The 2026 Batavia Concert series is underway. Quiet Riot played the 2nd week of the series this summer this past Friday night. Let’s go back to 1983 when Quiet Riot were having kids bang their heads. The band reached had the first metal record reach number one on the Billboards charts. With the passing of both founding members Kevin DuBrow and drummer Frankie Banalli, the current version of the band is quite different than it was back then. The only remaining member from that time period was bassist extraordinaire Rudy Sarzo. Sarzo just rejoined the band back in 2021. Since 2021, Quiet Riot remains Jizzy Pearl on vocals, Alex Grossi on guitar and Johnny Kelly on drums.
Taking the stage at about 8:30pm, the band immediately dipped into their 6 time platinum record ‘Metal Health’ with “Run for Cover.” In fact, when you have a record like that in the arsenal, the band would go back to that multiple times throughout their set. The solid playing by Grossi and Kelly allowed the showman Sarzo and Pearl to do their thing. Sarzo was all over the place while pounding and moving the bass all around his body. Pearl did what a front man was supposed to do. He held the crowds interest while delivering a great vocal performance. Besides all the Quiet Riot classics like “Slick Black Cadillac” and “The Wild and the Young,” the band added also added the a tune from Pearl’s old band Love/Hate in “Blackout in the Red Room.” Of course everyone sang along to the hits “”Cum on Feel the Noize” and “Metal Health.” No one went away disappointed as all the hits were all played.
I felt the falls crowd were appreciative that a band like Quiet Riot were playing in their town. The band might not be climbing the charts like they once did, but they have solid band of musicians who are still delivering a quality product. They are defiantly worth catching if they come to a town near you!
Setlist:
Run for Cover
Slick Black Cadillac
Mama Weer All Crazee Now (Slade cover)
I Can’t Hold On
Sign of the Times
Love Is a Bitch
Condition Critical
Thunderbird
Party All Night
Breathless
Black Out in the Red Room (Love/Hate song)
The Wild and the Young
Let’s Get Crazy/Crazy Train (Ozzy Osbourne-cover)/Guitar solo/Eruption (Van Halen cover) /Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All) (Type O Negative song)/Let’s Get Crazy
Highway to Hell (AC/DC cover)
Cum on Feel the Noize (Slade cover)
Metal Health (Bang Your Head)
We would like to thank Ryan Hasenauer from Batavia Downs for the credentials to review the show.