I recently completed the 100th show of the musical Rock of Ages, while traveling to Munich for that reason. The musical is playing in the 1980’s and features rock music of that era. Thus, most of the originals of the songs have been released about two decades before the musical had its premiere in July 2005 at King King in Los Angeles. During one of the musical shows in Munich, I reflected about where the musical is doing a better version of the song or vice versa. The posting is, of course, very subjective. The more, I am happy to discuss with you about my thoughts, which are majorly based on the British and German professional versions of the musical.
Rock of Ages – The Songs and the Originals
For this comparison of songs, I just went for songs, which at least have a vocal part in the musical (a few are just featured in instrumental version). Additionally, I removed Keep On Loving You (by REO Speedwagon) and Renegade (by Styx), as the songs are just teased very briefly. They are listed in the order they appear in the musical. Of course, the musical typically profits from more singers and a technology gap in regards of sound processing. The original artist is given in brackets in the headers.
Cum On Feel The Noize (Slade / Quiet Riot)
Cum On Feel The Noize has been released by the English rock band Slade in 1973. The musical is likely based on the cover by US band Quiet Riot released ten years later. This song is very close to the musical version. The song is featured right at the beginning, but is then featured in the Stacee Jaxx Bourbon Room scene in the musical in a longer version.
My thought: the two versions are very similar. I like the guitar play in the original a bit more than in the musical, though. Thus I tend to prefer the original.
Just Like Paradise (David Lee Roth)
Just Like Paradise is one of the two key tracks of the first song in Rock of Ages. US-American rock singer David Lee Roth, the former singer of Van Halen. The song has been released on 30th December 1987.
My thought: Overall, the arrangements of the song are similar. However, I feel that the song massively profits from having the full vocal power of the musical cast. Thus, I prefer the musical version.
Nothin’ but a Good Time (Poison)
Nothin’ but a Good Time is part of the first full musical song as well. The song is a great party. The original has been released by Poison in April 1988 by the US-American glam metal band Poison.
My thought: Again, the musical makes use of a very similar arrangement. However, I again feel that the power of the cast and especially being able to “hand over” the lyrics from one actor to another in the musical does add some advantage. It is close, but I slightly prefer the musical version.
Sister Christian (Night Ranger)
Sherrie is about to leave Paola and heads to Los Angeles, pursuing an actress career. The corresponding song has been released by Night Ranger in 1984. The original is a power ballad, which is also strongly driven by piano.
My thought: Even though the notes are the same, the two versions are quite different. The Night Ranger original feels finer and has more of a ballad touch, including the chorus. It also has a more significant synth / keyboard lead. The musical version is more angry. As the role of the Mother is typically played by the same actor as the one of Justice, the musical typically provides a very energetic experience here. I feel it is hard to compare and I like both versions. Thus, I call it a draw.
We Built This City (Starship)
The Klinemann Cooperation wants to take over the strip, which leads to a dispute in the major’s office. The cry of the strip is thereby the opening to We Built This City. The song is a fun track, which people typically could sing-a-long. Thus, the August 1985 release by Starship plays a key role on the first act.
My thought: I cannot deny that I do know the song by heart – but I would not state that I really like the song in the original. The song is also a highlight of the musical as the scene switched between two locations, the office of the major and the Bourbon Room. There is one reason why I slightly favor the musical version: The major replies on the song line Marconi plays the mamba with Who is Marconi? and thereby also criticizes the song itself.
Too Much Time on My Hands (Styx)
Too Much Time on My Hands is one of the oldest songs used in the musical. The US-American rock band Styx released the song in 1981 already, as part of the Queen of Spades album. The musical uses the song in the Bourbon Room as part of the Major scene early in the third act.
My thought: The musical version is much more rocking and has more power than the original recording, even though it does not use that many actors on stage. Thus, I definitely prefer the musical version.
I Wanna Rock (Twisted Sister)
I Wanna Rock is used twice on the album. The main appearance is in the first act, though, when Drew is releasing his rock energy after being teased by Sherrie. The 1984 released song has been written be Dee Snider and performed by his band Twisted Sister. VH1 praised this song as the 17th Greatest Hard Rock Song (see the song’s Wikipedia page).
My thought: Both versions are really good. I Wanna Rock is a key version in the musical, the ensemble dancers and singers lead to a nice touch. Nonetheless, I would call it a draw.
We’re Not Gonna Take It (Twisted Sister)
Twisted Sister is in fact the only band which is featured twice in a row in Rock of Ages. Both songs, I Wanna Rock and We’re Not Gonna Take It, come from the same 1984 album, Stay Hungry. They have been released one after another as singles in that year as well. In the musical, the song is the “hymn” of the protesters and is quoted multiple times.
My thought: Stay Hungry is a great album – and both versions, the original and the musical one, are great. I still lean towards the original version, even though it is really close.
More Than Words (Extreme)
Rock of Ages is a 1980’s musical? Not precisely. Even though most of the songs have been released in that decade, Extreme published this track in March 1991. The song was a huge success in that year, being a Top 10 song in the annual charts of Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the USA. In all major markets, it peaked in the Top 10 of the weekly charts. In the musical, the song is used when Drew is performing songs for Sherrie in the Bourbon Room.
My thought: To make it short: the fine ballad the US American rockers is just too iconic in the original. I do like how the song is used in Rock of Ages, but the duet-style of Extreme is simply better.
To Be With You (Mr. Big)
To Be With You, originally by Mr. Big, is another 1990’s track, being released in November 1991. Another song, where a rock band released a ballad and ran into huge success. The song is used in the same scene quoted before in the musical.
My thought: To Be With You is a great original, but I lean towards the musical version here. The adoption makes lovely use of having the full company on stage. The
Heaven (Warrant)
Still used in the same scene, there is Heaven, originally released by the US-American glam metal band Warrant in July 1989. The song comes with one of the most beautiful lyrics in the musical to me, I don’t need to be the king of the world, as long as I’m the hero of this little girl.
My thought: The musical shortens the lyrics of the stanzas and makes it more compact. Especially in the rather full cast scene, Heaven comes with a lot of energy. However, the Warrant version is also a really nice one. Nonetheless, I slightly lean towards favoring the musical version.
Waiting For a Girl / Boy Like You (Foreigner)
Drew and Sherrie are on the Hollywood Hills, where Drew is messing up their dates. The song originally released by Foreigner in 1981 is used to drive this scene in the first act
My thought: Regardless of the script and arrangement, the scene in the musical is typically one of the most memorable ones in the first act. I also like that it is one of the songs, which are majorly driven by Drew and Sherrie only. However, the Foreigner version is iconic. I like both versions very much.
Wanted Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi)
Wanted Dead or Alive, originally released by Bon Jovi in 1987, is introducing Stacee Jaxx to the musical. He finally also hooks up with Sherrie, one of the key scenes of the first act.
My thought: The original version is a bit of brave, has a bit of a ballad character. The musical turns it into a much more rocking, dirty, energetic song. Thus, I definitely go for the musical version here.
I Want To Know What Love Is (Foreigner)
Sherrie and Stacee Jaxx are physical in the men’s toilet. The second time, the musical makes use of a Foreigner track, which has been released in 1984. The list of countries, in which this song topped the single charts, is huge. The track is definitely one of the key songs of the 1980’s.
My thought: Again, the musical version is more energetic and not as gentle as the original. Additionally, it has a nice joke about the strange scream at the beginning of the original. Both versions are great, but the musical version profits from that and from turning it into a duet of a male and a female singer. Thus, I very slightly go for the musical version.
Harden My Heart (Quarterflash)
As part of all the trouble caused by Stacee, Sherrie quits her job at the Bourbon Room, Combined with Shadows of the Night (see below),the musical uses this song expressing the trouble and her situation. Harden My Heart was released by Quarterflash in September 1981. It was their debut single. The band did released more albums later, the latest one has been published in 2020. However, no song came even close to the US Rock Charts topper. In the musical, this song also leads to the first stage presence of Justice.
My thought: I would say that any professional musical performance was just better in emphasizing the atmosphere of the song. The (typically energetic) vocals by Justice also add a lot of energy. Definitely, the musical version is my favorite.
Shadows of the Night (Pat Benatar)
The song was originally composed in 1980 to serve as part of the soundtrack for the Times Square movie. However, it was refused for that cause. In 1981, there was a version by US-American artist Helen Schneider, but finally the 1982 Pet Benatar version is the most popular one. However, the chart positions of this song were rather limited outside North America.
My thought: Especially by mashing up this song with Harden My Heart, the song gets a really nice touch in the musical. The much I like Pat Benatar and her music – in this patr of Rock of Ages, the musical just delivers the better versions.
Here I Go Again (Whitesnake)
Even though Lonny later speaks of a musical with poop jokes and Whitesnake songs, there is in fact just one song by the British band. The song has been released in 1982. The song is the atmospheric first act finale before the intermission at Rock of Ages.
My thought: Even though I struggle a bit with Whitesnake live performances nowadays, the original is a great song. The musical version comes with a lot of power and the full cast at the end of the first act. I really like both versions.
The Final Countdown (Europe)
The first act majorly features US bands. However, the first and the last song are by British artists. Right at the beginning of act 1, when Hertz starts tearing down the Strip, the musical uses The Final Countdown, written by the Swedish rock band Europe. They released the song, which turned out a huge global success and their most successful track ever, in 1986. The Swedish version of Rock of Ages had Europe’s former guitarist Kee Marcello on stage, by the way. However, Marcello joined Europe after the song has been recorded
My thought: I feel I can make it rather short. The musical does not emancipate from the original that much. I love both versions the same.
Any Way You Want It (Journey)
Sherrie is taking her first steps in the Venus Club in the musical, when Justice is explaining her that Any Way You Want It is more or less the service rules in that place. It is the first time a Journey song is used in the musical. The US-American rock band released this song in 1980 already. Songwriters were Steve Perry and Neal Schon. The latter is still an active member of the band.
My thought: Of course, the scenery in the Venus Club is iconic and very atmospheric in the musical However, even with the new singer Arnel Pineda, I really love Journey performing this song. A very tough decision, but Journey are just too good.
High Enough (Damn Yankees)
I recently gave you quite a lot of detail about High Enough in the Songs of My Life. In the musical, Sherrie and Drew run into each other by chance, feeling that they still love each other. As I stated in the posting, this 1990 original is my favorite song of the musical.
My thought: To me, this one is likely the hardest choice. The original is great, but no scene touches me so much than this duet. Surprisingly for me, even some amateur shows I saw did an amazing version of High Enough. I just have to go for the Drew and Sherrie duet in the musical.
I Hate Myself for Loving You (Joan Jett and the Blackhearts)
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts released this song in 1988, which is used in the moment together with Heat of the Moment (see below). The song is used for the scene, where Stacee is visiting the Venus Club, running into Sherrie. The original had quite some success in multiple markets. Interestingly, the only country listed on the song’s Wikipedia page, in which it in fact topped the charts is Zimbabwe.
My thought: The original version is darker, more rocking, more raunchy than the musical version. Two good version, which is in the musical nicely blended with Heat of the Moment. I slightly feel that the original is somehow cooler.
Heat of the Moment (Asia)
The song with which the Joan Jett track is blended in the musical, is Heat of the Moment by Asia. The song is one of the few European originals used in Rock of Ages. It has been released in 1982 by the British band. It was a Top 5 success in the US Billboard, the US Rock, the Swiss, South African and Canadian charts.
My thought: To make it short: the excerpts used in the musical are very close to the Asia version. Only the mixing with I Hate Myself For Loving You leads to a special listen. Thus, I like both versions the same.
Hit Me with Your Best Shot (Pat Benatar)
The song is driving one of the typically most popular scenes in Rock of Ages. Franz is rebelling against Hertz and joins the protesters, supported by Regina. The original is another Pat Benatar song. The 1980 song was a Top 10 in the US Billboard and Canadian charts and had a silver record in the United Kingdom.
My thought: You might argue that the original is rather a power pop than a rock track. The musical version lives from the power Franz and Regina bring on stage. I like both versions, but appreciate the higher energy in the musical.
Can’t Fight This Feeling (REO Speedwagon)
The audience highlights are now following one after another in the musical. Lonny and Dennis explore that they are both in love with each other. For that, the musical uses the REO Speedwagon original Can’t Fight This Feeling. The song has been released one week before Christmas in 1984 and became a huge global success. In the 1985 US Billboard annual charts, it was placed 13th, for example.
My thought: Of course, the scene and story turn the song into a special part of Rock of Ages. If you look on the two versions only, you have to say that they are very close. Both versions are really good in my point of view.
Every Rose Has Its Thorn (Poison)
Sherrie decides to quit her job at the Venus Club and head home after Drew ran into her and Stacee there. In that scene, the musical uses the Poison classic Every Rose Has Its Thorn. The October 1988 topped the US Billboard charts and finished third in the 1989 US annual charts. In many European markets, the song made it into the Top 20.
My thought: In the musical, the first part of the song is sung by Justice and Sherrie, before other characters are having their parts as well. This leads to a very versatile, energetic listen. The song is my wife’s favorite Rock of Ages song for a good reason. The original is a great song as well. Two really good versions, but I lean towards Rock of Ages.
Oh Sherrie (Steve Perry)
If you include the two Journey songs, Steve Perry is the only artist, who is having three original songs in Rock of Ages. Oh Sherrie, however, has been a solo recording in 1984, i.e. he was still member of the band as well. The song topped the charts in Canada and had Top 5 placements in the US Billboard and Australian charts. The song is used for the scene when Drew is rushing to the train station (German version: bus terminal) to avoid Sherrie going home.
My thought: The original by Steve Perry is a beauty, but it has a strong pop component as well. In the musical, regardless if you look at the current German tour or at previous UK stage appearances, the vocal performance by Drew is typically very energetic. Thus, I definitely go for the musical here.
The Search is Over (Survivor)
Sherrie decides to stay and kisses Drew at the train / bus station. This is underlined in the musica by The Search is Over, which was released by Survivor in 1985. In contrast to the US rock band’s biggest one, Eye of the Tiger, the song was popular in the USA, but struggled in other markets, it only made it to the charts in Australia and Canada. Tellingly, the song was listed in the US annual charts as a pop song, not a rock track.
My thought: The Survivor version is very pop-ish and gentle. It seemed to have touched the North American market, but it does not touch my European soul too much. I definitely go with Rock of Ages here.
Don’t Stop Believin’ (Journey)
The happy ending in the musical, time to party – and to roll out Journey’s biggest song. The 1981 release has an amazing chart history. While it originally just made it to the Top 10 in the USA and Canada in 1981 and 1982. However, it again and again popped up in other markets. In 2007, it peaked fourth in Ireland. Around 2010, it gained a huge popularity again. This was on the one hand driven by the musical, but also by a Glee version, which had a huge popularity worldwide. Even today, it is popping up in the charts. On 31st May 2024, for example, it re-entered the German single charts (by the way, the third time within 12 months). I featured Don’t stop believin’ in the Songs of my Life.
My thought: I love Journey and look forward to be at their U.K. tour towards the end of the year. Of course, on the other hand, there is the full cast performance of Don’t stop believin’, which is so full of memories and emotions to me. I can’t and don’t want to decide between them – a clear top level draw at the end of this post.
Album covers and Rock of Ages logo are copyright protected.
Rock of Ages – The Originals (Spotify Playlist)
I featured all the originals of the musical in a Spotify playlist:
The musical versions are available on Spotify as well, in a Broadway recording:
All “classic” blog posts
No reviews – just debating and certain topics – these are my “traditional” blog posts in the categories Just blogging, Just blogging on music and Sports Blogging:
The Featured Artists - musicians, which are in special focus and also get a little more service and attention from ...
At least I did not get any messages or other reactions about it - so I am not sure whether ...
I had the idea to this post when I sat in the American Airlines Admirals Club at Pittsburgh Airport (PIT), ...
Summer time is festival time. As there are more and more interesting shows coming up, I felt that it might ...
22 - a repdigit and thus a small anniversary in my Food I Had Onboard series. I have to admit that some ...
It calls itself The Ultimate Country Music Fan Experience and there is indeed likely no festival of that genre somewhere ...
After I shared my loyalty portfolio thoughts in March 2024 with you, it is time for an update. Especially the ...
Country To Country 2025 in Berlin is in the books. Three days and the kick-off Bluebird Cafe session are over ...
In exactly two weeks, on 6th March 2025, Country To Country (C2C) Berlin is kicking off with the The Bluebird ...
I recently forgot a name of a German country artist and had to google it. I started typically by looking ...
With my recent mileage run and the trip to the World Floorball Championship Qualifications in Italy, I had quite a ...
It all started in August 2019 - and it has become a key delivery of Flyctory.com since then. The Country ...
While quite a lot of traveling is ahead of me during the next weeks, November and December 2024 was rather ...
has come to an end - and my Best of posting is the one which is "traditionally" concluding the year. The ...
Time to look back to the Flyctory.com year of music, part 2. In my 30th December 2024 posting, I am ...
The first one of my Best of postings at the end of the year is always reserved for looking back to my ...
Like I did in 2023, I will kick off my looking back to the year 2024 with some travel facts ...
is coming to an end, and my series of year-end reviews are already in the making. I felt to do ...
Last Thursday has been a very special moment in the history of my blog Flyctory.com. I a sure most of ...
Exactly eight years ago, I flew SAS Scandinavian flight SK 626 from Dusseldorf (DUS) to Copenhagen (CPH). Not a really ...
While my 18th edition of the Food I Had Onboard just came with a limited number of trips rather widely ...
Another year, another time for Rock of Ages. Similar to the previous years, I disclose some of the international dates I ...
I did not have that much traveling during the last weeks - but as some major trips are ahead, I ...
After I already introduced you to the track events and the field events of the athletics meeting of the Heinz-Steyer-Stadion ...
After I did a review by sports of the 2020/21 Toyko Summer Olympic Games, I have been at the 2024 ...
I did this kind of posting for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games as well as for the 2020/21 Tokyo Summer ...
Oh, I traveled too much the last weeks again. Time for another Food I Had Onboard posting - this time also featuring ...
The highlight of my trip to the Infosys Hall of Fame Open 2024 was of course the Saturday evening ceremony ...
The big moment is coming closer. On Thursday, 18th July 2024, the three inductees into the International Tennis Hall of ...
A very special week lies ahead of me. On Saturday, I will fly over to Boston and drive on to ...
The same procedure as every year. The day when the NHL is releasing their match schedule for the upcoming season ...
I had quite a lot of travel in recent times - so there is time for a new Food I Had ...
Wow, what an intense week. Flyctory.com felt like my former sports project, sport-live.net, the last ten days. So many match ...
The still rather cheap flight prices from Europe to New York City are tempting. However, if you book too early, ...
In a short amount of time small field floorball boosted from a hobby and youth version of the sports to ...
I'm back! After having skipped quite a few ones, due to physical and mental reasons, I am about to fly ...
Since a couple of years, I have a group of so-called Featured Artists - musicians, which are in a special ...
In my fifteenth edition of my Food I Had Onboard posting series, I have a quhttps://flyctory.com/tag/deutschebahn/ite nice range of flight and ...
At the time when I started writing this posting in early March 2024, Flyctory.com already featured reviews of over 320 ...
In early April 2023, I gave you an insight into my loyalty program strategy for 2023. The posting Thumbs up ...
France, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia - I am just coming back from a massive aviation trip, which is the ...
The seizure of operation by Everynoise.com made it necessary to reform my country music playlists. I already mentioned this one ...
Andreas Dorau is one of the artists I follow for the longest time in my life. In 1997, just when ...
Happy New Onbaord-Food Year! At least, there is one flight experience from 2024 in this posting already, a Lufthansa Business ...
Is it really New Year's Eve already again? The last day of the year? I am posting this one in ...
Yeah, I am still more of an album person. I feel that a long-play is still able to tell stories ...
It's time to look back to . After I shared my new format My Year in Travel with you the first time, ...
Let's try out something new: in addition to the Best of postings I present you at the end of the year, I ...
Unfortunately, I could not complete the Country Christmas Playlist this year due to technical issues. However, since the days become ...
When I wanted to work on 8th December 2023, preparing the base data for my two country music playlists, I ...
After my eleventh Food I Had Onboard posting majorly concentrated on two Lufthansa First Class legs between Frankfurt (FRA) and ...
And then, it were three. I already shared Christmas songs by country artists twice as a playlist. For the Flyctory.com ...
At the end of September, some miraculous things were happening on the Instagram accounts of the Country To Country Festivals ...
I felt it is a good time to publish my next episode of Food I Had Onboard in this week in ...
When Swiss International Air Line recently released the seat map of their new Airbus A350 fleet, a real advantage of ...
It is just mid-year 2023 and I already start working on my 2024 Rock of Ages International Tour list. I am sure ...
In the life of a sports fan, there are those days you simply remember. Great victories and upsets, huge disappointments, ...
Are we really in the double digits now? I am really happy about my "new" category Food I had Onboard. Also, ...
Even though I am German, I am not an overwhelming soccer (or, for major parts of the world: football) fan ...
I am surprised that it has never been there before, stated Jackson Dean, one of the four artists, who will ...
Home is where the heart is - I had the idea to this posting about my favorite cities of the ...
Last week, the NHL released their schedule for the 2023-24 season. This typically means a bunch of work to me, ...
After I gave you three postings about the music at the Seepark Biker Days 2023 in Pfullendorf already, it is ...
I am not a Harley rider and I will travel to Pfullendorf by rental car. But I am really looking ...
One more Food I had onboard until I have a full set of ten postings. Hope you also enjoy reading ...
This weekend will be a tough one, a very emotional one for me. After 52 shows with the British production ...
Iceland is definitely one of the countries I love to travel to most. The unique nature, a very interesting culture ...
Oops, I did it again. Just within about a month, I feel that I had a nice volume of flights, ...
I did a bit of an ESC week this week, featuring Guildo Horn's Guildo hat Euch lieb! in my Songs of the Week and ...
Eight days of traveling along the Icelandic Ring Road are done. The trip was just intense. My wife and I ...
Using public transport all over Germany for 49 Euro? Sounds like the perfect deal, especially if you are a visitor ...
I have to give in: the red carpet is not my favorite location. Nonetheless, I felt very thankful that after ...
A major part of optimizing your travel portfolio is to determine the loyalty program which suits best to you. Thereby, ...
The last legs of the 2023 Weird Al Yankovic European Tour, Rock of Ages shows, the Pittsburgh Penguins and many ...
Damn, it is already four years... And it is more than 2,750 postings since then. On 25th February 2018, I ...
Today is a very special day to me: Weird Al Yankovic is playing is first-ever concert in Germany tonight, at ...
Wow, it's already half a dozen of episodes. This time, I start my Food I Had Onboard posting with two ...
If you know me or follow my website, you also know that I might not be the biggest tennis fan ...
The last posting of the year - Best Ones 2022 is introducing you to my best experience last years (as ...
While the music market is more and more focusing on singles and even writes weird stories like Taylor Swift's "Top ...
Since I started working with Flyctory.com, I present you a list of my favorite songs at the end of every ...
I recently told you about my very different pandemic and post-pandemic (re)booking experience with different airlines. The level of service ...
March 2020 changed my life. Covid-19 temporarily took me quite a bunch of habits, which I felt to be essential ...
Just some ten days left until Christmas. Instead of my typical album preview, I this time go for a preview ...
Time for another episode of Food I had onboard. Between September and November 2022, I had some really interesting experiences, ...
I recently ran into a very interesting discussion of the German aviation travel channel Frequent Traveler TV. Lars Costen, the ...
The 7th November 2022 is one of these days I will hardly forget so quickly. In a Weird Al fan ...
Even though I haven't been overwhelmingly optimistic about success on the sports side of the Indian tennis team at the ...
After I rolled out the Country Christmas Playlist 2021 in late November that year, I am this time a bit ...
After I gave you an overview of 2022 European appearances of my favorite musical Rock of Ages, I felt to ...
Already the fourth edition of my Food I Had Onboard category. Even though my Covid-19 infection changed quite a lot of ...
Every year, some time in June or July, I am spending hours and hours looking into flight schedules, checking out ...
The Bergisch Coffee Table (Bergische Kaffeetafel) is a traditional meal, somewhere between a brunch and an afternoon tea. And: it ...
Early summer 2022. After the Covid-19 crisis feels to have come to a certain end, air travelers all over Europe ...
After my second posting about Food I Had Onboard in mid March 2022, I had a couple of interesting flight experiences ...
He was ready to make a few people happy. For one evening. Ready to be the star of a luxurious ...
After I got some quite nice feedback about my first Food I Had Onboard posting, I felt to continue this ...
I am quite sure I will never forget this 24th February 2022. Like I will know what I did on ...
The Winter Olympic Games 2022 are finished. I have to say, I am relieved. It may have been the two ...
Especially for tourists, Dubai rather means entertainment, luxury and posh shopping. Thus, having a boat ride in a swan-shaped pedal ...
Last week only, I had to cancel or rebook four trip due to Covid-19 related reasons. Three of them included ...
It is time for the final posting of the years, simply named The Best Ones 2021. After looking into my ...
2021 definitely lifted Flyctory.com to another level. The community is steadily increasing - days with less than 2,000 page hits ...
Year-end is the time to look back to all the stuff what happened to you. Ideally you rather remind the ...
Christmas is approaching really quick now. While I traditionally do a festive edition of my Country Music Picks, I also ...
Even though I do have a couple of airport reviews on Flyctory.com, I so far missed a lot of the ...
Okay, I give in. In the world of country music, Christmas starts in early September. That's when the first song ...
In October 2021, on a flight from Munich (MUC) to Keflavik Airport (KEF), I decided to go for a new ...
Summer feels to be over - Fall 2021 is coming. Finally, I had much more - and better - trips ...
This is a posting I am aiming to write since ages somehow. I visited so many hotels - not just ...
The Summer Olympic Games 2020 in Tokyo are over. Two weeks of intense sports coverage are lying behind us. Definitely ...
After the 2018 PyoengChang Olympic Winter Games, I already felt urged to do my very own medal count of the ...
Are you currently also fascinated (or disgusted) by the Olympic Games? This posting is about cool sports - even though ...
During the later phases of the Covid-19 lock-downs in Germany, I had the idea to that posting. Maybe just because ...
I studied maths. This almost certainly means that I am weird. Or, at least, that I tend to have weird ...
I got introduced to Smooth McGroove by a friend some half a year ago. At that time, the YouTube music ...
At first sight, this is rather a blog posting for people outside Germany. At the time of reading, German residents ...
Covid-19 has influenced our lifestyle in a historic way, indeed. A lot of things we did love to do are ...
During a dinner concert in June 2020 of a Cologne local band, Cat Ballou (who will be part of my selection), I ...
It started on 27th July 2018 with Talk of This Town by Catherine McGrath. Last weekend, I reached another milestone: with Immortal ...
If you are on a city trip, you likely fancy to buy a multi-attraction ticket. There are global companies like ...
I already introduced you to Feli, the German Girl in America, now Feli from Germany, in my Flyctory.com posting about her ...
I am back. After five days in the United Arab Emirates metropolis, I came back to Germany. My Covid-19 test ...
After praising my favorite songs of 2020 and the favorite albums and EPs in 2020, the final posting to do ...
292 Media Review postings - looking into new music (and a few other) releases was definitely some sort of core ...
2020 is about to come to an end - and the last three posting of the years re about to ...
The critics hated the movie - the cinemas loved it (as it really cashed in a bunch). As a sequel ...
Weird Al Yankovic is not only one of my most favorite artists, who I follow for some twenty years now ...
While I have a couple of "PCR professionals" in my circle of contacts, it took me until December 2020 until ...
In addition to the very personal new Songs of My Life category, I feel like having a bit more blogging contents on ...
Just about one month left until we are facing our very first socially distanced Christmas. Especially after hard times in ...
A typical scene at the bett1HULKS tennis tournament during the last two weeks at Cologne's LANXESSarena: Alexander Zverev (who swept ...
During the last years, October has been one of the big months for European country music fans: being already "traditional" ...
Starting Flyctory.com as a travel and sports blog some 30 months ago, I wouldn't have imagined at its beginning how ...
After Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open 2020, charts like the one by below by the German Data Journalist Felix ...
2020 is just halfway done - but if I was to choose a German person of the year, regardless whether ...
I was originally working on a posting about key challenges that Nashville and the country music industry will face in ...
I absolutely loved to follow Olivia Lane on social media and listen to her music after I happened to run ...
Country music rarely makes it to German media - especially the major US acts, which are typically rather unknown in ...
Many Germans did it - and I did it as well: travelling again. The Whitsun weekend was not only a ...
They did it: the German Women Soccer Bundesliga (Flyeralarm Frauen-Bundesliga) re-started a few days ago, on 29th May 2020. I ...
Covid-19 has a huge impact on the music industry. My home town Cologne's local country music heroes, Mrs. Greenbird, were ...
Saturday, 16th May 2020, 15:30 hrs German time. The point in time at which the German Soccer Bundesliga was intended ...
Kenny Foster, one of the Featured Artists of Flyctory.com and one of the most friendly people I met in the ...
A friend of mine recently asked me how the current Covid-19 situation is affecting myself personally and of course also ...
My Country Music Playlists on Amazon Music and Spotify are one of the most popular elements of the Flyctory.com music ...
Mlada Bolesav - a 44,000 people city in Czech Repiblic, some 65 kilometers Northeast of Prague. Though the city's history ...
Due to the late cancellation of the C2C festivals in London, Dublin and Glasgow and all the organizational trouble caused ...
While I am writing this blog posting, I am sitting in London. The C2C: Country to Country has been cancelled ...
My third and final issue of stories around the C2C in Berlin - time to finish the days of country ...
Saturday in Berlin is over. A lot of good music has been played on several stages - but some stories ...
The German Country Music Scene is having their highest holidays - The C2C in Berlin started on 6th March 2020 ...
While I so far made an semi-annual look back in time, the "Very Important Postings", I decided something with my ...
Due to my passion for Weird Al Yankovic, I know Jim "Kimo" West for a couple of years now. Kimo ...
I decided to split the "Best music" postings of 2019 into two parts: while I already published my personal Best ...
2019 has come to an end - and music has been one of the key topics of Flyctory.com in 2019 ...
You may have visited Flyctory.com the last days hoping to have some coverage of the Neuchatel World Floorball Championships this ...
I am constantly aiming to improve your user experience on the website. I always felt that drilling down the list ...
Usually, I am reviewing albums at the time of release. Luke Combs This One's For You has been released on 2nd ...
Leo Moracchioli sounds very Italian, but in fact, the metal musician and producer is Norwegian citiizen. Despite his Youtube has ...
Some ten weeks weeks ago, I added another feature to Flyctory.com: the Country Music Playlists on Amazon and Spotify allows ...
During the London Country Music Week, Country 2 Country traditionally presented the lineup for the festival. Every year, fans pray ...
Quite surprisingly, there seems to be a quite sudden competition about the promotion and management of country music concerts in ...
I try to improve Flyctory.com steadily and enlarge your visitor's experience. I felt that there is so much music on ...
After my posting in April, which was already speculating about a country music boom in Germany and Central Europe, a ...
June 2019, time for the third semiannual summary of the website. Quite a lot has changed and improved compared to ...
During the CMA Fest 2019 in Nashville, I did quite a lot of Meet & Greets. I just felt it ...
The beginning of June was a very flattering moment to me. After I got more and more into country music ...
CMA Fest 2019 was just massive to me. So many artists, so many new people - I was just overwhelmed! ...
Facebook, Instagram and all other kinds of internet sources nowadays allow you to (sometimes by chance) find, follow and support ...
The closer CMA Fest 2019 came, the more I became aware of all the side events, which are not happening ...
Country music in Germany has a hard standing. It is still not played in most radio stations - or declared ...
I have to admit that Germany is likely the largest music market, in which the amazing duet "Shallow" of Lady ...
The beginning of March 2019 was a country music powerhouse to me. The Country 2 Country (C2C) debut in Berlin, ...
The "Road to Neuchatel 2019" - as only the Swiss team is qualified for their home World Floorball Championships in ...
You have them on almost every flight. They are located in the seat in front you? The airlines try to ...
No floorball competition is changing that frequently like the Champions Cup. While previous season, six men and women teams each ...
Another six months have passed - the first full half year of Flyctory.com's existance. After I did the Very Important ...
As blogging on music became a quite frequent category at Flyctory.com, I felt to look back to 2018 and introduce ...
Similar to frequent flying, there is a straightforward option to become a status member in all major hotel chains: frequent ...
Though I am a huge opponent of the Davis Cup reformations becoming active in 2019, I have to give in ...
1st July 2018 - we start counting down the days to christmas already. In this posting I resume about what ...
With Miles & More, Lufthansa Group's widely used loyality programme, introducing the concept of Mileage Pooling to their program just ...
There have been so many discussions about Rio 2016. Not just about whether the country itself is able to stand ...
Tianjin, China. Tennis Davis Cup, one of my most beloved sports competitions. He was intended to be the hero, the ...
As you might have seen in the other blog entries, I have been attending Europe's major country music festival, the ...
I typically have some notes of the major currencies I am frequently using at home. I just feel it is ...
Yeah, I have to give in: as a German, you just hated when there has been a race with our ...
Some of you may ask: Why did I choose Wordpress for this site? First of all, my wife Sarah had ...
Rock of Ages (Musical)
Here are all postings related to the musical Rock of Ages:
I did it at the beginning - and I (almost) was there when it closed down. I was very thankful ...
If I would have to name my favorite player I have seen playing for "my" Pittsburgh Penguins, this name would ...
Another year, another time for Rock of Ages. Similar to the previous years, I disclose some of the international dates I ...
Time to say good-bye. The 8th to 9th June 2024 trip to Zurich featured the last four shows of the ...
Munich is always a special place to me. As parts of my family roots are from there, I always feel ...
With my post about Don't stop believin', I already introduced you to a song which is linked to the musical ...
After I had a one show stay in Vienna, it was already some three weeks since I had seen Rock of ...
After visiting the nearby shows in Bochum and my home town Cologne, the third tour stage of the German Rock ...
The Broadway is one of the key global centers for theatrical entertainment. With all the tourist attractions New York City ...
This year, I take you on my tour-chasing of the German Rock of Ages musical. The first trip report episode ...
Typically, my trip reports are about one travel. Sometimes, there are one-day stories like the 24 hour train ride through ...
It is just mid-year 2023 and I already start working on my 2024 Rock of Ages International Tour list. I am sure ...
This weekend will be a tough one, a very emotional one for me. After 52 shows with the British production ...
After there was some confusion about my coverage of the German debut of the Rock of Ages musical in Munich, I was ...
I have to give in: the red carpet is not my favorite location. Nonetheless, I felt very thankful that after ...
I had seen the musical Rock of Ages 73 times before this show - but show #74 made me kind of extra-nervous ...
I typically miss when theaters offer tours during the time I have a booking for my favorite musical, Rock of ...
After I gave you an overview of 2022 European appearances of my favorite musical Rock of Ages, I felt to ...
3,337 Waffle Houses Away in the little town of Paola, Kansas - I have heard these words so often. They ...
In July 2022, I went to Paola in Kansas in order to explore the home town of the (fictive) female ...
Last week only, I had to cancel or rebook four trip due to Covid-19 related reasons. Three of them included ...
In my first episode of the Songs of My Life, I talked about Hymn by Ultravox, which became a Song of My ...
Not just in regards of the third day of my time in California, but also for the whole trip following ...
No hockey on Day 3 of my California trip 2020 - the day after the first match of the Pittsburgh ...
Rock of Ages is my favorite musical. At the time of writing, I saw it 30 times, in four countries ...
I love musicals in general - but two ones massively influenced my life. The first one was We will rock ...