Tuesday
Feb162016
A Skid Row Debacle, Er, Live Review
Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 12:01AM
Today's review is from our friend Brian.
This past Saturday night, I ventured down to the Mohegan Sun Arena for the last minute, unadvertised and private Skid Row/Slaughter show hoping that the stars had aligned. Skid Row lost their most recent singer last month and hadn't named a replacement, the Guns 'n' Roses summer tour is happening and a reunited Skid Row would be the obvious choice for an opener, and this was one of the rare shows where Skid Row was headlining in an arena. It was the perfect opportunity for a surprise return show featuring Sebastian Bach (and to a lesser extent, Rob Affuso).
The show happened by chance. Def Leppard was booked to play the arena that night, but the show had been postponed due to Joe Elliot's health issues. As Mohegan Sun was promoting an 80s weekend, they made the smart move to fill the void with these replacement acts. Now, the show was not advertised at all and no tickets were sold. Only those who had Def Leppard tickets were given tickets to this show....and I did not have Def Leppard tickets. But I figured I'd head down to the casino and see if I could make my way into show, and I was luckily successful.
I assumed an 8:00 start time and was wrong. The show began at 7:00, so all I caught of Slaughter's set was "Up All Night." They sounded good and the crowd was clearly excited by their set. Also, to Mark's credit, he did a free meet and greet after the show, and he took pictures and signed autographs for everyone who waited in the line (I opted out, but the line was quite long, so good for him).
So the wait began between sets, and you could tell that there was a hopeful sense of excitement in the air. Then the lights finally went down, the people cheered, and out walked someone that no one knew. The disappointment was clear. Skid Row did not opt for the reunion, but instead got ZP Theart, formerly of Dragonforce, to front the band. The girls sitting to my right asked me if I knew who he was. The people around me sat back down in their seats, and we watched as Skid Row went through the motions, playing the most popular songs from the first two albums along with a cover of "Psycho Therapy." As I left my seat a couple of times to have my drink cup refilled, I noticed a fair number of people making their way to the exit doors during their set. I, however, stayed through to the end. Honestly, I wanted to like it....but I just couldn't. The voice was close but not right, and ZP lacked the attitude that would have made it great.
I understand that there is a rift that is about 20 years old between Sebastian and the band, but i was hopeful that, over time, cooler heads would have prevailed and they would have taken advantage of what may be their last great opportunity to reunite. In our small universe of 80s glam bands, Skid Row ranks pretty high on the hierarchy, as those first two albums are amazing. Sebastian is willing to come back, Rob has said he is in for the reunion. The timing with this summer's big tour and Sebastian's known relationship with Axl is the most fortuitous situation imaginable. Sadly, for me, the last glimmer of hope faded this past weekend.
Reader Comments (18)
Even the diehards like me are sick and tired of this Skid Row stuff. Get Bach back or go away.
Bach is contrite and seems more under control, so those in the band still holding out are the real idiots for not giving it another shot!
As Brian points out, the rift is 20 years old for Crissakes!
Ace, how is this situation any different than with Axl & Slash? Granted, we're not talkin' the multi-millions like they're gonna score, but they would still stand to make at least a million, if not more, a piece with a big tour, especially if it as latchin' on to someone like Gn'R!
P.S. I happened to get a chance to go in the new "T-Mobile Arena" here in LasVegas that "G n' R" are playing in April when it opens... Nice. about 20,000 seats. it will fit in nicely with the 5 other 10,000 to 15,000 seat arena venues in a 2 block radius. And No, that's not an exaggeration. ;)
Thanks for the review Brian. Appreciate it.
I won't base my opinion of Q-bert Thwack on a shaky video. But I can't say it made me hopeful. He sounded like he wanted to go operatic and then, suddenly, realized he was in Skid Row.
And I can't really disagree with Ace's logic. GnR carved out a deep trench; Skid Row made a noticeable rut. Sadly, that means GnR are in a position to really make a cash grab. Skid Row are in a position to tickle a sack of quarters. So they can take the high road and avoid the guy that annoys them. They can call it integrity and a love of the music too. But not sure anyone beyond them and a select few fans care or believe that. So they play where they do and Bach does the same. Fans? Well, we have our memories.
Whatever you may think of his opinions, there's no denying Ace Steele knows from where he speaks... The guy was a fixture of the Sunset Strip who not only saw it all, he lived it... The Starwood where he videotaped Crüe's first gig, The Cathouse where he hung out with Rachtman and Downe, The Roxy, The Whisky, Gazzarri's, you name it, Steele was there!
Look, I admit, I don't agree with everything the man says, but we know he was there and we can never take that away from him.