October 3, 2002 - Bridge Street Music Hall
Syracuse, NY

Veteran metal rockers Skid Row popped into the 'Cuse to play a show at the Bridge Street Music Hall on October 3. The crowd of about 350 people, many sporting their mullets proudly, was treated to a great performance.
I kept hearing people talking before the show and at the event, and the main thing I heard was: "But it's not Sebastian Bach..." Well, I am here to tell you it doesn't matter. The vocals of "new" frontman Johnny Solinger were powerful and clear with a great range. Don't knock him until you've heard him. He'll blow you away.
The drummer, Phil Varone, also a new member, played like a clock. The rest of the original members: Scotti Hill, Snake Sabo, and Rachel Bolan tore through a set of old school metal and power ballads with the conviction you would expect from a band used to touring to the ends of the earth.

They opened with a rocked-up version of "I Remember You" which they played the regular way later in the set. The band played for about an hour.
The performances of the band's old standards such as "Eighteen & Life," "Piece of Me," and "Get The Fuck Out" were awesome. The newer stuff, such as the closing song: "Thick is the Skin," shows that the band, though firmly rooted in the past, is focused on the future.
The band came back for an encore and shut down the show with a Bad-ass version of "Youth Gone Wild." The crowd reacted appropriately.
Before the show I did a short interview with Rachel Bolan. It will be up soon.

Coming Soon...

ScottiHill.com