Kim Mitchell and Coney Hatch @ Riviera Theatre, North Tonawanda, NY 9-23-23

A Canadian invasion took place at the Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda, NY this past Saturday night. Both Kim Mitchell and Coney Hatch teamed up for a night of rocking and rolling. The tickets to this show sold out immediately making it one of the hottest tickets of the year for this venue. It was the first time for each to play the beautiful Riviera Theatre.

Up first was Coney Hatch. Coney Hatch has been around for over 40 years and this is the first time they have played a gig in the United States since the 1990’s. They still have 3/4ths of the original lineup which consists of Carl Dixon on rhythm guitar, Andy Curran on bass and Dave Ketchum on drums. They are rounded out with seasoned lead guitarist Sean Kelly. There 55-minute set including a few new tracks and some old classics to please the longtime fans. Vocals were handled by both Dixon and Curran. They talked about how there first gig in the US ever was at the Agora in Cleveland, Ohio. That afternoon, they played on a show for WMMS and ended up doing The Angels song “Marseilles.” That song was played for this show here along with a brand-new song called “Heaven’s on the Other Side.” Of course, they ended this fun filled set with their classic “Monkey Bars.” They sounded tight, and it was great to see the band perform live.

Next up was Kim Mitchell. Mitchell’s band includes long time bassist Peter Fredette, David Langguth on drums and Kevin Adamson on keyboards. The last few times I seen Mitchell his band was a 3piece. This time they added a keyboard player to fill in the sound more. Mitchell is not flashy playing the six string but he masters the guitar like few can. Mitchell had to balance some of his solo material with material from his old band, Max Webster. The set opened with a Max Webster track in “Oh War.” 3 other Max Webster tracks were played but Mitchell left out “Battle Scar.” That was surprising but they added a new song which Mitchell described as “atmospheric,” called “Best I Never Had.” Of course, songs like “That’s a Man” (which Fredette handled vocals on), “I Am a Wild Party” and “Patio Lanterns’ really wetted the appetite for long time Mitchell fans. Mitchell stopped playing “Patio Lanterns” after about 15 seconds and asked the crowd is he has playing it too fast? The crowd responded with an empathic “No,” so Mitchell started it up again. Fredette and Mitchell played off each other throughout and you can see they really have a true chemistry on stage. Mitchell closed the set with the fun “Go for a Soda.” He didn’t stay off stage too long before returning to close out with heavy rocking” Lager & Ale.”

Mitchell is beloved in the WNY area and you can see that before, during and after his performance here. A solid set by Mitchell and his band is just what the doctor ordered for the sold-out crow at the Riv!

Setlist:

Oh War (Max Webster song)

Rockandwonderland

Rock n Roll Duty

That’s a Man

East to Tame

That’s the Hold

Best I Never Had

Here Among the Cats (Max Webster song)

High Class in Borrowed Shoes (Max Webster song)

Blue River Liquor Shine (Max Webster song)

I Am a Wild Party