Halfway Jam - Day 2 July 25th, 2014

The second day of anything is always easier than the first day.  Jitters have lessened, a routine may have begun, and the comfort level begins to increase.  That's true for the second day of kindergarten, the second day of a new job or career, even the second day of band camp is easier.  Please forget the band camp reference but you get the gist.  July 25th was the second day of "Halfway Jam" did it get easier?

The second day of "Halfway Jam" started with three performers that were powerhouses within their genres for different reasons.  One was an all-female "hair metal" band, another was known for the classic metal ballad and the third was the dashing, debonaire frontman for one of the most storied bands of its era.  As the day started clouds filled the skies, threatening rain but in the afternoon that threat brought a little additional heat and humidity that by nightfall was getting a tad stifling.  As night fell so did the temperatures that made for a beautiful evening.

The VIP patrons were subject to a great little meal of turkey or pork ribs, vegetables and salad that proved to be very filling and exceptionally good.  Kudos to the chef that prepared the meal, it wasn't too heavy and really delicious.

Both stages, the Westside Stage and the Main Stage, were home to exceptional talent that made for seamless merging of their individual time slots.  On the Westside Stage were the bands Dark Side, Pandemic, Platinum FM, Strange Daze, Headless Children and Rock Godz.  Dark Side is a self-professed Pop (Metal) Punk trio and they sport a serious edge.  Pandemic is the ultimate '80's cover band performing hits from Journey, Styx, Loverboy, Bon Jovi, Poison, Motley Crue, AC/DC and many, many more.  Strange Daze makes its appearance at Halfway Jam as original artists with their roots in bands such as Journey, the Doors, Kings X and Collective Soul, they are phenomenal.

Metal Witch is a gospel band that...  Just kidding, Metal Witch is a metal cover band that will play cuts from some of the greatest metal bands of all time.  Headless Children is a tribute band that really has to be seen because the band they perform as is W.A.S.P., the bastard child of Mr. Blackie Lawless.  Listening to them tonight really made for an incredible performance.  The band Rock Godz, an '80's tribute band rounded out the night performing before and after Sebastian Bach and they were outstanding.

© musicallead.blogspot.com - 2014

When the band Vixen splashed onto the scene in 1988 with the self-titled album "Vixen" it was commonplace to insinuate that the band was merely a gimmick.  The band, comprised of four females, fought through the baseless stereotypes and made some really good albums.  In 2013 the band was planning on reuniting when tragedy struck when founder Jan Kuehnemund lost her battle with cancer.  The band did reunite, continuing with the name Vixen and on the 25th of July they raided the stage at Halfway Jam and by the time they were done hundreds of new Vixen fans were born.

When the song "Don't Close Your Eyes" was released, the band Kix firmly took its place inside the annals of rock history.  Consider the fact that their body of work is so deep it makes perfect sense that the band has stayed around as long as they have.  With a new album on the horizon, Kix looks to stay in the public eye for some time.  The band was brilliant on stage!  Brilliant!

As the night cooled, the night sky got a little darker and the murmur of the crowd began to buzz with the realization that the former frontman of the band "Skid Row" was moments from what can only be called "Sebastian Bach time."  With the pounding drums and guitars screaming Bach appeared to a rousing performance of "Slave to the Grind."  Bach and his band members brought the Royalton crowd to their headbanging apex.  Interspersing old favorites and new material was definitely the mother of all donnybrooks.  The three members of Bach's band took command of the moment combined with Bach's vocals made their set one to remember!

Day 2 of Halfway Jam took the energy from the previous day and literally took off like a rocket.  The second day was really one of the best days within the history of Halfway Jam.  What fans took away from the experience was an incredible rock and roll brawl.  With the combination of excellent music, beautiful weather and amazing fans Halfway Jam Day 2 really was a great day.  Day 3 looks to be even better than Day 2, the weather is spectacular and the lineup looks incredible!

As the end of Halfway Jam nears, the focus on next year can begin.  Who would you like to see?  I suggest going to Day 3 and see how great this event really is.  Its live music, its great weather, and its plain fun!