Skid Row @ The Palace,Melbourne (8/10/09)

Sun 11th Oct, 2009 in Gig Reviews

Returning to Melbourne for the first time since their unforgettable support of Guns and Roses in 1993 at Calder Park, Skid Row rocked their way back into the lives of eager Melbournians on Thursday night. I remember the 1993 experience vividly – I was a fresh-faced young punter looking on as one of my favourite bands plied their trade in front of over 75,000 restless fans. This was Skid Row at the peak of their powers. They were touring on the back of two multi-platinum albums, Sebastian Bach was still in the band and they were regarded by some as having put on the better live show that day.

Fast forward 16 years and the lofty heights of Calder Park 1993 seemed a distant memory for these New Jersey rockers (at least initially). The crowd consisted of predominantly old fans that were reliving the soundtracks of their youth rather than new fans that had been won over by the more recent studio offerings of Skid Row.

Wikked Bliss and Aussie metal journeymen Pegazus provided commendable support to a slowly filling venue, but even they were clearly looking forward to the headline act taking the stage.

Skid Row have been subject to several line up changes and incarnations since their hey day in the late 80’s and early 90’s. The most notable of these was clearly when the most well-known and loved member of the band, Sebastian Bach, left in 1996. Putting this history aside, they have definitely not lost any energy judging by the entrance they made with Big Guns. While they may be past their prime as a song writing outfit and crowd pulling act, their musicianship was awesome to see live again.

Front man Johnny Solinger seemed to fit in well with the close to original line up of Dave “The Snake” Sabo, Scotti Hill, Rachel Bolan and the relatively recent addition of Dave Gara. One of the reasons that I always liked Skid Row was for the prowess of their guitarists (Sabo and Hill) and this show was a great example of their live abilities. The live sound was impeccable and it was great to hear some of the guitar harmonies from their back catalogue played live.

There were no surprises with the set list in that it comprised almost every track from their most successful album (self titled debut – Skid Row) and the notable hits from their second platinum album Slave to the Grind. Relatively newer tracks (written while Solinger was in the band) were strategically placed within the list to ensure the crowd didn’t lose interest. There was a tangible difference in crowd response when newer tracks rather than old classics were played. While he made valiant efforts, there are some aspects of Sebastian Bach’s vocals on classic tracks that Solinger just couldn’t replicate. This was most notable on their flagship classics I Remember You and 18 and Life.

The standout tracks in the set included Big Guns, 18 and Life, Monkey Business, Get the Fuck Out, Psycho Therapy (Ramones cover), Slave to the Grind and the epic Youth Gone Wild to finish things off. They certainly haven’t lost the entertainment quality of their music, it just seemed that a bit of their appeal seemed to have been lost with the absence of Bach.

The fact that they are still playing and rockin’ as hard as they did at this show is a great testament to the longevity of the classic tracks that they were able to produce in the prime of their song writing careers. Looking around, you could see that these tracks once (and still do) mean a whole lot to the people in the crowd, and that’s something that any band should be proud of.