It was a cold night, hovering around the 0 degree mark. I arrived at the club, went to the door and waved in. I found a good spot to stand and bumped into a friend whom I run into often at these shows. We stood there and waited for the show to begin. We were there to see the former frontman of the band Anthrax, whom I have seen before and always puts on a good show, as well as being a very nice guy.
The first act hit the stage at approximately 9:00. They were called Shuga Kain. They played for about a half hour and were rather impressive. They were fronted by a female singer, who, besides looking good, had a powerful voice. The music they played was straight up rock and roll with a bit of a bluesy side to it. Reminiscent of an Aerosmith type style. At times the music sounded a bit generic, but the strength of the vocals made it stand out on its own. I hope to get another chance to see this group.
In between acts, we decided to go check out the merch table and see what Belladonna items were available. When we got over there, we discovered that there wasn't anything there. We stood there for a bit, and who arrived? Joey himself, sat down at the table and started to put out his wares. We started talking to him about the cold, and the tour, and music in general, really great and personable guy. Very accessible to fans and always willing to spend time. I bought a couple of CDs which he autographed for me, we thanked him and made our way back to our spot as the second act was starting.
The next band was a nu-metal type act called Vyle, and it wasn't just a clever name. They were not very good at all. The vocalist was bad, muffling himself with the mic, the rest of the band was just as bad. The only good thing I could think of is the bass player had a few good runs, but that's it. They struck bottom when they performed, more like massacred, the Anthrax rap/metal hybrid "I'm the Man." It was great when they finally left the stage. I've experienced worse, but this was just annoying.
Next up was a band called Multiple Personalities. These guys were really quite good, they played a style of radio friendly rock, which had it's own style. The only problem I had was that the lead singer had a bit too much of a tremolo in his voice, so much that it was distracting at times. They did do a couple of cover tracks which sounded quite good. These guys could have an interesting future.
The fourth and final opener was called Less the Wiser, and they opened their set with an instrumental track prior to introducing their lead singer. Once together on the stage, they proceeded to tear through a nigh energy set of straight forward rock music. I liked them, but there seemed to be something missing.
Of the opening acts, the most impressive of the bunch was Shuga Kain. They had a good groove throughout most of the music and a lead singer with a great voice. The least impressive is easily Vyle, they were young, inexperienced, and just did not have it together, maybe one day their eyes will be opened.
Finally, the moment we all were waiting for, Joey Belladonna and his band take to the stage at about 11:50. Joey is known for being an energetic and charismatic frontman' remember the last time I saw him perform he moved around the stage like a madman, this time was a little different. Instead of him prowling the stage with microphone in hand, he put himself in the stationary position of the drummer's stool. I knew that he played drums, but I never expected to see him placing himself in such a stationary position in a live environment. And, as it turns out, he is a very good drummer, it can't be easy to play drums and sing at the same time.
The show opens with the Anthrax classic "Madhouse," much to the enthusiasm of the crowd. This segued into a few of Joey's original cuts from his most recent album 03. In between tracks, Joey took requests and talked about the songs that he was playing. It was a great informal night with no definite setlist, he had even asked me during our earlier conversation what we would like to here, and of course, I wanted to hear it all. We also got such classics as "In My World," "Medusa," and "Caught in a Mosh." It was a great night filled with great metal.
At times, the music sounded a bit thin. I thought the lack of a second guitarist hurt the overall sound. Not to take away from the guitar and bass duo, they did an excellent job. I highly recommend any fans of metal music to see Joey if you get the chance, he still has a great voice, and is a great guy to talk to if you get the chance to meet him.
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