Autograph and 38 Special in Omaha: February 8, 2018

Guest post from Mrs. Metallattorney, because I did not feel like it.  

I've been informed that Metallattorney will not do a review for the concert we attended last Thursday evening in Omaha. Apparently, he draws the line at Autograph opening for 38 Special. Regardless, this concert deserves a review, and not entirely for good reasons. It took place at the Ralston Arena, which is a small arena in Omaha. (Or as the band, while technically correct, but wrong in spirit, kept referring to as Ralston.) We were in a bit of a rush to get to this one because of other commitments earlier in the day, and the Ralston Arena did not make anything simple. The tickets we had required us to enter a certain door (on the complete opposite side of the building from where we parked), and the tickets themselves said nothing about any of this. We eventually made it in, and found our seats.

Autograph opened, and they played for 45-60 minutes, including “Blondes in Black Cars”, “My Girlfriends Boyfriend Isn't Me”, “Loud and Clear”, and of course they closed with “Turn Up the Radio”. They also played some stuff off of their new album, including the title track, “Get Off Your Ass”. Autograph was the primary reason we attended this concert, because I missed seeing them in December (with Slaughter). Unfortunately, the sound for Autograph was objectively terrible. The guitars could not be heard at all (unless they were the only thing playing, and then it sounded like a hoard of angry bees in a tin can), and even the vocals were tough to hear at times. Luckily, drummer Marc Wieland, and bassist Randy Rand were very capable, since they were the only ones we were able to hear. I don't know who was to blame for this debacle, but they really should reevaluate their chosen profession. By the time Autograph finished playing I was extremely bitter that we even spent money on this concert.

Thankfully, the sound for 38 Special was significantly better. To be honest, I am not overly familiar with most of 38 Special's music. They seem to fall into the category of band's that Metallattorney has lumped Foreigner into, Bands Who Make You Say, Hmmmm.... I Didn't Know That Song Was by That Band. While neither of us knew many of the songs by name, they played numerous songs that we recognized. They opened with “Rockin' Into the Night” (one of the songs we recognized), and played “Wild Eyed Southern Boys”, “Fantasy Girl”, “Trooper With Attitude”, “Second Chance”, and a medley including “Teacher Teacher”. Of course they closed the main show with “Caught Up in You” and returned for an encore to play “Chain Lightning”, “Hold On Loosely” and “Travelin' Band”. 38 Special was enjoyable enough, and although I was getting pretty tired by the end of their show (I'd had a long week), that was through no fault of their own.

Perhaps, the most entertaining part of the entire experience was a gentleman on the floor who seemed to be at the wrong concert. He appeared to be moshing. Apparently no one told him he was at a 38 Special show. But, I found his enthusiasm adorably refreshing. So, here's to you, Mr. Mosh Pit Dude at a 38 Special concert. You do you!

All in all, I suppose I'm glad that I finally saw Autograph, and 38 Special was a pleasant surprise. However, I find myself feeling that I need to see Autograph again in the hope that they may sound better (like an actual band rather than a bass and drum duet), which is disappointing because I am cheap.

Mrs. Metallattorney (The Better Metallattorney) :)