by Deb Rao
– Senior Columnist —
October 10th, 2014 at Vamp’d in Las Vegas, NV. —
New super group, The Devil City Angels made a special stop in Las Vegas at Vamp’d and Hardrock Haven was there to capture all the excitement on Oct. 10. Devil City Angels is Tracii Guns on guitar, Rikki Rocket on drums, Brandon Gibbs on vocals and Eric Brittingham on bass.
Anticipation filled the air, as the band hit the stage at midnight for a 90- minute set. The great thing about this band is that they have original songs to back up all the hits that have generated throughout their extensive careers.
Early on in the set the DCA cranked out the hard rock “Bad Decisions.” This song rocks live. It is has bluesy rock vibe that just drags you in. Next up the catchy “No Angels” captured the crowd’s attention. Singer Brandon Gibbs took full command of the stage on these songs. His vocal range is wide. The guy can sing anything without a glitch.
The Devil City Angels is also fortunate to have one of the best guitarists on the planet Tracii Guns in the band. Fans cheered as the band rolled into “Never Enough.” The great thing about the set list is that it revolved around all of the musician’s hits throughout their stellar careers. Guitarist Tracii Guns also brought out his double neck on “Ballad Of Jayne” and the Cinderella song “Nobody’s Fool.”
The Devil City Angels also performed a riveting version of “Gypsy Rose.” Powerhouse drummer Rikki Rocket pounded the skins. It was great to see him in another band. I have seen him many times in Poison and so refreshing to see him in a new riveting rock unit. Rikki commented, “They didn’t want to shy away from their roots. And enjoyed playing the hits.”
In concert the Devil City Angels have a classic hard rock blues sound. Brandon also did this amazing scatter vocal impromtu on “I’m Living.” The band also jammed. Each member got to shine. Tracii brought the house down. He really demonstrated his skill as a guitarist. From punk to rock to the blues, he was mesmerizing to watch.
All in all, it was a great Las Vegas debut. All of the elements that make a great band including relentless energy, great original songs and determination were prevalent in the live show. Also one thing that the Devil City Angels incorporated into their set was fun. Do you remember going to see Cinderella, LA Guns, and Poison during their heyday? Well the same fun, escape from your daily regime element is instilled in DCA.
The band encored with two Poison songs, “Talk Dirty To Me” and “Nothing But A Good Time.” They ended the set with the strong original song “All My People.” The fans chanted DCA. It was a great new start for the Devil City Angels, as the band took a page out of their past and revamped the setting for a bright new future. Be sure to check out our exclusive with singer Brandon Gibbs as he discusses the bands origin. Special Thanks to the Devil City Angels and Management for giving Hardrock Haven readers worldwide Exclusive coverage of the launching of the band!
Visit the band online: www.devilcityangels.com – www.facebook.com/devilcityangels
I too had the pleasure of seeing DCA in Dallas when they played at the Gas Monkey Bar and Grill. They were just amazing on and off stage. Getting to meet them after the show was the highlight of my night. I hung out with Tracii before the show and then Brandon and Eric after the show out by the tour bus. Brandon has followed me on twitter for a year now and when I said “hey Brandon, how many people do you follow on Twitter named Bryan Russell?” His eyes lit up and he says holy fucking shit, it’s you! And ran up and gave me a big hug and just totally hung out with me bullshitting with me and my wife like we were old friends. Such and amazing guy and an amazing artist. Eric was also so much fun to be around. We shared twitter stories and joked and laughed about old Cinderella shows and of course talked aobut Jeff Lebar’s new album. They were all so nice to everyone they met that night, and it makes it extra special when they share their time with the fans, instead of hiding in the tour bus all night like Riki Rocket did, lol.
I highly recommend that if DCA is playing in or near your town you must go see them, support them, you won’t regret it. It is so refreshing to see guys like these playing new music and having a fun time doing it.
Really wanna here some of this new music especially live .I grew up listening to these guys carve out the soundtrack to my young life from back when I was 17 years old im pushing 46 and still love these guys for what they have done.