Well, I didn’t really know if I wanted to go to this show or not, it’s hard to figure out if it’s really worth it to see a band 16 years after their legendary singer’s death. So I did the only intelligent thing…I asked the good people on the Ash messageboard what to do. Of course, I ended up going and having a hell of a time. I just had surgery so I am saving my health for only the most important nights of rock. To hell with going to see popular bands I’ve already seen before (no offense to NFG or GC). Seeing as I wasn’t feeling well, I cut it close and got there extremely late. It was incredibly weird to hear “Jailbreak” thumping from the parking lot. I literally sprinted inside when I heard the music. I was disappointed at the size of the crowd to see these rock legends. However, the band was committed to rocking the club hard, giving it 110%. I thought the Tommy Lee show was loud…sorry Tommy but Lizzy rocked it hard than you did. Again, I did not fit in with the rest of the audience…these people were really hardcore too. I was still feeling a little too sick to care that there were 45 year old drunk men lurking around me.
The band consisted of John Sykes on lead vocals and guitar, Scott Gorham on guitar, Marco Mendoza on bass and Tony Aldridge on drums. Scott has been apart of the band the longest, since 1974 actually, though he left again in 1983. Gorham has often felt guilty about the death of singer Phil Lynott, as he had a bad drug habit as well. Sykes is a former member of Blue Murder as well as Aldridge. Sykes was also in Whitesnake and has been with the Lizzy since 1983. Lynott died in 1986, so Lizzy was interrupted for a time, though he was not in Lizzy when he died. Mendoza was a member of Blue Murder, and along with Aldridge, the only member to have never played with Lynott. The story of this band is complicated, but they have never been short of top-notch musicians. Mendoza is a killer bassist, Aldridge does drum solos with his hands, and Sykes and Gorham own the dual guitar sound that is a trademark of Lizzy.
I think that’s enough history for now kids, on to the show. The band roared through all the Lizzy classics. I can never remember order…but they played the following favorites: “Boys Are Back In Town”, “Jailbreak”, “Don't Believe A Word”, “Cold Sweat”, “Thunder & Lightning” “Dancin' In The Moonlight” “Sarah”, “Still In Love With You”, “Emerald”, “Bad Reputation”, “Killer On The Loose” and “Chinatown”. I was of course very sad to not hear “Whisky in the Jar”. This band is quite nice for being a group of living legends, they threw out picks and drumsticks, made eye contact, joked around and were generally entertaining and friendly. Sykes dedicated a few songs to, “The King of Rock n Roll, Mr. Phil Lynott”. Aldridge did a nasty, long drum solo mid set, first with sticks, then, bare handed. He was beginning to look a bit like Animal the Muppet. The encore was long; I had to miss part of it because I had to go to the bathroom. I’ve never had to stop watching a show to pee, which proves how long they played!
The end of my night was just as long…I decided to wait outside to get an autograph. Michael Wheeler, big brother of Ash front man, Tim Wheeler, requested and autograph, so I sucked it up and stood around. I ended up making a new friend (Hi Angel!) who insisted on getting pictures of Marco and I. I got some autographs from him and Scott for myself and Mike Wheeler, and scored some of Gorham’s picks. All in all, a fun time. I was surprised to see that this band would stand outside in over coats to sign autographs, take photos, talk to their fans and even take demos from local bands. May I also add that for their ages, the band is in immensely great shape. There were no beer guts hanging out over tight jeans. This was no Spinal Tap show. I guess this is what you would call, “rock and roll aging gracefully”, because they sure are. All in all a great night, nice band, good people, everything went well…and now I can say I have seen rock legends, Thin Lizzy. Rock.
