Review & photos by Junkman
Rock “Supergroup” the Dead Daisies made a stop in Los Angeles recently at the Vermont along with three support acts, and put on quite a performance. The venue was a new one for me, although it has been around for a long time, in many configurations. It has been everything from a movie theater, nightclub, and live theater, before becoming a live music venue. It was a comfortable place, with great sound and lighting, as well as a mezzanine for seating and two bars.
The night got off to a nice start with a short set from LA multi-cultural act Circle the Earth, whose brand of pop rock, led by the radiant singer Khadia, was well received. Guitarist Kazuki Tokaji blasted out some dynamic shredding guitar riffs that opened up quite a few eyes in the crowd, which was packed with musicians, as is typical at Los Angeles rock shows. I spotted quite a few members, mostly guitarists, of some working rock bands, who chose to spend their night off from playing, by checking out some musical talent, and relaxing with friends.
Enuff Z’Nuff was up next and they performed a brief set of their brand of pop, glam rock. Opening with a version of the Beatles’ classic “Magical Mystery Tour,” the band sounded great. Towering bassist, singer and bandleader Chip Z’Nuff was his usual jovial self, and, sporting his trademark policeman’s hat and huge, round pink glasses seemed to be enjoying people coming out to see the band. “I LOVE Tinseltown” the Chicago native Z’Nuff exclaimed. “I’ve been coming here since 1989. Made some great records out here.”
He then explained that the band’s latest effort Hard Rock Nights was all about the Beatles. They then played a bang-up version of Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Jet.” This got the crowd going, and they kept the energy up for the rest of the set that featured their two late eighties hits, the ballad “Fly High Michelle,” and the fun up-tempo pop hit “New Thing.” Both songs featured special guest backing vocalists, none other than former Enuff Z’Nuff drummer Patrick Stewart, and local rocker and singer Patrick Stone from the band Budderside. I really enjoyed Enuff Z’Nuff. I always have, and they were a really fun act to get the normally subdued Sunday night crowd a kick in the ass.
Former Guns ‘N Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke followed Enuff Z’Nuff, and rocked a 10-song set. Clarke and his band – bassist EJ Curse and drummer Troy Patrick Farrell – are a classic “bar band.” Straight ahead rockers, no glitz or glam of any kind, they just hit the ground running, and rock. A highlight of their set was a cover of the Thin Lizzy classic “Cowboy Song” with its dynamic guitar solos and Curse’s steady bass runs. A “low point” of the set was the overplayed, drawn-out version of Bob Dylan’s dirge “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” complete with Clarke egging the crowd on to sing Axl Rose’s “Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey” parts of the song, the way Guns N Roses did it back when. It really took the wind out of the energy of the set, in my opinion. I guess I’m just burned out on that number.
Much to the band’s credit, they picked it up a bit, and did a very cool intro story to the set ending “Tijuana Jail,” which is a real toe-tapper. These guys are really tight, on and off the stage. Clarke gave a shout-out to his friends in “The Hollywood Riders,” his biker buddies who made up a portion of the audience. Gilby Clarke and his band are a great band to see, and I would love to hear more original music from them in the future. But please, ditch the Dylan song!
To promote their upcoming release, the brilliant Radiance, headliners the Dead Daisies have been on a U.S. tour, and tonight’s stop in Los Angeles had been highly anticipated for months. Unfortunately, singer and bassist Glenn Hughes, who has completely revived this band and given it a totally new direction, announced a few days beforehand that he had contacted a viral infection to his throat and would not be able to perform.
The band re-grouped and enlisted singer Dino Jelusick, who is in the current version of Whitesnake, (singer David Coverdale is in a similar position as Hughes, and canceled Whitesnake’s tour with the Scorpions) as well as bassist Jimi Crutchley, formerly with the band The Quireboys, to fill Hughes singing and bassist duties. I thought they both did a fine job. Big shoes to fill for sure, but they came through, in spades.
Opening with “Long Way To Go” from their 2015 release Make Some Noise, the band was on point. Most eyes were on guitarist Doug Aldrich, who has played with the likes of Whitesnake and Dio, among others. His Gibson Les Paul blasted out some great tones and the crowd loved it. “Unspoken” featured the rock steady rhythm guitar of band founder David Lowy and Jelusick’s powerful vocals. Even though Hughes vocals on this particular number are second to none, I have to give props to Jelusick for adding his talents to the mix. This guy is a pro.
Radiance is their new record and, in my opinion, their best yet. It was represented in the set by four numbers. The first of which, the title track, with its crunchy guitar and growly, at times soaring vocals, brought out the band as a unit. Aldrich and Jelusick playing off each other center stage, Lowy on stage left, doing his part keeping everything grounded, Crutchley, solid as they get and happy to stay in the background, and the thundering drumming of Brian Tichy, let this observer know that the band members know their parts in the making of this machine.
“Hypnotize Yourself” the third single from the new album, is another one that could become a true radio classic, if there was still rock radio that would support it. Regardless, it’s a great track, and Jelusick gave it justice with his flowing vocals. Aldrich really is a great guitarist, and his enthusiasm when he introduced the band clearly gave the impression that he was enjoying himself in spite of the predicament that Hughes illness had put the band in.
After a very heavy cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s classic “Fortunate Son” it was time for Brian Tichy to shine. One of the best rock drummers in the business, he has played in a lot of bands, but always seems to be one hundred percent dedicated to his current project. As a fellow drummer, I am constantly amazed at his inventiveness, as well as the power in which he hits. His extended drum solo was not a cliché on any way, and I was transfixed on his techniques, in particular his snare drum rolls and his cymbal choking and accents. No “Bathroom Break” during THIS solo.
The classic Deep Purple number “Mistreated” followed. I think the only issue I had during the band’s set was the way that Jelusick drew out the last few verses to show off his vocal range. It’s all been done before, and the fact is that he was filling in. Leave that part for Hughes when he returns. For me, it was a bit of a distraction from a great performance.
Two more tracks from Radiance, “Face Your Fear” and “Shine On” were performed and sandwiched in between them was a rousing version of Grand Funk Railroad’s “Were an American Band.” I really enjoyed the heaviness of “Face Your Fear,” after all it was previously recorded by Glenn Hughes and the great Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath. The re-working of this great track on the latest release speaks volumes about the direction of the band. The Dead Daisies sound has become a lot heavier than on previous recordings.
Brian Tichy then did the difficult task of playing drums and singing lead on the next number, an interesting choice at that. “Midnight Moses” was originally recorded by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band back in 1969, and then redone by the Dead Daisies in 2015, when John Corabi was their singer. Tichy did an outstanding take on it, and, of course, his drumming was fantastic. Is there anything this guy can’t do? (he’s also a great guitarist). It’s great rocker, and it’s cool to see a band like Dead Daisies give it a bit of a ramp-up.
The band then thanked all for coming and again, wished Glenn Hughes well. They then launched into a set-closing version of Deep Purple’s classic 1974 title track to their LP Burn. I have heard this song redone and covered many times, but this time it was nice to see a band “go off the rails” a bit and improvise, which is what the Dead Daisies did with it slightly. Namely, Doug Aldrich’s guitar solos did not try and replicate the original Richie Blackmore riffs note for note. Needless to say, I enjoyed it a lot more than “Mistreated.”
It was a fine Sunday evening for rock in Los Angeles. Bravo to the Dead Daisies for soldiering on and continuing to tour without a major cog in their wheel, as many bands would have canceled under similar circumstances. They found some decent replacement parts and the show went on. In this day and age, that is a rarity, unfortunately. Their new album Radiance will be released on September 30. I highly recommend it.
