Ahoy Matey’s!  It’s A Pirate’s Life for Me

blog3_01As the immensely popular Shark Week on TV draws to a close it is perhaps fitting that this week’s ramble be about Great White, especially since I just caught the latest performance of Jack Russell’s Great White in Toronto at the Rockpile Bar & Nightclub.

I had debated attending this show for weeks now.  You see I work about 55 hours a week in the restaurant business and I already had the night before booked off to catch Slaughter.  Well, if you read my first introductory blog you’ll already know that this is “The year of the concert” for me and who am I to tempt with the powers that be?  I worked my Sunday night shift at the restaurant and then rushed out to The Rockpile Bar & Nightclub in Etobicoke, a suburb of Toronto.  I made fairly good time, rushed in, greeted friends and obtained a frosty adult beverage.  I was amazed as I looked around and noticed the sparse attendance, but I guess that’s what a long weekend will do to a show as many Torontonians like to escape to cottage country.  Come to think of it, Slaughter was also less than rammed last night.  Twitch was the next band on stage (having missed the first two opening acts) and I’d had experience with them before, being very impressed and even purchasing their CD Revolution.  Their own compositions were intermixed with some great cover versions; most notably The Four Horsemen’s Rockin’ Is Ma Business.  I’m a huge Horsemen fan and their logo is one of those contained in my full sleeve tattoo.  Last year on the Monsters of Rock Cruise I was wearing my Four Horsemen Canadian Tour shirt from 1994 and was offered ridiculous sums of money for it…..wish I’d worn it tonight…lol.  In any case it was great to hear the song live again even if it wasn’t Frank C Starr’s (RIP) vocals carrying it.

I took up my usual position; I really should talk to The Rockpile about getting a little reserved plaque there for me, at the front of the stage, in preparation for Jack Russell.  I was instantly glad that I’d made the effort blog3-02to come out tonight.  The band ripped into All Over Now from 1987’s Once Bitten and sounded great on this classic from my favorite Great White record.  Jack had a good rapport with the audience and it seemed that they weren’t going to let the weak attendance get to them.  He was entertaining and funny, regaling us with stories and comments about how he was able to make it across the border one more time even though he always gets questioned about being busted for DUI, robbery and others.  And he got a chuckle from us as he announced that a love ballad would be next before they burst into On Your Knees.  Jack was physically shaking and visibly full of emotion as he dedicated Save Your Love to his wife Heather Russell who is right now in hospital, having to endure three difficult surgeries and he asked us to say a prayer for her.  Jack lightened the mood after that telling a long story about waking up in a hotel room with empty bottles everywhere, overflowing ashtrays and panties hanging from the chandelier.  “I don’t know if you understand”, he says, “They were big, I mean like really big” he chirped before they rolled into Face the Day.  Guitarist Mathew Johnson took over to sing the blues and give Jack a break during which he stood side stage drinking a diet coke as a couple of fans wormed their way over for an autograph.  Jack also announced that he was two years sober this week and I reflected on everything that this man has blog3-03endured over the last little while with the perforated bowel surgery and the lawsuits.  Shake It was a thrilling song as during the chorus Jack held out the microphone to me and a friend for us to sing the chorus for him.  Fun for me, but doesn’t he realize that I’m tone deaf and can’t sing…lol.  “If I could sum up everything that Great White is and is about, this song would be it” he proclaimed as they closed out with Rock Me.  They weren’t off stage for long before they returned for a two song encore consisting of Wasted Rock Ranger and Once Bitten putting the show nearly two hours long.  That’s the way a rock show should be and I give complete credit to Jack and his band for playing like it was a sold out venue the way professionals should do.

blog3-04While it was literally heartbreaking to see the sparse crowd, it’s almost like Jack is starting at ground level once again, I was severely impressed with him and his band.  His voice is stronger than ever and can still hit the notes (ROCK ME at THE ROCKPILE).  JACK on FACEBOOK

 

 

Jack Russell’s setlist August 4th, 2013

All Over Now

Desert Moon

On Your Knees

Save Your Love

Face the Day

Wupas (Robby Lochner Guitar solo)

Lady Red Light

House of Broken Love

Mista Bone

Save Me (Mathew Johnson vocals)

Can’t Shake It

Rock Me

Encore:

Wasted Rock Ranger

Once Bitten

 

Cheers,

The Meister

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