The Rock n Roll AllStars — a group featuring members of Kiss, Def Leppard, Guns n’ Roses and Alice in Chains, among others — have confirmed the lineup for a series of shows across South America and Central America in April. One of its tentative set lists has also been released.
The line up will feature: Gene Simmons of Kiss; Joe Elliott of Def Leppard; Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan of Velvet Revolver and Guns n’ Roses; Gilby Clarke of Guns n’ Roses and Rock Star Supernova; Glenn Hughes of Black Country Communion, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple; Ed Roland of Collective Soul; Sebastian Bach of Skid Row; Steve Stevens of Billy Idol; Mike Inez of Alice in Chains and Billy Duffy of the Cult.
The tentative set list for The Rock n Roll AllStars’ May 1 show in Guatemala City, Guatemala, has also been unveiled, courtesy of Premier Producciones.
The show opens with Duff McKagan (‘It’s So Easy’); followed by Sebastian Bach (‘Welcome To The Jungle,’ ‘I Remember You,’ ‘Youth Gone Wild,’ ‘Whole Lotta Love’ and ‘Crazy Train’); then Glenn Hughes (‘Highway Star,’ ‘Burn,’ ‘Smoke On The Water,’ ‘Firewoman,’ ‘Wildflower’); then Ed Roland (‘Shine,’ ‘Rebel Yell,’ and ‘Man In A Box,’ with Glenn Hughes); then Gilby Clarke (‘Knockin’ On Heavens Door’); then Joe Elliott (‘Animal,’ ‘All The Young Dudes,’ ‘Sugar,’ ‘Tie Your Mother Down’); and then Gene Simmons (‘Deuce,’ ‘Doctor Love,’ ‘I Love It Loud,’ ‘Cold Gin,’ ‘Rock And Roll All Nite’)
Here’s a look back at our recent thoughts on bands whose members are featured on this massive tour. Click through the titles for complete reviews …
SOMETHING ELSE! FEATURED ARTIST: KISS: News that Kiss is back in the studio, working toward the 2012 release of a new project called Monster, got us scurrying back to our old album collections. And not just because of those fond memories of playing air guitar with former guitarist Ace Frehley during Kiss Alive. Bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons said something interesting about the sessions: “This new record feels heavier than (2009’s) Sonic Boom. It feels like a connection between Destroyer and Revenge. Those were but two of the favorites we discussed here.
GUILTY PLEASURES: DEF LEPPARD – YEAH (2006): You know the cliché: Covers albums are an artist’s last gasp. It seemed a really sad step for them. I gave them another shot when 1999’s Euphoria came out, which was being touted as a return to the Pyromania days, but it felt hollow to me. I didn’t even hear, let alone buy the follow up to that, X, but gathered that it left most fans unhappy. After that, a covers album? I was prepared for something really embarrassing — a bunch of tired-sounding covers, surely. Wow, was I blown away when this thing started playing. I found myself unable to stop listening.
FORGOTTEN SERIES: BLACK SABBATH – SABOTAGE (1975): Sabotage isn’t likely to overtake the groundbreaking debut record or the hit-filled Paranoid as Sabbath’s best work in most people’s minds, and I understand that. But the next time you’re looking for a Sabbath fix, dig a little deeper and give it a listen, especially if you haven’t heard it in a while. It might just be a much better record than you remember. Recorded at a time when the relationships in the band were just beginning to fracture, the album has a slightly different feel than the first five Sabbath albums. Sabotage represents a band still at the height of its powers, but just on the brink of slipping into chaos, and that translates into the music.
SEBASTIAN BACH – KICKING AND SCREAMING (2011): For those of us who remember Skid Row for more than those two unfortunate hits – “18 and Life” and “I Remember You” – this is likely as close as we’ll get to another Slave to the Grind or Subhuman Race. It’s not perfect. Bach overindulges from time to time, weakening some of the tougher songs, and he could still stand some help creating hooks, but young guitarist Nick Sterling is incredible, and the verse of a song like “One Good Reason” would feel right at home on those records. It’s the dark, grungy “Tunnelvision,” though, that is Kicking and Screaming’s top track, with Bach’s best performance.
DEEP PURPLE – SHADES OF DEEP PURPLE (1968; 2011 REISSUE): Coming together in 1967, Deep Purple were like a lot of bands of the day, as their mission was to push the sonic envelope as far as possible and create something new and exciting. Based out of Hertford, England, the group achieved their goal straight away. Dramatic and bombastic, Deep Purple played a tumultuous blend of heavy metal and progressive rock before such labels arrived into being, tagging them pioneers of the genres.
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There are the updated tour dates, including some newly confirmed venues …
April
19 – Asuncion, Paraguay – Jockey Club
21 – Sao Luis, Brazil – Metal Open Air Festival
23 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Club Geba
25 – Santiago, Chile – Movistar Arena
27 – Lima, Peru – Explanada Monumental
29 – Quito, Ecuador – TBA
May
1 – Guatemala City, Guatemala – Mundo E
3 – San Jose, Costa Rica – Stadium Suprisa
4 – Panama City, Panama – Figali Convention Center
5 – Bogota, Columbia – Hipodromo De Los Andes
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