither would have been missed had they been left off the bill. With only one new song to feature ("The Dolphin's Cry"), Live's appearance, though energetic and marked by strong crowd interaction, amounted to a collection of hits from several years ago. Strangely, the band dipped into older albums like Mental Jewelry and Throwing Copper at the expense of the more recent Secret Samadhi, which made for a good show but offered very little for those who had not seen the Pennsylvania natives before.
Sugar Ray, meanwhile, rocked hard at times, but - as was the case with the band's performance at KROQ's Acoustic Christmas six months ago - its set ultimately served as an opportunity for USC alumnus Mark McGrath to further establish himself as the band's sole focus. As he did in December, McGrath - sporting blue-tinged black hair - once again dedicated "Fly" to a recently departed loved one (this time his grandmother), but, along with Live's Ed Kowalczyk, did serve the vital purpose of providing a strong frontman in terms of engaging what had been a fairly lackadaisical crowd.
Though he ended his band's set with an energetic run through the pit area directly in front of the stage, McGrath was upstaged by Blink-182, which was introduced by porn star Janine and featured singer-bassist Mark Hoppus playing in the nude for the band's first two songs, "Family Reunion" and "Pathetic." Eventually clothed, Hoppus and friends cranked out 45 minutes' worth of solid punk hits, including the KROQ standard "Dammit." Before yielding the revolving stage to Limp Bizkit, Blink was joined onstage by frequent streakers Lit, who repeated their in-the-buff stunt at a recent Eve 6 gig at the House of Blues by running naked across the stage.
The unexplained switch between Pennywise and the far better Living End elevated the former onto the main stage, while the latter, originally slated for the main stage, outperformed acts like Lit and the Freestylers on the side stage. Preceding forgettable sets by Orgy and Smash Mouth, Pennywise - which had been embroiled in controversy over its recent appearances on KROQ's "Loveline" call-in show - was introduced by the shows hosts, Dr. Drew and Adam Carolla, who expressed no hard feelings to the band.
On a day when hard rock, and not hard feelings, was the operative term, fans who may have been nursing sunburns and hangovers on Sunday morning can at least know they were treated to some solid performances that put the "roq" in KROQ.
n

What's the Matto?

For its latest album, Stereo-type A, Cibo Matto canned the food references that dominated the lyrics and song titles of its debut album. But that didn't stop the band from satisfying the collective appetite of everyone in attendance at the Hollywood Palace Wednesday night.
The multi-style act, led by vocalist Miho Hatori and keyboardist Yuka Honda, offered fans an energetic performance that, though belatedly, drew an enthusiastic response from a sellout crowd that covered every inch of the Palace dance floor, swaying and jumping through an hour-long set that mostly featured tracks from Stereotype A.
The vocals of Hatori - think a cross between Bjork, Janet Jackson and Mad TV's Ms. Swan - were unfettering yet consistent throughout the performance. Though she rarely actually spoke with the crowd, stopping for the first time about halfway through the show to persuade people to buy the new record ("Tower is still openŠ'til 12," she deadpanned to the audience), Hatori's voice was on target all evening.
Though Honda managed to elicit little more than feedback from her microphone, harmonies were handled nicely by bassist Sean Lennon on songs like "Flowers" and "Speechless." Hatori did well singing on her own as well, switching admirably between rapping and singing on "Working for Vacation," and proved herself more than just a novelty as an Asian woman in the world of hip-hop.
Hatori never stopped moving all night, and was a tireless performer who gave the crowd more than enough of the good show they had come to see. Still, most of the capacity crowd on the floor remained dormant for much of the night, finally waking up when Cibo Matto served up songs from its debut, Viva! La Woman, such as "Beef Jerky" and "Know Your Chicken," the latter of which ended its regular set.
Returning for "Moonchild" and "Sci-Fi Wasabi," Cibo Matto wrapped up its energetic performance by leaving fans satisfied, yet undoubtedly looking forward to the band's return in July as part of the Lilith Fair.
The concert's one drawback was the lack of an on-stage guitarist or horn player, both of which are vital parts of the band's sound. Still, Cibo Matto in general, and Hatori in particular, managed to serve up a healthy portion of showmanship.
San Francisco's Imperial Teen entertained as the opening act, bringing its unique, quirky rock to The Palace for a 45-minute set highlighted by its usual rotation of instrument duties between drummer Lynn Perko, guitarist Roddy Bottum and bassist Jone Stebbins.
- Mark Carpowich | Staff Writer