by Deb Rao
– Senior Columnist —
November 2, 2013 at Vamp’d in Las Vegas, NV. —
On any given night there are numerous musical choices to celebrate the weekend. One surefire hit is to take in a concert at Las Vegas premier concert venue Vamp’d. On Nov. 2 the club featured Hookers ‘N’ Blow featuring Guns ‘n’ Roses keyboard player Dizzy Reed. Over the past ten years I haven’t seen Hookers ‘N’ Blow perform on the East Coast. Tonight it was the first time the band performed in Las Vegas. So needless to say, it was going to be a full Hookers ‘N’ Blow extravaganza.
Hookers ‘N’ Blow features an All-Star line-up including Dizzy Reed of GNR on keyboards and vocals, Alex Grossi of Quiet Riot on guitar, Matt Starr on drums of Ace Frehley and Burning Rain and on bass Mike Duda from Wasp. The night included many Guns ‘n’ Roses hits including “It’s So Easy,” “Used To Love Her” and “Don’t Cry.” The show also included favorite cover tunes including “Ziggy Stardust.”
If anyone has ever seen Guns ‘n’ Roses, then you are familiar with the dynamic caliber of keyboard player Dizzy Reed. Dizzy who is heavily influenced by The Rolling Stones brought his bluesy rock style here to Vamp’d tonight and shined. Guitarist Alex Grossi is one of the top guitarists in the business. Alex has a special flair of showcasing his talent of the freeboard with much passion. His style is reminiscent of a young Randy Rhoads. Tonight’s show was filled with many special guest stars including Jizzy Pearl. Jizzy performed two songs with the band. The night hit a special climax as GNR guitarist DJ Ashba took the stage to a riveting response of “Tush.” Also Jeff Duncan of Armored Saint performed “Sin City.”
It was a night filled with many great moments. The band jammed until the wee hours of the morning, as this party was just getting started. Highlight of the set was “Patience” and bluesy encore “Sympathy For The Devil.” Hopefully the band will return to Vamp’d real soon! Check out the links below. The band has new merchandise. Be the first on the block to sport a new Hookers ‘N’ Blow shirt. Special Thanks to Alex Grossi for making this review possible.
Set List:
Pretty Tied Up
Dust ‘n’ Bones
It’s So Easy
American Girl
Used To Love Her
Ziggy Stardust
Locomotive (outro)
Don’t Cry
Your Crazy
Bad Obsession
*Last In Line (DIO)w/ Jizzy Pearl
*Blackout in the Red Room w/ Jizzy Pearl
Patience
*Tush w/ DJ Ashba
Nice Boys
*Sin City w/ Jeff Duncan
Sweet Child O Mine
Sat. Nights Alright
Sympathy For The Devil
HOOKERS & BLOW Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HNBMerch?ref=hl
Alex Grossi: https://www.facebook.com/alex.grossi.10 / http://www.alexgrossimusic.com/
Merchandise Available at FORGOTTEN SAINTS in Hollywood:
http://forgottensaintsla.com/fs/band-merch/hookers-n-blow/
