A funny thing happened on Adema’s way to Ozzfest: they stopped off in Clinton, Iowa on May 8th, 2002. Clinton is the town furthest east in Iowa located on the Mississippi River. It's about 30 miles from here that the Mailbox Pipe bomber began his reign of terror, before shuttling his way to Nebraska, leaving behind blown up mailboxes, bills turned into shrapnel and thumb-less farmers. The venue was The Pig Pen, a well-established music palace on the tour itineraries of “up and coming” rock bands (and some music legends too.) Many bands have graced the stage, from Motorhead, Mudvayne and Slipknot (before anyone knew who they were) to acts like Fastball or Bo Diddley. Wednesday night, Adema added its name to the club’s “played here” roster.

I arrived early to see the opening band, Rearview Mirror, an Iowa-based band making some headway touring across the USA. I had seen them a month earlier and really enjoyed their energy. On that occasion they were playing to a small crowd. My thought then was this was a rare opportunity to see Rearview Mirror so intimately before they start playing to larger venues. They had a packed house opening for Adema, and the crowd responded in kind. A possible band for Sharon Osbourne’s B- stage list for Ozzfest 2003? We’ll see.

Where's Apollo Creed When You Need Him?

I had to take off and missed the second band - Interscope Record’s Trust Company. I am sorry I did because when I got back, Adema had taken the stage and about half the crowd had left. Clearly Trust Company has a following. How can I describe Adema’s performance? Remember when Apollo Creed gives Rocky Balboa the speech about “the eye of the tiger”? Rocky had lost his love of boxing and was just going through the motions. That was Adema’s performance. They had the right sound, they were bouncing around on the stage but something was hollow, no eye of the tiger, no thrill of the fight. The Pig Pen was still packed but no longer bursting at the seams like it was for the two opening bands. Concertgoers are a fickle bunch, even with the opportunity to see a big name band like Adema in a small venue, they can’t be coaxed to hang around if the band on stage doesn’t work. I hope this isn’t an issue of a band breaking through only to break apart. Seems a shame all that hard work down the tubes.

Adema can be found on the web at www.ademaonline.com. Trust Company at www.interscope.com and www.trustcompany.com. Rearview Mirror at www.rvmonline.com. LA bands touring the Midwest or Midwesterners looking for a live music experience can find the Pig Pen at www.pigpenrocks.com.

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