My first show of the summer season at Braun’s Concert Cove was to take in the 2014 Guitar Gods performance that featured virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen, Gary Hoey and Bumblefoot (Guns n’ Roses). Unfortunately, former Scorpions guitarist Uli Jon Roth who was scheduled to be on the tour, bowed out before it began due to working visa issues.
Bumblefoot took to the stage at 7pm and focused entirely on his solo material. He enjoyed the Akron, NY crowd and gave little quips of each song before he started playing it. His beautiful Vigier double-neck guitars were in full display and look even more rad up close. The crowd really took a liking to him and by the end of his set, which featured the amusing Pink Panther theme, he won them over. After his set ended, he went to the end of the stage to sign autographs for the fans who asked. He is one of the good guys and truly class act!
Next up was Gary Hoey. Gary has been around for a while but this was the first opportunity I got to see him play solo. Gary’s playing is very smooth. Not flashy or ballsy just very solid and smooth. He played a few songs off of his 2013 release “Deja Blues” including the title track. He played the Red Rider song ‘Lunatic Fringe” and did a bang up job on it. He also rerecorded it on his 2006 release “American Made.” It’s worth noting that he played an integral role in working with Lita Ford on her recent comeback record “Living Like a Runaway.” I must say I came away very impressed by his set and I for sure will make a point to see him next time around.
Playing his first show in the WNY area since his gig at Club Infinity in 2007, Yngwie Malmsteen took the stage at 9pm sharp and let his guitar playing and stage presence overtake the crowd and gave them a solid show for an hour and 45minutes. At the end of some songs, Malmsteen ended it by tossing the guitar to the side of the stage and giving a salute to the fans. If you never seen him before, Malmsteen incorporates a lot of flash and pizzazz along with his ever so quick finger fret playing. He also includes a lot of classical music while doing this. He only had a three piece band which included only a keyboardist and drummer. Malmsteen mixed the set up with songs that included both vocals and just instrumentals. He also invited his openers to join him on the Deep Purple classic “Burn.”
This was a perfectly assembled package of players and even though I really looked forward to seeing Roth, the talent and styles of the combined guitarists warrants this a must see show.
Yngwie Malmsteen setlist:
Rising Force
Spellbound
Razor Eater
Evil Eye
Overture/Thousand/Arpeggois
Live to Fight
Badinere/Adagio/Far Beyond the Sun
Star-Spangled Banner (Francis Scott Key cover)
Acoustc Paraphrase
Dreaming/Into Valhalla
Baroque n’ Roll
Seventh Sign
Magic City
Trilogy/guitar solo/Blues
Drum solo/Heaven Tonight
Black Star/Cherokee
Burn (Deep Purple cover with Bumblefoot and Gary Hoey)
I’ll See the Light
Gary Hoey setlist:
Going Down
Lunatic Fringe (Red Rider cover)
Deja Blues
Peace Pipe
Bad Sign
Utopia
Fade to Blue
Hocus Pocus
Bumblefoot setlist:
Abnormal
Real
Turn Around
Guitars SUCK
Objectify
Guitars Still Suck
Raygun
Dash
The Pink Panther Theme (Henry Mancini cover)
We would like to thank Carsie Yatter of Hired Gun Media for the credentials to review the show.
