If you think 80’s glam mental died, you should have been a part of what took place in Salamanca last Saturday night. Three of the biggest bands that came out of the glam era in Skid Row, Warrant and Quiet Riot played to a packed capacity at the Seneca Allegany Casino. The tour is being dubbed as the ‘Long Live Rock’ tour.
First up was Quiet Riot. They only played a very short 5 song 30-minute set. All the hits were played, and the band sounded great. If you want a more in-depth review of a Quiet Riot show, please click here show review as we just covered them last month.
Next up was Warrant. They played a strong 45 minute led by their long-time vocalist Robert Mason. Even though both original members Jerry Dixon (bass) and Steven Sweet (drums), were missing in action, I thought the band did a commendable job. Guitarist Erik Turner and Joey Allen provided some tasty licks on tracks like “Big Talk” and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The charismatic Mason provided a wonderful visual that ended up being a lot of memories rushing back (to use the words from “Heaven”) for most of the concert attendees. Even former sing Jani Lane (RIP), would have applauded the bands efforts.
Headlining the show was Skid Row. The band is gearing up for a new album release on October 14th called ‘The Gang’s All Here.’ The band still consists or original members Snake Sabo (guitar), Scotti Hill (bass) and Rachel Bolan (guitar) with long time drummer Rob Hammersmith. What is noted here is they have a brand-new vocalist Erik Grönwall in tow. Grönwall, recently battled leukemia and then once healthy enough, he joined Skid Row earlier this year. So, you can say the singer has faced a rollercoaster of emotions over the last year and half. I knew nothing about Grönwall going in, so I didn’t know what to expect. His vocals were simply jaw dropping. This is the singer the band has been lacking since the departure of Sebastian Bach back in 1996. They finally nailed it with Grönwall. Not only was his vocal performance impressive, but his stage presence was also equally impressive. He even took my phone and shot some live video during “Piece of Me.” See the video here . What also grabbed my attention was how good the two new songs they played were. The title track to the new album and “Tear it Down” sound just like classic Skid Row. That is a powerful vocal backed by those crunchy guitars that Sabo and Hill provide. I can’t wait to see these guys do a full headlining set. It’s been 22 years but congrats to Skid Row finally getting their Kelly Hansen (Foreigner) or Arnel Pineda (Journey). That is the highest compliment that I can possibly pay!
Skid Row setlist:
Slave to the Grind
The Threat
Big Guns
18 & Life
Piece of Me
Gang’s all here
Monkey Business
I Remember You
Tear it Down
Youth Gone Wild
We would like to thank Amy Sciarretto from Atom Splitter PR for the credentials to review the show.
