Aurora, IL was an interesting place to be at this past Thursday night when Hollywood Vampires showed up. As I arrived, it was raining cats and dogs and people were taking cover to get out of the rain storm. Moments before I exited my car the rain subsided and eventually stopped within minutes. Then the clouds dispersed and the sun came out as the humidity of a July concert in south suburban Chicagoland hit you like a ton of bricks.
The anticipation grew as the time got closer to set time. No opener was scheduled for the evening so the buzz was for the headliners only. As I wandered the grounds of RiversEdge Park, my eyes were checking out the myriad of nostalgic t-shirts from Aerosmith to Pirates of the Caribbean to Stone Temple Pilots and Guns N Roses and more.
For tonight, it was the Hollywood Vampires that took over the stage. If you haven’t heard of the Hollywood Vampires as a band, you have heard of them as members of other iconic groups or as a famous Hollywood actor. On drums for the Vampires is former Guns N Roses, The Cult, Velvet Revolver member Matt Sorum. On the bass is former Stone Temple Pilots founding member Robert DeLeo, on lead guitar is the iconic guitarist Joe Perry from the legendary rockers Aerosmith, on rhythm guitar & backup vocals is Hollywood Mega star Johnny Depp and the lead singer is “The Godfather of Shock Rock”, the one and only Alice Cooper.
The Hollywood Vampires name is derived from a 1970’s drinking club whose original members included Alice Cooper as well as Keith Moon of The Who, Ringo Starr of the Beatles, Micky Dolenz of the Monkees as well as John Lennon, Joe Walsh, John Belushi and many others. The Hollywood Vampires the rock band is an honor to the music of the rock stars who died from excess.
The Hollywood Vampires set was a sick blast from the past with songs like “Rebel Rebel” from David Bowie, “Manic Depression” from The Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Break on Through (to the Other Side)” from The Doors, “Come Together” from The Beatles, “Whole Lotta Love” from Led Zeppelin and Motorhead’s “Ace Of Spades.”
The band played a total of 21 songs and had everyone on their toes jamming to each and every one. Depp’s stage presence and guitar work was right on par with his iconic band mates and he played to the crowd whenever he could. Perry and Cooper know how to command a crowd since each have been playing since the 60’s. Two nights after this show, Joe Perry collapsed on stage in New York. Perry, as of this writing. will be rejoining his boys in a few days for the rest of the tour.
If you have a love for great rock music covers, mega talented personalities on stage and a fun night of rock and roll make sure you check out the Hollywood Vampires when they come to a city near you.
