All Photos By Travis Failey/Rocket Sports & Entertainment
Sebastian Bach closed out a great day of music and his 45 stop tour on a beautiful Saturday night in Saint Petersburg. Bach was out with his band celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the debut and self-titled release from SKID ROW. The band performed the whole album from start to finish with Sebastian playing disc jockey throughout.
From the start of the set as Sebastian and the band took the stage, it was obvious that Sebastian was in a great mood and it continued throughout the night as he smiled and chatted with the crowd. We didn’t know if it was just from the setting and the crowd or if he was happy that the tour was concluding. Either way, the crowd was in for a special night of music and memories from one the best vocalists and front-men of our generation.
The music started with one of the lesser known songs from the album in “Tornado/Forever” but the crowd and the band kicked it up a notch with two fan favorites in “Big Guns” and then “Sweet Little Sister”. Sebastian then addressed the crowd and talked about the longevity of being around for 30 years and how Willie Nelson has achieved God-like status due to being almost 3 times 30 years old. (For the record he is 86). He then questioned his crazy idea of playing an album start to finish that they released 30 years ago prior to going into a tough song for him to sing in “Can’t Stand the Heartache”.
After a ripping version of arguably the heaviest song on the album in ”Piece of Me”, Sebastian once again addressed the crowd and almost let out an f-bomb but noticed all the young kids in the crowd and held back from swearing the rest of the night. Prior to the beginning of “18 and Life”, Sebastian looked into the crowd and said that this was the song that made all our dreams come true and pointed at the kids and said “if my dreams can come true so can all of yours.” It was a resounding message and a special moment for the youngsters by the stage and their families.
After “Rattlesnake Shake”, Sebastian brought out an old record player and took a version of the album off the record player and proceeded to talk about having to flip over the album old-school Johnny Fever style. This was in reference to the classic TV show WKRP in Cincinnati which the band then played the theme song from the show.
A special moment was up next as Saint Pete native and the lead singer for QUEENSRYCHE, Todd La Torre was introduced by Sebastian before they performed the anthem “Youth Gone Wild”. The two singers traded off verses and combined their vocal talents during the chorus for an amazing rendition of the song.
Bach then mentioned that there were no tracks being used like other bands these days and it was just the four musicians and their instruments. This has been an ongoing message from some artists and media members including Eddie Trunk, as many of the newer rock bands are obviously using backing tracks in their live shows and are not able to reproduce their studio work on stage with just the band members.
Two more aggressive songs from the album were next in “Here I Am” and “Making a Mess” which showcased Sebastian’s band. With Brent Woods on guitar, Rob De Luca on bass and Bobby Jarzombek on drums, the three veterans of Sebastian’s band were even tighter than the previous times that I’ve seen them. They also played off each other’s strengths while giving Sebastian space and time to interact with the fans. A big positive was there weren’t any unneeded solos lending time to more songs being played.
Between songs, an acoustic guitar was brought on stage which meant that “I’ll Remember You” was next up but prior to it something occurred that I haven’t seen before at a SKID ROW or Sebastian Bach show. Sebastian got behind the acoustic guitar and played the opening notes to “Roundabout” by YES. The band then joined in and played the song a bit before Sebastian mentioned that this song wasn’t on the first album by SKID ROW which got a rousing response from the crowd.
Sebastian then gave an emotional performance of “I’ll Remember You” in tribute to Ginger Baker, Ric Ocasik, Lemmy, Dimebag and Vinny Paul. Sebastian was spot on vocally during the earlier part of the set but seemed to struggle a bit during the track as it is arguably the toughest song to sing on the first album.
After finishing up the album with “Midnight”, Sebastian and the band kicked it up multiple notches by performing 4 songs from SKID ROW’s second release, Slave To The Grind.
Sebastian was on fire and seemed reenergized during the title track and “The Threat”. He then mentioned that the next song “In A Darkened Room” was Dimebag Darrell’s favorite SKID ROW song and that they bonded when PANTERA opened for them on SKID ROW’s Slave To The Grind Tour in 1992.
Sebastian then thanked his road crew including his security guys, drum tech and others and then thanked the fans for their support tonight and throughout the years. He also thanked the military in attendance. The band then finished with an amazing rendition of “Monkey Business” and from the way it sounded, Sebastian was just getting started but because of local noise ordinances, the show had to conclude.
At 51 years old, Sebastian Bach and his vocals are still going strong. Throughout his career there have been times that he has been a handful on and off the stage but tonight Sebastian was a consummate professional. The only time that he bitched about anything was at a microphone stand that was giving him some difficulty. He truly seemed to be having a great time and smiled with and at the fans and passed out water bottles to them throughout the evening.
If Sebastian Bach doesn’t ever get back together with the original members of SKID ROW, he has and is still carrying the torch for the band. The original members of the band remain to go out on tour with other singers but have never generated the response or the crowds that Sebastian does as a solo artist. The fans would love to see a reunion and the money is there for the taking but if it doesn’t happen, the songs and the voice of SKID ROW will always be remembered.
"The song that made all our dreams come true, "18 and Life"". Little kids in the crowd, if my dreams can come true so can yours."
Check out some more photos from the show!
All Photos By Travis Failey/Rocket Sports & Entertainment
