Live Review Alex Zander photos by Bob Hoeksema 6/9/2023 The Arcada Theater St. Charles IL
At this point I may as well just come out and declare that The Arcada in St. Charles has replaced the House of Blues as my favorite concert venue. Once upon a time I spent so many nights per week at the House of Blue and in the Foundation Room that they asked me why I just don’t put a cot back in the storage room. For years I’d see 3-5 or more concert per week to cover for MK ULTRA Magazine. Slowly over the years Chicago has pretty much stopped putting on the “rock show” and I see more shows in the burbs over the last few years than I do here at home. Considering that I’m less than a mile to the Metro, Aragon, and Riviera Theater that says a lot. Last year I saw The Cult at the Riv and that was pretty much it, and of course we have something called COVID that shut a lot down. Shut down so many places that many never recovered. I have to give props to smaller venues such as Liars Club and Live Wire for staying true to smaller rock shows’ and they do bring in some well known names. And going back to the beloved Foundation Room, they have relaxed all of the standards that made it feel like it was a “special” place to hang.
Last year we were blessed to see The Sonic Slam Tour two nights in a row. The show featured FASTER PUSSYCAT, LA GUNS and Tom Keifer #keiferband. The first night it was in the newly refurbished Des Plaines Theater, followed the very next night in St. Charles at the Arcada. And after COVID the Arcada has become more than a concert venue, See for yourself: www.arcadalive.com and you can read all about the Speakeasy in my Diary of a Damned Man.
The ultra friendly crowd and staff at the Arcada were fun as always and Bob made is way down to see the opener Jason Charles Miller something I really regret. I chose to hang on the bar/arcade area and socialize. As it turns out Jason Charles Miller is an old friend of MK ULTRA back in the print days. In support of his band GODHEAD who we saw open for Marilyn Manson and Rammstein in the good ol days. He also appeared on the MK ULTRASOUND Syndicated Radio Show as well as in the pages. I last saw him in person at the CLEOPATRA Records 10 Year Anniversary concert Oct. 2002 at the Key Club in Hollywood. I ran into Taime there the same night as well. It was too little too late that I discovered this fact, as a matter of fact it was over a week.
As the main event was about to take place I went down to the front row next to Bob and waited for Ron Onesti to come out and lead the audience in a heavy metal ‘Star Spangled Banner” while proudly toting O’l Glory. A lot of people, me include dgreatly apprciate this small token of apprciation and respect. The out came the rock band, wrapped in baclk all sweaty and sleazy ready to blow the roof off the dump (as David Letterman would say) and with the very first drum beat and guitar chord I got the familar chills gain. It had been so long and in between shows it was like I was 17 all over again. And from there it was a non stop full of enrergy fun rock n roll show. A solid set and a full fucking set finally as they got to headline this time out.
The band, of course founder and voacalist Taime Downe is no stranger to the Hollywood hard rock scene and he’s managed to take the best parts of classic FASTER PUSSYCAT and The Newly Deads and gives us exactly wheat we’ve come to love. Atleast those of us at MK. Taime remains the only constant ofthe band across the last three decades, but drummer Chad Stewart and bassist Danny ‘Slim Tender’ Nordhaul have been at it for over 20 yrs if not longer. And they are a prefect fit for the troupe. The always over the top showman whi never misses a note Sam Bam Kolton was in full form and we got to see a lot of his work being were on that side of the stage. This kid is fucking amazing.Talent oozes from his pours as he practices his art. The new kid filling in for Ronnie Simmons (Rose Tattoo, Richie Ramone) Mihailo Lukic fit in with the band perfectly and looked like he was have a really great time playing his parts.
So many great songs on this outing. I couldn’t believe some of what I got to hear. The opener “Where There’s a Whip There’s a Way” two new cuts “Like a Ghost “and NOLA” and I was over thrilled to hear the Betty Blowtorch number ““Shut Up and Fuck”, and “Nonstop to Nowhere” as well as the staples “Bathroom Wall”, “Don’t Change That Song”, and “Cathouse” made for a rock show almost worth the wait.
The performance shows that the old guard still does the best job and these old school vets may very well be at the top of their game. Please come back soon! We’ll be waiting.
In memorandium of Nick Huffman who pased away 1 year to the date of the show of a band he booked several times at the Looney Bin in Bradley IL.
Thank you Ron Onesti for continuing to bring hard rock n roll bands for us to see and listen to.
Set List 6/9/023
Where There’s a Whip There’s a Way
Jack the Bastard
Cathouse
Don’t Change That Song
Slip of the Tongue
You’re So Vain (Carly Simon cover)
NOLA
Number 1 With a Bullet
Like A Ghost
Nonstop to Nowhere
House of Pain
Bathroom Wall
Pretty Fucked Up (Supersuckers cover) Danny ‘Slim Tender’ Nordhaul vox
Shut Up and Fuck (Betty Blowtorch cover)
Babylon