Review & photos by Andrew Bansal
April 7th 2014, House Of Blues Sunset Strip, West Hollywood CA: On the coattails of the release of their new album ‘All You Can Eat’ which came out on April 1st, Steel Panther, the undisputed rock ‘n roll kings of the Sunset Strip, have returned to play a threesome of shows on home base at the House Of Blues this month. The first of these shows took place last night, and this being their first residency show here since last October, it was a highly anticipated event amongst Steel Panther’s hometown fans, and as a result, it was sold out and packed to capacity. It promised to be a thoroughly entertaining Monday night for one and all, and it certainly was.
By the time I managed to enter the venue, the opening act The Hard Way was already done playing, and promptly at 10:15, Future Villains took the stage for a 30-minute set. The Los Angeles hard rock quintet is a relatively new entity, having formed in summer 2012, but they’ve made solid strides as a band over this period and in this particular show they gave a good account of themselves with their brand of bluesy classic hard rock, a fitting precursor to the headline act as was evident from the generally positive response they got from this packed House Of Blues. Characterized by great clean vocals with soaring highs, catchy guitar riffs, harmonies and solos, and a lively rhythm section, they seem to possess the entire rock ‘n roll package. It’s no surprise that they’ve been booked as the opening act for Steel Panther’s upcoming North American tour and it made perfect sense to have them open this show too. Jonah Nimoy of Legal Tender and Desecrate played his first show as the band’s temporary guitarist. Being previously unaware of his involvement in this band I was a bit surprised to see him up there but on the other hand I really wasn’t, because the dude seems so talented he can play any instrument for any band. Amidst their own tunes, Future Villains also played a cover of Deep Purple’s ‘Highway Star’ which got the crowd pumped and was well executed, specially on guitars, even though the vocal delivery on it could have been better. But overall, a more than decent set by Future Villains and attendees on Steel Panther’s tour will most likely enjoy their music and live performance.
Visit Future Villains on the web:
FutureVillains.com
facebook.com/FutureVillains
twitter.com/FutureVillains
instagram.com/FutureVillains
Set List:
01. Toast To The Damned
02. Devil In Her Bones
03. To The Limit
04. Reject
05. Highway Star (Deep Purple cover)
06. Down The Drain Blues
During the intermission, 80s metal tunes by bands such as Twisted Sister, Van Halen, Iron Maiden and the like were played on the PA to get this crowd into the mood for the show to follow, and many were seen singing along to classics like “We’re Not Gonna Take It”. At 11:20, the curtains were drawn apart, Steel Panther arrived on stage, and with the entrée ‘All You Can Eat’ combo of ‘Pussywhipped’ and ‘Gloryhole’, this party was set into motion. These two are easily my favorite tracks on the new album and it was good to note that they turned out to be the best-sounding ones live as well, although ‘Bukkake Tears’ definitely needs to be brought into the set. In comparison to the previous times I saw them on the Sunset Strip whether it be the Key Club or the House Of Blues, I thought they struck a better balance between the music and standup comedy segments at this particular show. They played more songs than usual, and made a few changes like dropping the extended introduction of bassist Lexxi Foxx and the 15-minute Satchel guitar solo. The jokes were almost all brand new and had the audience in splits for the entire time. It’s clear that Steel Panther have put in good work and thought into making their show fresh and better for their regulars.
Older gems like ‘Fat Girl’, ‘Asian Hooker’ and ‘Death To All But Metal’ were as enjoyable as ever, and just like they usually do, they brought on two guest musicians during the course of the show, Billy Ray Cyrus laying down some great vocals on a cover of Billy Idol’s ‘Rebel Yell’, and Joey Fatone of ‘N Sync fame singing ‘Girl From Oklahoma’ and ‘Community Property’. As singer Michael Starr rightly pointed out, girls easily outnumbered guys at this show and a large number of girls joined the band on stage during this song, staying on for the next three songs to close out the show. Tits were being flashed all over the place, but none of them floated my boat, so to speak. Steel Panther shows definitely need hotter chicks on stage.
But overall, the show delivered everything that was expected of it. In an era wherein glam/hair metal is dead and considered a thing of the past, Steel Panther excels at giving the audiences a hilariously parodic taste of what that genre stood for, and those who didn’t get to experience the 80s certainly get a kick out of seeing how Steel Panther portray it. It’s no exaggeration to say that Steel Panther is bringing back the brand of rock ‘n roll the Sunset Strip was once famous for, albeit with a twist.
Check out a full gallery of Future Villains and Steel Panther photos from the show below (view it here if you’re on a non-Flash device):
Related Links:
1. Steel Panther ‘All You Can Eat’ Album Review
2. Review + Photos + Audio – Steel Panther Holds Press Conference & Plays Acoustic Set At Hustler Hollywood
Visit Steel Panther on the web:
SteelPanther.TV
facebook.com/SteelPantherKicksAss
twitter.com/Steel_Panther
instagram.com/SteelPantherKicksAss
youtube.com/SteelPantherVEVO
Set List:
01. Pussywhipped
02. Gloryhole
03. Fat Girl (Thar She Blows)
04. Asian Hooker
05. Gangbang At The Old Folks Home
06. Rebel Yell (Billy Idol cover, w/ Billy Ray Cyrus)
07. Girl From Oklahoma (w/ Joey Fatone)
08. The Burden Of Being Wonderful
09. Party Like Tomorrow Is The End Of The World
10. Community Property (w/ Joey Fatone)
11. 17 Girls In A Row
12. Death To All But Metal
13. Party All Day (Fuck All Night)
Upcoming House Of Blues Sunset Strip shows: 4/14 & 4/21
Visit House Of Blues Sunset Strip on the web:
facebook.com/HOBSunset
twitter.com/HOBSunset
instagram.com/HOBSunset
Steel Panther & Future Villains North American Tour Dates:
5/03 — Seattle, Wash. — The Showbox
5/04 — Portland, Ore. — Crystal Ballroom
5/07 — Denver, Colo. — Ogden Theatre
5/08 — Wichita, Kan. — Cotillion
5/10 — Oklahoma City, Okla. — Diamond Ballroom
5/11 — Houston, Texas — House of Blues
5/13 — Orlando, Fla. — House of Blues
5/15 — N. Myrtle Beach, Fla. — House of Blues
5/16 — Silver Spring, Md. — Fillmore
5/17 — Philadelphia, Pa. — Theatre of Living Arts
5/18 — Sayreville, N.J. — Starland Ballroom
5/20 — Montreal, Quebec — Metropolis
5/21 — Boston, Mass. — House of Blues
5/23 — Hampton Beach, N.H. — Hampton Beach Casino
5/24 — Portland, Maine — The Asylum
5/26 — Toronto, Ontario — Sound Academy
5/27 — New York, N.Y. — Irving Plaza
5/28 — Pittsburgh, Pa. — Stage AE
5/29 — Cleveland, Ohio — House of Blues
5/31 — Kansas City, Mo. — Rockfest
6/01 — Dallas, Texas — Gexa Energy Pavilion