This past Friday I (along with Casey, Matt, and Josh) headed down to the Soul Kitchen to take in a double billing of 80’s rock flashbacks. First on the bill were Hollyweird, a Poison tribute band. Now if you have never seen a tribute band they are much more than just a cover band that plays only songs from one band. They take it to the extreme. They work on capturing the look, feel, and theatrics of their patron band in addition to just the music. Hollyweird was no exception (here is a link to pics of them in costume.
Their singer captured Bret Michaels perfectly. His voice was almost identical to the Poison front man and he looked the part physically and definitely looked the part wardrobe-wise. The other three guys were not as convincing as their front man though. The drummer was a substitute due to their Rikki Rockett persona being unable to make it. But he brought the beat just fine even if he did not look the part. The bass player was an adequate standin for good old Bobby Dall and had an awesome neon green bass guitar that was very reminiscent of those 80’s hair metal days. Then we move on to C.C. Devile. C.C. is a pretty animated guitarist but this guy took it a bit overboard. His facial expressions during lead riffs and solo parts reminded me a bit of a mime or a clown. They were just a bit too overdone to look natural. He did though have the music down perfectly. Lots of ooey-gooey pinched harmonic and whammy bar goodness that took you back to a time gone by.
Sorry for the quality of the pics but I’m still learning how to work my new camera.
Hello white fur coat
And is that Axl Rose getting in on the action
And also an apology on the video quality here. The clip distorts from the bass drum hits but you can get a feel for their sound.
Here is a clip of Every Rose Has Its Thorn (Link To Video)
After the 45 minute set there was a very short break and then came the main event. Appetite For Destruction is a Guns N Roses tribute band. These guys were the real deal all the way around. Their singer looked just like Axl and his voice was an absolutely perfect match. They had Izzy, Slash, Duff, and Steven all pegged one hundred percent.
Musically their sound was super tight and captured all of the nuance and expression of the real GnR. They also had the advantage that the catalog of hits with GnR is much, much larger than the Poison catalog of hits. So almost every song was an instant fan favorite with lots of cheering and singing along. I definitely cannot say enough good things about these guys’ performance. You could live without seeing Hollyweird, but if you are a GnR fan you must see Appetite for Destruction if you get a chance. It is probably better than seeing the real band (especially these days). They showed up, they played, they had identical look and sound, and it was only $7 at the door 🙂 .
Their set lasted about 1.5 hours and touched on all of the major hits. They played off of the Appetite album, Lies (Patience, Used To Love Her), and even broke into some Use Your Illusion (Live and Let Die, Knockin on Heaven’s Door, Civil War, Pretty Tied Up, Don’t Cry). The encore was an awesome rendition of Paradise City.
What a great way to spend an evening and relive the good old days. Even ran into three former high school classmates. 80’s rock was enough to make them get baby sitters and head out to the club 🙂 .
The pics are ok but not great. I really have to figure out this camera.
Call me Axl
Duet with Bret Michaels on Pretty Tied Up
Axl and some dude’s fist since he couldn’t refrain from toasting Axl until after I finished my picture.
And again videos, but the sound distorts when the bass hits.
Clip of You’re Crazy (off Appetite) (Link to Video)
Clip of Civil War (off Use Your Illusion II) (Link to Video)
So there you have it. A fun time was had by all. Over 2 hours of rock and roll for the bargain price of $7. I’m sure they will be back through again, you really must go check them out if you have the chance.