By Andrew Bansal
September 10th 2015, The Whisky, West Hollywood CA: California hard rock veterans Y&T have enjoyed a career that has spanned more than four decades and has delivered twelve albums worth of studio material and countless live performances, but there is no end in sight for the quartet, as they still continue to rock stages worldwide and bring sizable crowds to their shows. They’ve had a long history with the Whisky-A-Go-Go in West Hollywood, with their earliest gig at the venue dating as far back as 1975, and they returned to one of their favorite scenes of crime on September 10th 2015 to turn the clock all the way back in front of a packed house.
Y&T took the stage promptly at their scheduled start time of 10:30 PM, and even though the Whisky was sparsely populated during the three opening acts, it got increasingly filled as the evening went on, and by the time Y&T were about to start, it was completely packed. The four members of the band descended down the staircase onto the stage amidst huge cheers. There was no intro tape, no bullshit from this band and they wasted no time in laying into what turned out to be a two-hour, 18-song career-spanning set that the audience loved every moment of and did not hold back in showing their support for the band. Some songs always stay in the Y&T set but they are among the few bands that do change up the set lists from one year to the next to an appreciable extent, which is what keeps the old-timers wanting to pay money to see them again and again.
Aside from hits such as ‘Mean Streak’, ‘Contagious’, ‘Summertime Girls’ and ‘Forever’, the show featured rarely played tunes such as ‘Shine On’ off of the 2010 ‘Facemelter’ album, but my personal highlight was the 1981 gem ‘I Believe In You’, appropriately placed as the centerpiece of the set. The epic composition showcases Y&T’s mastery at writing rock ballads, which is just as great as their longstanding ability to belt out up-tempo hard rock classics. Frontman Dave Meniketti’s guitar work was at its best with immaculate tone and effortless playing, as he went through an assortment of guitars during the set. For a man 61 years old, his vocal delivery came across as absolutely age-defying, and longtime Y&T fans in the audience testified that he does not sound a day older than he did back in the 70s and 80s. He proves it year after year that he is by far the most underrated frontman in hard rock.
Meanwhile, rhythm guitarist John Nymann and drummer Mike Vanderhule provided perfect companionship to Meniketti with their exploits on stage, and even though bassist Brad Lang’s excessively over-the-top dance moves and facial expressions were at times hard to watch, he excelled just as much on his instrument and on backing vocals. This lineup of Y&T has been going strong since 2010, with Nymann and Vanderhule in the band since 2003 and 2006 respectively, and together these four musicians certainly put forth a mighty fine representation of all things Y&T.
The audience at the Whisky was grateful to have witnessed a flawless hard rock performance that was well beyond worth the $25 ticket price. This will not be the last Y&T show at this venue, because they continue to show their peers, contemporaries as well as younger generations how to rock a stage. This is one band that does not need a farewell tour because no one wants to see them retire. Y&T are without doubt the undisputed kings and unsung heroes of feelgood rock ‘n roll.
Set List:
01. Hang ’em High
02. L.A. Rocks
03. Black Tiger
04. Shine On
05. Mean Streak
06. Lucy
07. Dirty Girl
08. Midnight In Tokyo
09. Cold Day in Hell
10. I Believe in You
11. Contagious
12. All American Boy
13. I Want Your Money
14. Summertime Girls
15. Rescue Me
16. I’m Coming Home
Encore:
17. Beautiful Dreamer
18. Forever
Upcoming US Dates:
9/11 – Corona CA @ M15
9/12 – Big Bear Lake CA @ The Cave