For two months our 2012 New Year Wolf Den Kickoff Show was planned around us middle-aged rockers trekking to Uncasville and banging our heads to Quiet Riot and re-living our Metal Health years. Five years since lead singer Kevin DuBrow’s untimely death, drummer Frankie Bonali had re-assembled the group to tour in Kevin’s honor. Unfortunately (or fortunately in Vick’s case) they were a last minute scratch.
The ever-resilient Wolf Den concert booking crew scoured the east coast looking for a last minute Friday night replacement – and they found one, a named one at that. Keeping with the 80s hair band expected performance, fifty-three year old Queen of Metal, Lita Ford, was available and made her virgin trip to the Den and performed to a decent sized mullet-wearing crowd.
When you think about living Rock n Roll women who have stood the test of time, three names come to mind – Pat Benatar, Joan Jett and Lita Ford. The former Runaways’ driving force and lead guitar player still has the look and talent to blaze through a 75 minute set. Trouble is, she didn’t play any Runaways tunes and the average concertgoer only knows 3-4 of her solo songs. Her band, which includes well-traveled guitar player Gary Hoey and former Trixter bass player PJ Farley, sounded tight for a band which is currently not touring. (My guess is this is the lineup Lita has been working with in the studio for her new album due out this spring.)
The show’s highlights primarily consisted of songs from her popular 1988 album “Lita” which she released while managed by Sharon Osbourne. “Back to the Cave” and “Fallin In and Out of Love” (which she wrote with Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx) were solid tunes as was her show-closing and most popular release, “Kiss Me Deadly”. “Gotta Let Go” for her earlier album “Dancin on the Edge” got the show off to a good start.
An expected disappointment was her chart-topping ballad which she recorded with Ozzy; “When You Close Your Eyes Forever”. As suspected there was no one on stage that could come close to singing Ozzy’s part of the duet. Instead she relied on crowd participation and her own vocals to cover both leads. I wouldn’t call it an epic failure, but it didn’t do the song justice.
Overall, for a last minute replacement show, it wasn’t half bad; electric guitars, loud drums and a Rock Queen (albeit aged). At least it wasn’t the Strawbs.
Randall
