“Sonic Slam” Tour Brings Faster Pussycat, L.A. Guns & The Tom Keifer Band Showcases Groups In Top Form Who Are Still Killing It Today Against The Backdrop Of Their ‘80’s Fame

Jul 12, 2022 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

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By Christopher David

Casual and diehard music fans alike tend to think of bands as belonging—almost entirely—to certain eras, maybe out of convenience, maybe out of nostalgia, maybe just because its easy.  There’s nothing wrong with that, but often, it sells the artists themselves short.  And while Friday’s show at the Des Plaines Theater would have been a easy pigeonhole in that regard, the “Sonic Slam” tour—none other than Faster Pussycat, L.A. Guns, and the Tom Keifer Band—showcased three bands in top form who are still killing it in 2022 against the backdrop of their ‘80s fame.

Faster Pussycat, one of the Sunset Strip’s most infamous stalwarts, blew through a nine song set that offered plenty of audience interaction from the get.  “Cathouse,” “Slip of the Tongue,” and “House of Pain” still hit with gigantic hooks, and vocalist Taime Downe—whose career as the frontman for one of the most classic ‘80s metal bands has seen some fascinating twists and turns—hasn’t lost an ounce of his stage appeal.  Bassist Slim Tender and guitarist Ronnie Simmons kept the crowd in heat right through the final singalong of “Babylon,” Pussycat’s trashy, glam-rock homage to L.A.’s seedy nightlife.  Faster Pussycat always had a great sense of humor about the rock scene and their role in it—if you need further proof, check out their Instagram.

Founding member/guitarist Tracii Guns and vocalist Phil Lewis led L.A. Guns’ current lineup through a top-notch mix of old and new, focusing largely on the hits (the riff in “Electric Gypsy” remains as slick as it did on day one) but dipping into recent releases to great success.  Opening with “Cannonball” from their 2021 release Checkered Past, Guns & Co. have consistently released underrated, solid rock records in the years since their heyday, and newer songs like “Gone Honey” and “Speed” (from 2019’s The Devil You Know and 2017’s The Missing Piece, respectively) were a perfect fit against the classic grooves of “Never Enough” and “Rip and Tear,” both showcasing Guns’ guitar work as Lewis mugged it up for the crowd.

Cinderella were arguably one of the greatest bands of the 1980s and perhaps showed more growth as a band over the course of four albums than their contemporaries, something that made Tom Keifer’s set feel even more organic.  His new band leans into the more bluesy, groovy aspects of his musical personality, which was always his foundation even in the days of big hair.  Opening with the hooky crunch of “Touching the Divine” from 2019’s Rise, Keifer delved into that title track as well as a couple of highlights from 2017’s The Way Life Goes before revisiting most of Cinderella’s hits.  The seven-piece lineup of Keifer’s new outfit offered plenty of opportunity for guitar play as well as a brighter, more expansive sound thanks to backup singers Savannah Keifer and Kendra Chantelle on the swaggering stomp of “Night Songs” and the melancholic “The Last Mile.”  Keifer’s shift from the glam-rock bombast of his early days to more straightforward rock n’ roll stylings have opened the door to what will hopefully be a long and enriching second act to an already stellar and influential career.

For more on the Sonic Slam tour, click here

For photos from the show, click here

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Faster Pussycat – Des Plaines Theater, Des Plaines, IL, July 8, 2022 (setlist)

Jack the Bastard

Where There’s A Whip There’s A Way

Cathouse

Slip of the Tongue

Don’t Change That Song

NOLA

House of Pain

Bathroom Wall

Babylon

 

L.A. Guns – Des Plaines Theater, Des Plaines, IL, July 8, 2022 (setlist)

Cannonball

Electric Gypsy

*Tracii Guns guitar solo*

Over the Edge

Sex Action

Gone Honey

Speed

The Ballad of Jayne

Never Enough

Rip and Tear

 

Tom Keifer Band – Des Plaines Theater, Des Plaines, IL, July 8, 2022 (setlist)

Touching the Divine

Night Songs

Coming Home

It’s Not Enough

Somebody Save Me

Rise

Nobody’s Fool

Solid Ground

Fallin’ Apart at the Seams

The Last Mile

Don’t Know What You Got (Til It’s Gone)

Shake Me

Shelter Me

Gypsy Road

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