We're not usually big on tribute bands, but there was a ton of fun to be had at the Whisky a GoGo on the last Wednesday in October. The Halloween Spookshow may have been three days early, but t'is the season so who cares? The punters were getting into the spirit, with the costume contest throwing up a Hulk Hogan, a Dr. Frank-N-Furter, and... a banana.
It started early and ended very late (on a school night, no less), so we missed sets from blues-rockers Little Caesar, plus an all-star jam that apparently included Femme Fatale frontwoman Lorraine Lewis. Hopefully, we'll get a full Femme Fatale show in L.A. soon.
Tribute bands were the order of the day for much of the rest of the evening, though the best of the bunch had a little twist. First up was Nerd Halen who, as you might imagine, play Van Halen songs while dressed in nerdy attire (which, honestly, meant taped up spectacles and button-down shirts). Importantly, the band is genuinely great. The between-song banter might play with nerd kitsch, but they can really play.
6 Foot Nurse do Led Zeppelin (plus, oddly, a little bit of Beatles), while PettyCash pay tribute to both Tom Petty and Johnny Cash. American Zombie do the Rob Zombie/White Zombie thing. But the absolute stars of the night were GayC/DC. These guys do exactly what you'd expect--reinterpret AC/DC songs with gay-themed lyrics, while wearing the most fabulous outfits, the band simply offers a joyous experience that only the most homophobic couldn't enjoy.
Once Bitten is a tribute to Great White, with some extra Cred. Most of the band used to perform as Jack Russell's Great White, until Russell sadly passed away a couple of years ago. But on they go, honoring their fallen comrade, and they still sound excellent. Great White gems like "Rock Me" will always sound right at this venue.
Most importantly though, money was raised for the Rock Against MS Foundation. This writer's wife lives with multiple sclerosis, and it's a cruel disease. Often invisible, people might assume that everything is ok but all the while, everything hurts. So kudos to everyone involved for raising awareness.
