John 5
March 17, 2017
Whisky A Go-Go- Hollywood, CA
Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 released his eighth studio album Season of the Witch on March 3, 2017. John 5 has made a name for himself, being the guitarist of numerous other bands and artists including David Lee Roth (Van Halen) and Marilyn Manson. Aside from playing in other bands, he has also released his solo albums where he displays his musicianship and amazing guitar work. John 5 has had a couple of successful solo tours and has set out on another solo tour to promote his new album and play for his legion of fans with his solo band, John 5 and the Creatures. The world-famous Whisky A Go-Go on Sunset Blvd was buzzing with activity for St. Patrick’s Day so it was set to be a wild night.
John 5 came out on stage to a packed venue and started the show with Guitars, Tits and Monsters from his new album. Right away, you could hear John 5’s beautiful guitar work as he gracefully moved his fingers up and down the strings of his guitar. One of the first things you’ll notice is that the band’s music is strictly instrumental and requires no vocals. John 5 lets his guitar work do all the talking.
The second song played was Flight of the Vulcan Kelly from John 5’s previous album, Careful With That Axe. This song offers heavier and faster guitars and fans could be seen head banging along to the music. Noted for his wise use of instruments, John 5 brought out some of his artillery to wow the audience. His fancy guitars included a lava lamp guitar that he also played using a violin bow, a miniature Fender guitar, and a banjo both of which were used when playing the song The Black Grass Plague. John 5 made sure to give fans a great show to talk about after it was over. Other songs performed during this instrumental madness was This Is My Rifle, Hell Haw I.G.R., Season of the Witch, and Making Monsters. Nearing the end of the show, John 5 took to the mic for the first time and thanked the crowd for coming out. He didn’t say much because he wasn’t sure what to say except say thanks. The audience was glad to have him play and were all smiles throughout the night. John 5 said that if they know the words to to this song, to sing along. It was Michael Jackson’s Beat It. A super fun song, played beautifully live. For the grand finale, John 5 treated the fans to a medley of covers from famous songs. Some of those songs included Two Minutes to Midnight (Iron Maiden), Seek and Destroy (Metallica), Man in the Box (Alice In Chains), Roxanne (The Police), Thunder Kiss ’65 (Rob Zombie/White Zombie), and The Beautiful People (Marilyn Manson). The medley became even more special when John 5 brought out a young fan and allowed him to play his guitar for a bit which will give him memories that will last a lifetime. John 5 and the Creatures finished up the show and left the stage. Fans were overwhelmed by the experience they just witnessed and won’t soon forget the experience.
Review by: Misael Ruiz
