About two dozen music devotees braved the torrential downpour of L.A. rain on Tuesday night to hear some cool cover tunes by the Ultimate Jam Night Hollywood band of revolving musicians. The rockin’ two-hour show at the Whisky A Go-Go featured timeless hits from every iconic band from The Beatles to Blondie.
Legendary KISS guitarist Ace Frehley headline The Whisky A Go-Go for the first time ever on February 27 and he did not leave without tearing the roof off of the joint. The 71-year-old rock icon looked great and was in High spirits as he continually tossed guitar picks to the fans and shared stories about his life in music.
“The Spaceman” may have been unmasked but he definitely brought back the same raw energy and ferocious hard-rockin’ energy that helped make KISS one of the biggest bands in the world. Frehley started the show at around 9:45 p.m. and immediately had the crowd fist-pumping when he opened the show with “Rip it Out,” the killer opening track to his 1978 KISS-related solo album. The second the opening chords of “Rip It Out” started to echo throughout the room, the suddenly ubiquitous devil’s horns salutes let you know the crowd of diehard rock soldiers from the KISS Army were pleased.
The legendary guitarist has inspired probably half of the rock bands of the last five decades, and the crowd at the Whisky was made up of a good mix of young and older fans, many of them sporting KISS t-shirts.
Frehley never sounded better, tearing into another track from his first solo album. The hard-rockin’ “Snow Blind” actually seemed like the perfect theme for the evening considering that the weather that night was so severe that it was snowing in parts of Hollywood, and the show looked like it may have been in jeopardy. But the fans turned out and the nearly sold out show was packed all the way to the back of the room.
The former KISS shredder kept the solo vibe going a bit more, rolling through “Speedin’ Back to My Baby” before taking the show up a first notches with KISS’ “Parasite.”
It was hard to tell who was having a better time, the crowd or the band on stage. Frehley’s band was amazing and included longtime drummer Matt Starr, a frequent guest artist at Whisky’s Jam Night Hollywood who was especially spot-on while covering KISS’ classics, including effortlessly handling lead vocals on “Detroit Rock City.”
Before kicking into “Rock Soldiers'” which is arguably one of Frehley’s best solo songs, he provided a brief music history lesson. The NYC-born singer-songwriter mentioned that he wrote the song with Chip Taylor, who, he said, is Angelina Jolie‘s uncle and Jon Voight‘s brother. (Taylor also wrote the classics “Wild Thing” and “Angel of the Morning.”) “Rock Soldiers” had the crowd joining freely on the chorus at full volume, helping Ace deliver his anthem about keeping the flame of rock and roll alive. It was especially cool to experience this ode to hard rock devotees at the iconic Whisky during Frehley’s first-ever headlining gig at the world-famous L.A. club.
Before closing out the show, Ace covered his Frehley’s Comet era with “Insane” and, of course, delivered his biggest solo hit, “New York Groove” plus a few more KISS staples that he co-wrote, including “Rocket Ride” and “Getaway.”
He also included “Shock Me” in the set after revealing that he was inspired to write the song after being electrocuted during a KISS concert in Clearwater, Florida, in the Seventies.
Frehley closed out his stellar headlining show with the KISS classics “Cold Gin,” and, for an encore, “Deuce,” but not before delivering a 10-minute guitar solo that was so hot it was literally smoking. Ace introduced his slick new Gibson guitar with blinking LED lights that proceeded to smoke as he soloed.
After he spent most of the show tossing out guitar picks to fans throughout the crowd, Frehley let them know that he had as good of a time as they did. “I’ve been playing guitar for 50 years, and I never had a lesson!” he announced with a laugh that seemed to indicate that even he was awed by the show.
If you weren’t fortunate enough to have lived through at least part of the ’70s, you’re in luck because the Whisky A Go-Go is going to take rock fans back in time to the good old days when Zeppelin ruled and nobody even knew what twerking was yet.
On January 17, actor, rocker, and Nerd Halen frontman Hal Sparks is once again hosting Ultimate Jam Night Hollywood, which is themed “That ’70s Jam.” The set will include two hours of stellar rock covers of Me Decade masterpieces delivered by world-class working musicians that you probably have seen before performing in some of your favorite classic and modern rock bands, from Quiet Riot to Duran Duran.
Plus, Sparks is a very entertaining and funny emcee that makes the segway between numbers go very smoothly, so the entire evening just feels like one big party.
Sparks is a musician and diehard rock fan who truly knows his rock history even when he’s not reading from the clipboard. He will often riff on interesting factoids about the bands and songs throughout the evening, which is also a fun part of the Tuesday night events.
During the “That ’70s Jam” tribute concert, you can expect the Seventies aura–and likely the aroma–to be spot-on during the Whisky’s homage to the hard rock hits and ballsy ballads of one of the best eras for music that gave us everlasting classics by KISS, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, The Sweet, and so much more.
And when it comes to recreating classic songs, nobody does it like the band from the Whisky A Go-Go’s famous “Ultimate Jam Night Hollywood” event. In fact, a while back when they covered the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” with Leif Garrett on vocals, they had at least a dozen musicians on stage to make sure they replicated every nuance of that classic song. (Props to Leif Garrett, too, for completely delivering on that rock ‘n’ roll masterpiece.)
So, if they dare to cover “Stairway to Heaven” at “That ’70s Jam,” you can bet it’s going to be the next best thing to sitting on a grassy knoll in Golden Gate Park stoned out of your mind watching Led Zeppelin do it at Kezar Stadium in 1973.
The cool thing about watching the band cover Zeppelin at the Whisky is that you’ll be standing in the same room where Led Zeppelin performed on January 5, 1969. Like, that’s sure to give the stoners a super-cool high, man.
The Whisky A Go-Go is located at 8901 Sunset Blvd., at Sunset and Clark St. An opening band starts the evening off at 8 p.m. “That ’70s Jam” kicks off at 10 p.m. Free to those 21 and over. Yes, this night of world-class live music is free!
Music icon Gene Simmons caused a stir with rock and rollers in the recent past when he proclaimed that rock and roll is dead.
The outspoken Demon was referring to the fact that modern rock radio simply doesn’t have any decent new rock bands that seem like they will stand the test of time like KISS did, and Van Halen, Motley Crue, and other legendary bands from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s (and a few from the ’90s) who we all still listen to today.
While we’d never refute the legendary Demon’s opinion on such an important topic, there is a good sign that rock and roll may not necessarily be dead. Proof of life is found at the Whisky A Go-Go, where we recently took in a set by the totally awesome L.A. ’80s tribute band Fast Times.
On a random Monday night, as we were checking out the two local bands opening the show, Dina Dover and The Band Called Sex, we were stoked by the rock and roll authenticity of both bands, whose original songs were memorable, catchy, and rocked hard without any bit of pretentiousness or gimmickry.
Plus, you could see and hear obvious influences of the likes of The Go-Go’s, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath in the performances by these new young bands that played straightforward melodic original rock and roll that the crowd seemed to really appreciate.
The two bands that supported Fast Times, Dina Dover and The Band Called Sex, had the 40 or 50 people in attendance riveted to their music as they banged their heads, bopped to the beat, and cheered on the bands as if they were watching Aerosmith. It was a sight to behold, especially after post-pandemic L.A. nightlife had been stagnant for so long.
The Band Called Sex delivered some badass, unpretentious original rock and roll that echoed of the bluesy grooves of Led Zeppelin and the powerhouse pipes of Ronnie James Dio but delivered with a straightforward musicality all its own.
Dina Dover followed TBCS and the excellent band may look like a misfit group of high schoolers who just stepped out of The Breakfast Club, but when they jam together, it’s magic–a marvelous cohesive rock and roll sound that is slick, edgy, and instantly catchy. If The Go-Go’s ever got together with Blink 182, this could be their love child.
Plus, any rock band that opens their set with a fantastic cover of Michael Jackson‘s “Thriller,” automatically gets a gold star in our book. It’s not easy to make an MJ song your own, but they did it effortlessly.
The memorable evening at the Whisky A Go-Go was an authentic music moment that was goosebump inducing because it seemed to be a noticeable, pivotal moment where music fans were in the mood to get their faces rocked off and they were certainly getting exactly that on this random Monday night on the Sunset Strip.
This musical experience was all about being moved by the entire enormity and majesty of this rockin’ showcase of original music that was followed by Fast Times’ incredible spot-on covers of the best rock songs of the ’80s by bands like Def Leppard and Van Halen.
So, with all due respect to the mighty Demon, rock may be on its last breath, but it is being resuscitated nightly at the corner of Sunset and Clark, where you could still rock and roll all night and party everyday. And for that we’ll forever be grateful.
The Sunset Strip is back in full swing as one of the most rockin’ places to party in SoCal thanks to the resurgence of some great recent rock shows that have reinvigorated a post-pandemic boulevard. Sunset was recently serenaded by the sounds of rock n’ roll legends like Stephen Pearcy, who headlined Rainbow Bar and Grill’s “Party in the Parking Lot” last month, and The Runaways’ Cherie Currie, who recently rocked the Whisky A Go-Go’s “Ultimate Jam Night Hollywood” event.
And thankfully, things are just starting to heat up. In fact, the Rainbow just announced the lineup for its hotly anticipated “Backyard Bash” fall showcase that is headlined by rock icon Lita Ford (pictured below). The concert showcase will also feature sets by fellow heavy metal hit-makers Enuff Z’nuff and John 5 rounding out a bill for what’s certain to be another excellent live outdoor event on Sunset in September.
Born in London and raised in Long Beach, Lita Ford is no stranger to the Sunset Strip, having rocked the Whisky and the old Gazzarri’s plenty of times as a teenage member of The Runaways, and later as a solo artist with hits like “Close My Eyes Forever” and “Kiss Me Deadly.” Lita’s scorching guitar solos are sure to be on par with that of Rob Zombie guitarist and ex-Marilyn Manson member John 5 (pictured below), whose solo set is sure to cover much of his 2019 release, Invasion, and 2021’s Sinner.
Enuff Z’nuff (pictured below) is no stranger to the Sunset Strip, having rocked the Whisky A Go-Go plenty of times, including recently when the band’s set included some stellar Beatles covers that they’ll likely showcase at the “Backyard Bash.”
Local faves the Iron Maidens and ex-Murder Dolls frontman Wednesday 13 are also on the bill for the “Backyard Bash,” an all-day concert event happening September 4 in the parking lot of the Rainbow, at 9015 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood.
For almost two long, agonizing years, the world-famous Sunset Strip’s “Rock Row” seemed like a ghost town because of the pandemic and it’s stranglehold on the fears of the general public.
But once the mask debates subsided and the world got back to semi-normal, the sounds of authentic rock and roll began once again filling the Sunset Strip with a buzz that has kept the scene alive since then, courtesy of some of the coolest concerts to ever hit WeHo post-pandemic.
The Whisky A Go-Go and Rainbow Bar and Grill should be commended for keeping the flame of rock n’ roll alive through some challenging times by hosting recent free shows at the Whisky, with Tuesday’s Jam Night, and at the Rainbow with April’s “Party in the Parking Lot” with Ratt‘s Stephen Pearcy, Steel Panther, and Hollywood legends Pretty Boy Floyd.
Continue reading ‘ROCK ROW’ RETURNS TO FORM
There was a good variety of decent rock shows to check out in 2021 that gave Angelenos something to take their minds off of the pandemic. And while legends like the Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters, and Slipknot rocked Inglewood’s newly-opened SoFi Stadium last year, some of the best intimate shows were happening in WeHo, where rock superstars like Wolfgang Van Halen, Don Dokken, George Lynch, Vivian Campbell, Vinnie Appice, and BulletBoys’ Marq Torien kept the Sunset Strip shakin’ with memorable sold-out shows and timeless stories at the Whisky A Go-Go.
The hotly-anticipated BulletBoys reunion show at the Whisky A Go-Go in December had been advertised for months. But at the last minute, plans unexpectedly changed on show night, explained frontman Mark Torien from the Whisky’s stage, where he delivered a scorching mostly-unplugged solo set. He didn’t explain why the reunion was cancelled, and instead he invited Whisky fave Ira Black to help out on timeless BulletBoys hits like “Smooth Up in Ya,” “Hell On My Heels,” and “Shoot the Preacher Down.”
Black’s scorching guitar contribution and Torien’s soulful metal pipes immediately had the crowd forgetting all about the reunion as they rocked along. Throughout the 90-minute show, Torien covered most of the best tracks on the L.A. band’s first two albums, BulletBoys and Freakshow. The Whisky crowd seemed won over by the impromptu solo show, especially when he got to the unplugged renditions of “Hard as a Rock” and the BulletBoys’ cover of The O’Jays’ “Money.”
Just as memorable as Torien’s set were the awesome stories he told between songs, about his glory days creating heavy metal history on the Sunset Strip, and getting props from David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen when performing at WeHo’s Troubadour when he was 16.
Then again, hearing these first-person stories is what makes seeing a show at the Whisky so special. Throughout 2021, other Sunset Strip legends would also share fascinating personal anecdotes about their connection to the Whisky and the Sunset Strip.
When Wolfgang Van Halen’s band Mammoth headlined the Whisky shortly after their North American jaunt opening for Guns N’ Roses, the frontman looked around the room in awe from center stage and reminded the sold-out crowd, “So, this is where it all started…”
He seemed as in awe of the venue and its history as we were, and we all knew what “it” meant, of course. The Whisky’s stage is where his father and uncle’s iconic band launched a career that would make music history over and over again while inspiring countless young musicians whose first taste of world-class hard rock was hearing Van Halen’s self-titled 1978 debut.
Wolfgang seemed to know he had an important family history to uphold, and the former Van Halen bassist then spent the next hour and a half proving that he doesn’t necessarily need his Van Halen cohorts to effortlessly deliver a commanding, amp-shaking performance before a fist-pumping packed house at one of the world’s most iconic—and intimidating—rock n’ roll venues.
Continue reading SUNSET STRIP’S BEST ROCK SHOWS OF 2021
One of the greatest bands from the heavy metal era of the awesome ’80s, Dokken is returning to the very launching pad that kick-started the legendary group’s hit-making career. There’s nowhere else you’re going to want to be on December 17 and December 18 than at the Whisky A Go-Go, when Dokken returns to the world-famous venue to set the roof on fire with timeless classics like “In My Dreams,” “It’s Not Love,” “Just Got Lucky,” “Alone Again,” “Dream Warriors,” and many more scorching metal masterpieces.
Sure, the the band’s namesake founder is the only original member in Dokken’s current lineup, but these shows are extraordinary events for hardcore fans. It marks a reunion of Don Dokken and the band’s original guitar hero, George Lynch, who—along with drummer Mick Brown and bassists Juan Croucier then Jeff Pilsen—helped the band go on to sell over 10 million albums worldwide.
Continue reading ROCKIN’ LIKE DOKKEN
It’s been a hell of a wait but on Sept. 5, the Rainbow Bar and Grill welcomed back all the heavy metal you could handle with the triumphant return of its annual “Backyard Bash,” an all-day live concert event featuring national and local bands cranking out heavy metal hits in the parking lot behind the Roxy and Rainbow.
After having its spring events canceled twice and their fall event once, the Sept. 5 event marked the first time the Rainbow hosted a rock n’ roll party of this magnitude. And it did not disappoint.
Sure, we all know that the year 2020 sucks worse than that recent Tommy Lee album, but with a promising vaccine reportedly on the way, there are plenty of awesome concerts that we’re looking forward to in 2021 as we start to make up for lost time.And thanks to Pfizer, we’ll be doing it mask-free and close enough to scare the band. (That was a Fast Times at Ridgemont High joke.)
While we certainly love, respect and appreciate livestream shows from our favorite bands and nightclubs, nothing can ever replace the euphoria and excitement and the intrinsic connection with bands and fellow fans that a live concert offers. Catching concerts at the Whisky A Go-Go–which I’ve done countless times for decades–is a unique experience that wows all the senses.
The world-famous Whisky A Go-Go on the Sunset strip has been working overtime to keep rock alive while the nightclub is temporarily closed because of the coronavirus. The Sunset Strip landmark has been hosting livestream concerts from the Whisky stage by bands like Black Veil Brides, and on September 19, guitar goddess Orianthi will be busting some strings for a livestream show, and thrash metal monsters Armored Saint headline a livestream set on October 10.
Now, the Whisky has revealed another amazing show to look forward, and it’s not a lifestream show either. It’s a live, in-your-face double whammy concert bill featuring Lynch Mob and Dokken performing at a special two-night headlining gig at Whisky on Feb. 5 and 6. Lynch Mob is, of course, fronted by guitar hero George Lynch from Dokken. And it will be great to see the “Wicked Sensation” rocker back on the Whisky’s stage and rockin’ alongside longtime on again/off again bandmate Don Dokken.
Hollywood rockers Black Veil Brides are putting on their best leather and hitting the road…sort of. Andy Biersack and his fellow Sunset Strip refugees are taking the coronavirus situation in stride and have devised a great solution to keep on rockin’. On August 1, the band will head to WeHo to celebrate the release of its forthcoming new album by performing Re-Stitch These Wounds in full at the Whisky A Go-Go.
The special record release party performance will be the first time that BVB will be rocking tracks from Re-Stitch These Wounds, a 10-year anniversary re-recording of the Brides’ 2010 debut album, We Stich These Wounds. The new release is due July 31.
Pearl Jam’s North American tour in support of the Seattle band’s 11th studio album, Gigton, is still pending due to the coronavirus pandemic, but its 2020 European tour has been rescheduled for June and July of 2021. The 2021 tour routing includes two new concert dates — Pinkpop Festival and Prague. Support acts will be announced closer to the concert dates.
Previously purchased tickets will remain valid for all rescheduled shows.
“We look forward to returning to Europe, pending these events can safely take place in Summer 2021,” said the band is a press statement that hit social media on July 23. “The safety and well-being of the band’s fans, crew and event staff continue to be priority.”
Tuesday nights in WeHo have never been the same since “Ultimate Jam Night Hollywood” took over the Whisky a few years back. The weekly two-hour showcase of live music has brought back to the Sunset Strip neighborhood an authentic and always awesome rock and roll experience not seen nor heard since the days when Axl, Nikki and Blackie strode its storied streets. In fact, many of the stellar musicians in the “Ultimate Jam” band as well as the weekly surprise guests have likely rocked a stage alongside iconic bands like Guns N’ Roses and Quiet Riot at one time or another. The Tuesday night “Jam” band includes Chuck Wright (Quiet Riot) Matt Starr (Mr. Big), and Mitch Perry (Edgar Winter Group).1OAK
When not rocking the Whisky’s stage as frontman for the new revival of Sweet, staggeringly talented vocalist Paulie Z hosts “Ultimate Jam Night,” effortlessly segueing between announcing the artists and raising the roof with the house band on a few of the evening’s cover tunes. And all through October, Z and his crew were serving up more treats than tricks.
Former Queensryche frontman Geoff Tate delivered a mind-f*** at the Whisky on August 17, and fans couldn’t get enough of the hard-rockin’ hits crushing their cabezas. Tate’s timeless classics had the crowd of 200 or so fans fist pumping and singing along throughout the nearly two-hour set that celebrated the 30th anniversary of Queensryche’s 1988 breakthrough album, Operation Mindcrime.
Promising to perform the prog-metal masterpiece in its entirety, Tate and his band delivered a faithful rendition of the 15-song concept album that saw his talented daughter, Emily Tate, guesting on vocals on “Sister Mary.” The multi-platinum Operation Mindcrime is one of Queensryche’s most memorable and successful releases, and arguably the Seattle band’s best album. And Tate and company blew the roof off the Whisky A Go-Go performing perfect renditions of the classic rock hits.
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