Close Enemies Concert Review

On Thursday, June 12, Eric and I rolled down the highway to Cincinnati to see Close Enemies.

The show was at Ludlow Garage, which is both historic and very cool. As you know, Close Enemies is a super group and notably includes Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton and The Babys drummer Tony Brock.

It should be noted that Ludlow Garage isn’t a big venue. Still, I was shocked at just how few folks were at the show. Maybe 100? We were very close and it was just mind-blowing to me that I was just that close to a member of Aerosmith while watching him play.

Here is the setlist from the show and let me just say, the band was on freaking fire:

Singer Chasen Hampton has a great voice and is well suited to the blues songs that Close Enemies are churning out. The guitarists Peter Stroud and Trace Foster make a great duo, too. The band is just so tight, I was truly impressed. Even more so when Hampton said the band hadn’t seen each other in two months and they had to use a couple songs to “knock the rust off.”

Obviously after Close Enemies exhausted their originals they did some covers including “Sick As A Dog” and “Sweet Emotion” from Aerosmith.

Tony Brock did an athletic drum solo. Now, no one in Close Enemies is young per se. But Brock did look older than his 71 years seated behind the kit. But when he started banging his drums, it was like watching a 20-year-old. A truly wild and amazing experience. There’s a reason the guy has been a professional since his teenage days.

Tickets for the show were just $45 and there was no bullshit, either. No opening act meant all the time was spent with the headliners. Plus, when the show was over, it was still daylight! (It stays light until almost 10 p.m. during June in southern Ohio). Look, I’m old too and I had to work the next day. Close Enemies know their audience, thank you very much.

Just listen to these tracks – the best music you haven’t heard, I swear.

Close Enemies Tonight!

I'm seeing Tom Hamilton's new side project Close Enemies tonight. The show is at a Cincinnati venue and should be good: a small place for an Aerosmith member to play! This has been kind of a crappy week so far - hopefully this show will turn things around! Review soon!

Close Enemies Adds More Tour Dates - I'm There!

Close Enemies is the new side project of Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton. The band announced a tiny handful of tour dates about a month ago. This morning the band dropped more out of the blue, including a stop at Ludlow Garage in Cincinnati next month! I cannot tell you how fast I logged in to Ticketmaster to grab two seats.

The chance to see Tom with a side project is rare enough - but to see him do some Aerosmith tunes in a tiny venue? Golden.

Close Enemies, 'Sound Of A Train' Debut Single

Close Enemies, the new band featuring Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton, just released its debut single. The song is called "Sound of a Train" and it premiered on Ozzy's Boneyard via SiriusXM. The visualizer for the track is below.

The Aerosmith comparisons are inevitable and it does seem like "Sound of a Train" would fit on a 70s era 'Smith album. That said, the song also has a fresh vibe, too. It will be interesting to see if this band puts out a full length album this year. Close Enemies formed about two years ago.