When you’re about to open for one of the greatest bands in rock n roll history, you would be forgiven if you were suddenly struck with nerves and stage fright.
Well, that is, unless you are The Dead Daisies. This rock n roll super group took to the stage and kicked out the jams with no signs of the jitters, delivering a solid set of good time rock n roll.
Vocalist Jon Stevens (Noiseworks) is up front, poised and confident in turning people on to the band’s own good time rock n roll sound which is still new to the majority of the audience. Commanding the stage with an incredible set of pipes, backing Stevens is a rock pedigree of legends that includes the likes of Marco Mendoza (Whitesnake / Thin Lizzy) and Richard Fortus (Guns N Roses). For a band who are classed as an Australian act, rehearsing must be difficult when your members are spread across the world. How would you rehearse or even put this line-up together? Guitarist David Lowy explains, “Marco was here with Thin Lizzy and he enjoyed it here. I spent half of my time in New York and Charley (Drayton, drummer) lives in New York as well. Jon is in Noiseworks and is in Jesus Christ Superstar and he gets together with us when not doing his other things and Charley introduced us to Richard Fortus. They’re all professional musicians and it doesn’t take them long to learn the songs.”
Tearing through a set of Aussie rock and classic covers, The Dead Daisies are hot on the heels of their debut album set to be released soon. “We wrote the album in six days and recorded the album in 12 days,” Lowy adds, “Jon wrote the single with Slash many years ago so we recorded it and Slash plays the solo on it. It’s called Lock And Load and is available on iTunes now.”
The Dead Daises really stepped up the plate and brought their A-game this night. As hard as it is for a band to open for the likes of Aerosmith, they did it with ease and by the end of their set, the crowd was on their feet, fists raised in support and cheers rang out through the arena. I expect that if their originals are anything to go by from tonight’s set, this album is sure to be a winner.
Aerosmith were everything you’d expect and more. The long-time legends of American rock n roll came and delivered an incredible set of classics and radio hits. From their infamous ballads to their groovin’ gems, Aerosmith are a band who need to be witnessed live. With the charismatic Steven Tyler up front and the sly faced dawg, Joe Perry, for two solid hours the band gave you everything you wanted and left you with something to remember them by; a good time ass-kicking rock show.
Opening with Draw The Line, it was obvious what we were in for. The crowd hung on to Tyler’s every word, singing in unison while his band just proved that longevity in this business does exist. A band who’s history is the stuff legends are made of and there is every reason why this is true. They simply do rock better than 99% of bands today. Janie’s Got A Gun, Love In An Elevator, Rag Doll, Dude Looks Like A Lady, No More No More, you name it, they gave it. The crowd was hot and the smiles in the audience reconfirmed that this band can do no wrong.
With Dream On and Sweet Emotion as the encore, the two hours had flown by so fast. The show was over and the excitement was in the air as the crowd dispersed back into the real world but thankfully for us, those two hours of seeing these heroes on stage will remain imprinted on our minds that tonight was a night to remember.
Photos By Olivia Reppas
