Buckeye Randy

I'll just stick to artists I've seen. I love Joan Jett (3 times), Horrorpops (3 times) and The Dollyrots (3 times). I saw Thick at the bottom of a bill one time and wish I would have paid more attention because I like their recent releases. Here is a song by Thick. I'll go see them again if given the chance



Is there a place at this site to post concert reviews? I'll throw this Dollyrots review here for now...

Who: The Dollyrots
When: March 16, 2024
Where: Beachland Tavern

Excuse me while I get reflective for a moment. I have had many great years with many great memories attending shows with my family. First with Mrs. Buckeye back in the day and then later with our kids. Today, I feel like a new chapter is starting because I’m now adding a Grandchild to the concert list as we celebrate a 13th birthday with her first concert. I suppose a giant assist should go to my oldest son and his Wife for having a kid that loves The Dollyrots. Actually…The Dollyrots can take some of the credit! The 2023 release (Night Owls) happens to be one of their finest offerings from a career that covers ten releases over 20 years. (reflective moment is over)

The Dollyrots are fronted by bass slinging Kelly Ogden and her husband Luis Cabezas on guitar. You might also know Kelly from her early morning slot on Sirius channel 21 which is home to Little Steven’s Underground Garage. She does a great job spinning new releases and mixing them in with punky chestnuts from the last 50 years or so.

I first saw The Dollyrots in 2010 with my oldest son when they opened for The Buzzcocks and I was instantly hooked to their brand of poppy punk. Sadly, that was my fourth and final time seeing Pete Shelley (RIP) fronting The Buzzcocks. (that was semi-reflective)

The Beachland Tavern is adjacent to the larger Beachland Ballroom and they sort of have a shared entrance area not to mention a shared parking lot. On this night; we have The Dollyrots in the Tavern and the larger Ballroom is hosting an album release show by LUV. This is typically a clusterbunch of confusion with fans of two different acts in front of the same building with doors for Tavern opening at 7:00 and Ballroom at 7:30.

We arrive early enough to score decent parking and we take our place in a line that is growing down the sidewalk. The temperature isn’t exactly freezing but the wind makes it feel much worse. We were having normal pre-concert conversations and a guy with a ska hat and a really upbeat demeanor bounces up to my son. This guy happens to be the Dad of the lead singer for the evening’s opening band, Detention. My son and his wife have seen Akron’s Detention several times and have apparently made their way to the inner circle of band fandom. After a couple minutes of catching up on current events (my granddaughter’s b-day being one of the things), the guy disappears around the corner into the parking lot. He returns minutes later with a Detention hoodie for Happy b-day/first concert. A great gift when waiting in line to a sold out show whilst cool wintery winds from Lake Erie whip around Waterloo Road.

Mrs. Buckeye and I grab a couple seats at the bar closest to the stage while birthday girl and her parents grab a place in front of the stage. The venue quickly fills and the crowd has a fun punk vibe with ages ranging from young teens to the elderly. Note; when I was 20, the elderly were people over 30. Now that I’m in my 60’s, elderly people are approaching 80.

Opening the evening is Detention who are young rockers that have won awards at various events including a High School Rock Off at the Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame. Many in the crowd were familiar with the songs and the energy was high during the performance.

While the phrase ‘youthful enthusiasm’ probably best describes Detention, The Boreouts are best described as not youthful but seasoned. The recently formed band from Detroit includes members of The Dirtbombs, The Suicide Machines and Gangster Fun. The level of musicianship, timing and delivery was high. This was real punk music served up by veterans of the craft. I hope they stick around along enough to release some material because they were certainly good in a live setting.

The Dollyrots took the stage and combined their usual charm and brand of punky/pop. The charm is the back and forth banter between Kelly Ogden and her husband Luis Cabezas. The pair met in 8th grade and they are still having fun together plus putting out albums for over 20 years.

The show started fast with three of their most popular songs; “Everything”, “My Best Friend’s Hot” and “Twist Me To The Left”. Halfway through the set they played arguably their best known song which is a cover of Melanie’s “Brand New Key”. While introducing the song, Kelly told the story about Melanie performing the song “Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)” at Woodstock. This is acknowledged as the first time that lighters were raised in tribute at a concert. Kelly also spoke of how it personally touched her when Melanie passed way earlier this year.

Another charming thing about a show with The Dollyrots is their kids making appearances during the performance. On this night, son River performed tricks with his yo-yo while the band took a short break. The band retook the stage and jumped back into the music while River was joined on stage by Jon of The Boreouts who brought his own yo-yo. It took over 40 years of attending concerts but I’ve finally seen dueling yo-yos on stage. (smiling)

The show neared the end and all the young fans were invited on stage for the last song of the evening, “Because I’m Awesome”. Three or four youngsters took the stage around Kelly including my Granddaughter. She was a little shy at first (granddaughter not Kelly), but by the end of the song the two were sharing a microphone shouting out the chorus. Yeah, that happens at everybody’s first concert.

The Dollyrots always play short sets so they can spend an hour or so with the fans which includes fans signing Kelly’s leather jacket which was pink this year. When Luis learned of the first concert/birthday, he gifted a swag bag full of merch. The evening finally ended with Kelly in a family picture.

What a great first concert! How high has the bar been set for future concerts? Regardless, nice evening of family fun and I can’t wait until we share more concert memories with grandkids and hopefully see dueling yo-yos again. Well Done!

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