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When thinking of Jesus Christ, one would tend to think gentle, holy, soft spoken and even reserved. But this past Saturday evening I saw Jesus Christ in a whole new light. He took on the form of a very tall blonde, blessed with great looks and a wale that could make your blood curdle.

Bad boy Sebastian Bach, former frontman for the enormously successful group Skid Row, is Jesus Christ. At least on stage he is.

Sebastian Bach is currently starring as Jesus Christ in the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Yes.....I said SEBASTIAN BACH is starring as Jesus Christ. The same Sebastian Bach that rocked your ass off as the front man for Skid Row and still continues to do so as a solo artist. The same Sebastian Bach that hosted a show called FOREVER WILD on VH1. And the same Sebastian Bach that you’ve heard many a story about over the years of altercations with the law.

Well you can set those preconceived notions of what Sebastian Bach, the person, is like. Bad boy or not, as Jesus Christ he shines. Last Friday night he began the 9 month run of the McCoy-Rigby production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the La Mirada Performing Arts Center in La Mirada, California.

It was a stroke of luck that I attended that performance Saturday night. While rocking out at a Rush concert about a month ago, it happened that I was sitting right next to Walter, a promoter for Jesus Christ Superstar. As the conversation ensued, the subject of KNAC.COM came up, but Jesus Christ Superstar never did. About two weeks passed when I was shocked and delighted to read an emailed invitation to interview Sebastian Bach about this current production. Hell YES I’ll interview Sebastian I replied. Then came an invitation to the show as a member of the media.

I had seen Jesus Christ Superstar, the movie, as a child but never the stage production. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Could Sebastian really pull off playing Jesus Christ? Oh yes he can.

A modern day Jesus Christ walked onstage wearing jeans, tennis shoes and a white linen shirt. It was hard not to imagine Sebastian breaking out into Youth Gone Wild at that point. But what he did belt out was absolutely fabulous. Sebastian Bach has always had a strong unique voice. One of the best in rock n roll. But in Jesus Christ Superstar I experienced an audible rainbow of feelings and emotions coming from Sebastian’s pipes.

I know the story of the life of Jesus Christ well. I’ve been surrounded my entire life by stories of the bible. Sebastian’s portrayal of Christ angered at vendors for using the temple as a marketplace, or the fear he showed in Gethsemane as he was praying to his father about his impending fate, captured my complete and undivided attention. His vocal range reached from raging screams to soft whisper-like tones. I was into it.

The company of players that were on that stage with Sebastian did not go unnoticed either. Carl Anderson, the original Judas Iscariot in the motion picture version of Jesus Christ Superstar, revived his role on the stage. A true talent in a craft he has honed over the years is obvious.

Natalie Toro, who portrayed Mary Magdalene in the musical, added a deep emotion to the performance and it was difficult not to feel the magnitude of the love she felt for Christ.

Powerful scenes filled this performance, especially towards the end of the show. It definitely left and impression and had me not only thinking about the performance, but the story, long after the actors took their final bows.

Casting a man like Sebastian Bach in the story of the life of Jesus Christ can only be good. Although Jesus Christ Superstar originated in the 70’s, this company of actors with Sebastian Bach at the helm has the potential to bring a whole new generation into the theatre.

If the name Sebastian Bach isn’t enough to bring metal heads and rockers alike to see the show, maybe a few words about the music will. Being a woman who has always appreciated a good guitar riff I was pleasantly surprised to hear some great guitar work and some heavy hitting sounds coming from the pit. (Not the mosh pit. The orchestra pit.) There are some definite rock n roll elements present.

If you’ve only seen Sebastian Bach on a concert stage, you just may be cheating yourself. He’s proven he is a multi-dimensional artist. Skid who? There’s alot more to him than that.

Speaking to Sebastian after the show showed he’s the same Sebastian you would imagine he is. Easy to talk to and definitely living in the moment. He was in his element. But our conversation consisted mostly of what was going on in the world of rock n roll. So don’t be intimidated if you should happen to speak to Sebastian after a performance of Jesus Christ Superstar. He’s probably not going to bless you and I’m sure he doesn’t want to hear your confession. Just give him a high five and ask him about his solo stuff.

I mentioned earlier that it was a stroke of luck that I attended the performance of Jesus Christ Superstar last Saturday......or was it? The more I think about it.......I think it was divine intervention.

Sebastian Bach will be portraying Jesus Christ for 8 performances a week for the next 41 weeks at the following theatres:

November 9-17, 2002 La Mirada Performing Arts Center, La Mirada, CA
November 26-December 1, 2002 The Alladin, Las Vegas, NV
December 3-8, 2002 The Civic, San Diego, CA
December 17-22, 2002 The Majestic, San Antonio, TX
December 25, 2002-January 5, 2003 The Broward County Theatre, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
January 7-12, 2003 The Peace Center, Greenville, SC
January 14-19, 2003 Bob Carr, Orlando, FL
January 21-26, 2003 The Palace, Louisville, KY
January 28-February 2, 2003 The Orpheum, Minneapolis, MN
February 5-9, 2003 The Miller Theatre, Kalamazoo, MI
February 11-16, 2003 Shea’s, Buffalo, NY
February 18-March 2, 2003 The Aronoff, Cincinnati, OH
March 4-9, 2003 Clowe’s, Indianapolis, IN
March 11-16, 2003 The Saenger, New Orleans, LA
March 18-23, 2003 The Merriam, Philadelphia, PA
March 25-30, 2003 The Palace, Columbus, OH
April 1-6, 2003 The Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
April 8-13, 2003 The Mechanic, Baltimore, MD
April 15-20, 2003 The Wang Theatre, Boston, MA
April 22-27, 2003 Ovens, Charlotte, NC
April 29-May4, 2003 Carpenter Theatre, Richmond, VA
May 6-11, 2003 PPAC, Providence, RI
May 13-18, 2003 Chrysler Hall, Norfolk, VA
May 27- June 1, 2003 Q.E., Vancouver, BC
June 3-8, 2003 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA
June 10-15, 2003 Keller, Portland, OR
June 24-29, 2003 Starlight, Kansas City
July 2-6, 2003 Wolftrapp, Vienna, VA
July 8-13, 2003 Fox Cities, Appleton, WI
July 15-20, 2003 MPAC, Milwaukee, WI
July 22-27, 2003 Bass, Fort Worth, TX
July 29-August 3 Kansas City
August 5-10, 2003 Wolftrapp, Vienna, VA
(Please note dates subject to change)

Also check out www.sebastianbach.com for the latest tour dates and information on Sebastian Bach.

Keep the Faith and God Bless!!!!!