Article: John 5…the SOLO Tour 3/4/15
I have spent my career watching bands in many forms. Some with nine members, some with the standard four. But the unique ones are the bands focused heavily on instrumentals. Animals as Leaders and even Yngwie Malmsteem are my two shining examples of what I have witnessed with my own two eyes. John 5’s illustrious career has spanned generations of music with musicians such as Marilyn Manson, Salt-N-Pepa, Rob Zombie, Rod Stewart, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and so many more this man can boast about. He has toured and lent his intelligence to compositions spanning the test of time. Now, he has finally embarked on his first solo tour. With his debut instrumental album released in 2003, it was literally 12 years later for him to do this. Well people, don’t hesitate to spend the money to see John 5 and the Creatures live.
The material spans through original content and even medley’s of other acts such as Michael Jackson, Iron Maiden, Metallica, White Zombie, Van Halen and many more. His distinct taste in material had me in the audience wondering what he would play next. The crowd dug it and even bellowed out lyrics during some of his interpretations of other classic works. The photos below showcase only three songs, but his one hour and thirty minute set included many costume changes and guitar switching. He even had a member of his crew dress up as frankenstein and would come in between breaks throwing guitar picks and merchandise into the crowd. John 5 is humble and was so happy to see a nice sized crowd of about 350+ pay the price of admission to see him. His humor also brought the audience closer to him as the atmosphere went from loose to intimate as the set progressed. People were happy and so was he. At the end, I got to meet John 5 at the end of the show. He signed some of my photos and took a photo with me with absolutely no hostility. The ten people who stayed afterwards got to meet him too and he took care of everyone before he hopped the infamous NYC Yellow Cab to his next venture.
There is NO reason to NOT see John 5 live. If you have the money or the opportunity, then I implore you to do so. Being that I spent my Monday with Dave Lombardo and his band PHILM, I got to complete the That Metal Show episode by hanging with John 5 the day after he recorded the show for VH1 which aired Saturday March 7th. Check out the photos below and you’ll see what I mean.
John 5 Photo Gallery:
Catch you rockers on the flip side!!!
–Derek–
