Fozzy enjoyed their first ever area appearance in Niagara Falls this past Tuesday night. The show was met with high anticipation and some reservation. Watching videos of Jericho singing is one thing, but seeing him live puts the doubters to rest (if there are any) as his voice is very strong and the band plays very tight in a live setting.
Conquering the wrestling ring is quite different than conquering the rock stage but for the last handful of years, Jericho has shown he is ready for the challenge. Opening with “Judas” the band entered playing and waited for Jericho to take the stage. In great WWE fashion, Jericho burst onto the stage with all the enthusiasm of a world champion. Clad in black leather, he looked the part of the leader of a hard rock band. Looks aside, the show continued with Jericho pounding out hit after hit and some surprises thrown in. “Tonight” and “To Kill a Stranger” showed his range before he took a breather and welcomed the crowd. He stated he’d never performed in Niagara Falls before and was happy for the enthusiastic response. “Sin and Bones” is becoming the show stopping song on this tour with Jericho pouring his heart out in the lyrics. Ever the showman, he bantered with bandmates guitarists Rich Ward and Billy Grey and the crowd between songs and mentioned how much he loved performing.
A surprise was the ABBA tune “SOS” which had the crowd singing along and Jericho hopping about the stage, leading the audience in the chorus. “Enemy” ended the show with the hard edged vocals of Jericho bringing the crowd to its feet. An encore of “Sandpaper” and ‘Eat the Rich” showed just how serious Jericho is about his new career. Leaving the crowd cheering for more is the mark of a good act.
Fozzy is headed for bigger things than the championship belt Jericho wore in the ring. They promised to be back for more shows in the future and judging by their performance tonight, they will be welcomed with open arms.
Setlist:
Judas
Drinking with Jesus
Tonight
To Kill a Stranger
One Crazed Anarchist
Sin and Bones
Painless
Spider in the Mouth
SOS (ABBA cover)
Do You Want to Start a War
Lights Go Out
Bad Tattoo
Enemy
Encore:
Sandpaper
Eat the Rich (Krokus cover)
We would like to thank David McDonald of the Century Label Group
