Buford, GA is probably not the first city you’d think of when you think of a rockin’ place but on a Tuesday night at the 37 Main venue, you would’ve thought you were in LA on the sunset strip. Long haired guys all over the place, women wearing next to nothing and waitresses with breasts so large you’d never make eye contact with them. My buddies Art, Darren and myself weren’t bound to pass up the opportunity to see Lynch Mob in this small venue but I must admit, there was a strong sense of doubt about this show. I mean really, just how good can a Lynch Mob show in 2011 be?
The show started off with two local acts and a touring act by the name of Willie Basse. My first thought upon seeing this large African American bassist was, “Is this a joke?’ I don’t mean this in a racist way by any means but image wise, it was ridiculous. He looked like biker gone horribly wrong, his guitar player looked like a deck swabbing pirate who had jumped ship and the drummer was a double chinned dude with long blonde hair and wearing more eyeliner than I’ve ever seen any woman wear. These guys all took Rock Star Stage Tricks 101 class and managed to cram them all into one 45 minute set. My eyes were rolling so much during this absurd display of musical retardedness that I must have looked like I was having a seizure. I wanted to go meet them after the show and not only ask for my 45 minutes back but hit them with a bill as well. All I could do was close my eyes and say, “Please make it stop soon!”
Lynch Mob hit the stage to a packed house of roaring fans opening with “She’s So Evil But She’s Mine” and right away I was floored at just how amazing they sounded. “River of Love” was met with a huge roar surprisingly early in the set and then it felt like this show was taking off. Not only is George Lynch amazing to watch live but Oni Logan is an awesome singer. He really possesses this hippie zen Jim Morrison like quality as he seems to really connect with the songs. He literally made eye contact with each and every person in the room which I found to be extremely powerful and made me feel connected with him. The only really weak link in this band seemed to be the bassist Robbie Crane. He did a great job on the harmony vocals and his bass playing wasn’t bad but he just didn’t seem to have as strong a presence as the other three guys.
Wild Mick Brown on the drums is something else amazing to see. He’s a killer drummer and hits harder than just about any drummer I’ve ever heard. Mick is also fucking hilarious. He was egging on the crowd and totally setting the pace for the vibe of the show. Before kicking into the Dokken classic “Into the Fire” he yells, “Come on you fucking white people! CLAP YOUR HANDS!” as he observed the horrible lack of rhythm to this room. The set list was mostly dominated by killer songs from the “Wicked Sensation” album like “Hell Child”, “Rain” and “All I Want” but also featured some facemelting deep Dokken tracks like “When Heaven Comes Down” and “Tooth & Nail”. Oni Logan just may do Dokken songs better than Dokken does Dokken. He has such a soulful voice that has a distinct character to it without over singing or over trying. He just flat out nailed these songs in a huge way. The classic George Lynch instrumental “Mr. Scary” had everyone’s faces sliding right off their skulls. To see George Lynch performing this classic piece two feet from my face was something I will never forget. He plays with such class and feel yet totally shreds like a demon.
After completely slaying us with the Dokken classic “Tooth & Nail”, Lynch Mob returned to the stage to play an amazing version of “Wicked Sensation” that went on for about 10 minutes. They broke it down in the middle into this funky, dark psychedelic vibe to it. Oni Logan totally embraced the vibe and began to ad-lib some killer lyrics as the band played on behind him. He grooved out with his maracas and seemed to take on this Jim Morrison like persona as he inched around the stage. At one point he was so lost in the jam he forgot the lyrics to back into the song which brought a laugh among the band and the crowd. The band finished out the song to a roar and then made their way off the stage.
My lack of faith in just how good this show was going to be makes me realize that I probably need to have a bit more faith in the music of my past. There is a certain stigma that goes with being a classic hair metal/hard rock band. It’s almost as if people don’t believe that it’s possible to still put on a great performance and actually play. I mean after all, not all these bands are Poison ya know? Some of these bands can actually play their asses off and write great songs. Lynch Mob is no exception to this rule proving to me that a band in their genre can still rip it up live and even more so than they did in the past. Lynch Mob totally made me believer and now I even find myself listening to them with a new set of ears. Damn, I love being surprised by a band!
Lynch Mob Setlist
She’s So Evil But She’s Mine
River of Love
21st Century Man
Into The Fire
Where Do You Sleep At Night?
Mr. Scary
Rain
All I Want
When Heaven Comes Down
Let The Music Be Your Master
Tooth & Nail
Encore:
Wicked Sensation
The KILLER photos above were taken by my buddy Susie of Sassy Photography
For more photos from the Lynch Mob show, CLICK HERE!
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