Tempe, Arizona three piece, The Black Moods kicked things off with a nice set of originals and a cool cover of the late, great Tom Petty's "I Need To Know." They won over plenty of new fans that night. Comedian Don Jamieson, who used to co-host That Metal Show on VH1 Classic with DJ Eddie Trunk and fellow comedian Jim Florentine followed and was a lot of fun. While unconventional, having a comedian sandwiched between the two bands really cut down the time between set changes and made for a smooth transition to the headliner.
The Dead Daisies opened the show with "Unspoken" from their killer new album, Holy Ground. This is the first Daisies album and tour with new vocalist/bassist, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, "The Voice of Rock" Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath)! Despite a long, storied career that goes back to fronting Trapeze in the 70's, Hughes sounded incredible as he still hit all those trademark high notes that he is known for with ease. The lineup also features founder/guitarist David Lowy, guitar hero Doug Aldrich (Dio, Whitesnake) who joined the band in 2016 and newest member, drummer Tommy Clufetos (Black Sabbath, Rob Zombie). While everyone is talking, and rightfully so, about the addition of rock icon Glenn Hughes joining the band, Clufetos powerful drumming contributions are not to be overlooked. He plays like a man possessed, pounding his kit as if it owes him money!
The set was heavy on songs from the new album, including crowd pleasers "Chosen and Justified," "My Fate," title track "Holy Ground (Shake the Memory)" and "Like No Other (Bassline) which allowed Hughes a chance to cut loose on bass. Hughes also got to sing a few of the band's previous hits including "Lock n Load," "Rise Up" and "Long Way To Go." But it was a couple of classic Deep Purple covers that really brought the house down! First near the end of the set came the bluesy "Mistreated," where Aldrich did his best Ritchie Blackmore and Hughes hit notes so high he nearly shattered people's cell phones! Then there was the final encore, "Burn" that had everyone singing along.
Throughout the show, Hughes professed his love of Texas and his gratitude for the support Texas fans gave him early in his career. To the crowd's delight he announced plans for the band to return later in the tour. This was easily one of the best shows of the year. If you get the chance to catch The Dead Daisies on tour, don't miss out!