Date: Wednesday, July 19, 2017
City: St. Charles, IL
Venue: Arcada Theatre
Opening act(s): Ricky DeHainaut
Headlining act: Last In Line
Last In Line VIP Soundcheck:
Starmaker
Invisible
Ricky DeHainaut Setlist:
King Nothing
Skin O’ My Teeth
Move It On Over
Symphony Of Destruction
Johnny B. Goode
Seek & Destroy
Last In Line Setlist:
Stand Up And Shout
Straight Through The Heart
Devil In Me
Evil Eyes
Holy Diver
Already Dead
Don’t Talk To Strangers
The Last In Line
Martyr
Invisible
Rainbow In The Dark
———————
Starmaker
Egypt (The Chains Are On)
We Rock
Notes:
- First time seeing Last In Line live. First Leppard related side project seen live.
- Third band with which I’ve seen Vivian Campbell perform, as I’ve seen him with Def Leppard 54 times, Thin Lizzy once, and now Last In Line. I’ve also seen him perform live with Leppard openers in 2003 (Ricky Warwick) and 2011 (Evan Watson), making Vivian the musician I’ve seen perform the most.
- Last In Line also featured original Dio (and former Black Sabbath) drummer Vinny Appice along with Andrew Freeman on vocals, Phil Soussan on bass and Erik Norlander on keyboard.
- The set featured four original Last In Line songs along with 10 Dio covers (six from 1983’s Holy Diver and four from 1984’s The Last In Line; no songs from 1985’s Sacred Heart, the last Dio album to feature the original lineup, were performed).
- I attended the pre-show VIP Soundcheck, which included one Last In Line original (“Starmaker”) and one Dio cover (“Invisible”).
- I met the entire band before the show, which was the third time meeting Vivian and first for everyone else.
- Show #1 at this venue.
Videos:
Review:
There was a point in time where Def Leppard side projects had become a thorn in my side. The band itself had shifted its focus from making new music to touring, and would throw out any excuse for not making new music that would seem to fit. And yet, contradictory to all of those excuses, there would be a new side project putting out music seemingly every year. It became infuriating and made me despise the side projects even before they began.
Thankfully, Def Leppard made things right in 2015 by releasing their first new studio album in seven years, and it was excellent. As a result, I was able to be more open and accepting of future side projects from the band members.
One of the newer projects in recent years was guitarist Vivian Campbell’s Last In Line. The band formed in 2012, after Campbell reunited with his original Dio bandmates: drummer Vinny Appice and bassist Jimmy Bain. The three had some jam sessions, playing live together for the first time in more than 25 years. Eventually, in 2013, they recruited vocalist Andrew Freeman and set out to play a few shows, performing Dio songs from the band’s first three albums that featured the original lineup: 1983’s Holy Diver, 1984’s The Last In Line, and 1985’s Sacred Heart.
The band received an offer for a record contract from European label Frontiers, and set out to record their first album in April of 2014. Former Dio (and Steel Dragon!) bassist Jeff Pilson was producing, and the album was completed over several months during breaks in each members’ respective schedules. While the album was ready for release in 2015, the band decided to delay the release until 2016 to allow more time for them to tour in support of the album.
The delay proved costly. In January of 2016, Last In Line were one of many bands featured on Def Leppard’s Hysteria On The High Seas Cruise. They performed at a kickoff party on the eve of the cruise and were scheduled to perform on the final day of the cruise itself. However, tragedy struck when bassist Jimmy Bain passed away due to undiagnosed lung cancer. Rather than play their full show, the band played a shortened show on the ship’s deck in tribute to their fallen bandmate.
Heavy Crown was released mere weeks after Bain’s death. It’s extremely unfortunate that he didn’t live to see the release of the album, but it is an amazing final chapter in his storied life and career. The album mixes the styles of the first three Dio albums with a modern twist and production. Bain shines throughout the record, as he keeps rhythm with his old friend Appice like no time has passed at all. The title was fitting, as they won the crown for my 2016 Album of the Year, but it was a bit ‘heavy’ due to the loss of Bain.
With Leppard off the road for several months, Last In Line booked a run of shows in the US and Europe in July and August 2017. I was shocked to see an Illinois date pop up on the list. In fact, I didn’t even hear about the show until several days after it had gone on sale. Thankfully, I was still able to snag excellent seats for the show.
It would be the first time I would get to see a full blown Leppard side project perform live, and I was looking forward to seeing the original material and Dio classics. Vivian is one of my favorite guitarists of all time, and I’ve seen him live more than any other musician. I’ve seen him perform with Def Leppard 54 times so far, but I was also fortunate enough to see him perform with Thin Lizzy in 2011. That was a a chance to see him really let loose on the guitar, which he doesn’t often get to do in Leppard. I’ve also seen Viv perform with artists that have opened for Lep, such as Ricky Warwick in 2003 and Evan Watson in 2011.
It was my first visit to St. Charles, IL (not to be confused with St. Charles, MO, which I visited to see Lep in 2003). The drive was relatively easy until I had to cut through two or three traffic-jammed cities just to get to St. Charles. But thankfully the venue was easy to find and parking was ample and free.
It helped that we were there several hours early for a pre-show VIP meet and greet.
The Arcada Theatre is a historical landmark, as it opened in September of 1926. Many legends have graced its stage throughout the decades, and it also features an old style ‘speakeasy’ bar on the upper floors. In fact, there was also a jazz show happening in the upper part of the venue on this particular evening.
Brittany and I entered the front doors under the marquee and joined the VIP line. While waiting, I purchased an autographed setlist (that did not match what would be played that evening) for a mere $5.00.
Soon enough, the group was allowed into the theater itself. The band was already on stage, as they had just finished doing their ‘real’ soundcheck. I looked around the venue, taking in the classic style decorations that have been there for over 90 years.
We grabbed a seat and waited as the band geared up for the VIP portion of the soundcheck. After fiddling around for a bit (with Vivian playing the riff of ZZ Top’s “La Grange”), they kicked off my favorite track from Heavy Crown, “Starmaker.” Not surprisingly, it sounded great and I was really impressed with the sound in the old venue that certainly wasn’t built with shows like this in mind.
Vinny teased the crowd, asking if we wanted to hear “Holy Diver,” before they played “Invisible” off Dio’s debut album. After the brief soundcheck, it was time for the meet and greet. Things were a little more rushed than usual, as they had to allow time for the unannounced opening band to set up and this VIP crowd was apparently the largest Last In Line has ever had. So that was unfortunate since it made it feel rushed and likely cost us a song or two during the soundcheck, but it was still a great experience considering the cost (only $59 per person). So we all got in line for the meet and greet, which included having personal items signed. I had brought my Heavy Crown LP sleeve, because if you’re going to get the full band’s signature, you might as well do it right, eh?
And I also brought along the CD booklets for other projects of Vivian’s: Riverdogs 2017 album California and Viv’s 2005 blues album Two Sides Of If. And, since I had paid Brittany’s way in and she didn’t have anything to be signed, I also gave her three CD booklets to get signed: Dio’s Holy Diver, Clock’s Through Time, and Riverdog’s 1990 debut.
And I’m just realizing as I’m writing this that I meant to take my Def Leppard X CD booklet that I got signed by Phil way back in 2002 to have Viv sign it too… Oh well.
So I got to chat with each member of Last In Line for a second, starting with Vinny and moving down the line through Phil. Erik, Andrew, and finally Vivian. They were all really cool and said they were excited to get started on the second album after this tour winds down. Of course I talked to Viv the longest, talking about the end of the recent Lep tour and complimenting him on Riverdogs’ California, which I listened to again on the ride down. In all honesty, their debut album doesn’t do much for me but Viv’s playing on California is so good that I’ve been won over. Viv joked that the production of tonight’s show wouldn’t be quite on the level of Leppard’s, which I was fine with. I was happy to see a back to basics rock show with him at the forefront.
I shook hands with Mr. Campbell and then moved on, waiting for Brittany to get done. Viv commented on the rarity of the Clock CD booklet, so Brittany pointed at me and said it was mine, so I stepped back over to chat for another minute. I told him I had to get the whole Vivian Campbell collection while I had the chance, and I did just that.
Getting to chat with him much more than I would have in a Lep VIP setting was really cool and certainly worth the price of doing this (especially considering it included two live performances). I will say the VIP was a bit disorganized, in that they were handing out the merch (which included a lanyard, guitar picks, and a photo that many people were counting on getting signed) AFTER you went through the line for signatures, and there was little direction on what to do next.
We wound up getting back in line to move through for photos. It moved quickly and each person got a few photos snapped. Brittany and I seized the moment and got separate pictures, allowing each of us a little more time with the band, instead of going together as we would have been forced to do in a Leppard setting.
I stepped in between Vivian and Andrew to get my picture taken with the band. And that also completed me getting my picture taken next to each member of Lep, since I was next to Joe & Sav in Vegas 2013, had my picture taken with Rick in Vegas 2013 after a chance meeting, and was next to Joe & Phil in Grand Rapids 2017.
I thanked the guys one last time and headed to the venue lobby. Well, not even the lobby, just the small bar area just outside the venue doors. I made a quick run to the car to drop off the stuff I had and grab the camera, which I had foolishly forgotten before entering the first time. Once the VIP stuff was done, the opening band began their soundcheck which seemed to consist of all covers.
While waiting, I had time to chat with Jeff and Nick from the Lep forum, which was a lot of fun and helped pass the time. Eventually the doors opened, so we headed in and took our seats. I was on the aisle in the sixth row on Viv’s side, and the seats felt like they had been in the venue since it opened in 1926. They were held to the floor by old, steel connections… But mine was broken on one side, making my seat feel like it was a rocking chair.
I’m never a fan of opening bands being snuck onto the bill, and tonight was no different. Nothing on the band’s or venue’s websites or social media said anything about there being an opening band, but at least there was only going to be the one. The band was made up of just three guys, and they never announced their name. Now that I’ve done some research after the fact, it doesn’t appear they even have one. It was Ricky DeHainaut on vocals and guitar with Robert McKenna on bass, Tommy Salzburg on drums (playing with the band for the very first time, apparently), and a guest appearance by the vocalist’s sister Michelle DeHainaut on guitar for a song.
They took the stage at 7:30 and opened with a cover of Metallica’s “King Nothing,” which sounded quite good despite being played by a three piece. Next up was Megadeth’s “Skin O’ My Teeth. Third was “Move It On Over” by George Thorogood, which featured Michelle on guitar. Then came the interesting juxtaposition of Megadeth’s “Symphony Of Destruction” and Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” They closed their set with Metallica’s “Seek & Destroy,” so now I’ve seen that song live twice this year!
After a quick stage change, the owner of the venue came out to promote upcoming shows by Ted Nugent and Dee Snider, the last of which is apparently selling so poorly that you can just show up with your ticket for Last In Line and get into see Ted for free. After he was done with his spiel, the stage went dark…
And stayed that way for a long, long time. Usually the band enters pretty quickly after the lights go down, but not this time. I think they prematurely shut the lights off, as there was no PA music or intro music or anything. Just darkness for several minutes, causing the crowd to grow restless.
Finally the Last In Line logo popped up on the screen and the intro music started, building as the band members took the stage. As with most of their recent shows, they opened with Dio’s “Stand Up And Shout,” which also opens the Holy Diver album. And once again, the band sounded amazing. Andrew Freeman is the perfect vocalist to properly sing the songs without being a clone of Ronnie James Dio.
It was great to see Vivian ripping it up on his original Les Paul guitar (72987537!), and he wasted no time in unleashing. The opening tune segued straight into the slower but heavier “Straight Through The Heart.” Viv’s tone for this show was ridiculously good. I’m not sure it would ‘fit’ with Leppard’s sound (especially in the studio) but I wish he would bring more aggressive writing and playing to the day job. Whether that’s down to him or the rest of Lep, I don’t know. Perhaps it’s a combination of both. Last In Line employed a 2:1 method for the setlist, playing two Dio classics for each Last In Line original that was played. The first Heavy Crown song to be featured was the album’s opener and lead single, “Devil In Me.” It fit right in with the classic material and was a monster live.
The first track to be featured from Dio’s 1984 sophomore album The Last In Line was “Evil Eyes,” which was promptly followed by “Holy Diver,” one of the many highlights of the evening.
The second Heavy Crown track to be featured was “Already Dead,” which is another one of the faster paced songs from the album. They were wise to stick with those, as there are a lot of mid-tempo songs on the album. Granted I would have loved to have seen plenty more songs from the album, especially the epic closer “The Sickness.” The band returned to Holy Diver for “Don’t Talk To Strangers” before performing the title track to Dio’s 1984 sophomore album, The Last In Line, which featured one of the night’s biggest sing-alongs from the crowd.
Another Heavy Crown track, “Martyr,” followed and really picked up the pace. Then it was the “beautiful,” as Freeman called it, Holy Diver track “Invisible,” which I’d already seen at the soundcheck but was much better live with the crowd.
Appice dropped a beat with Freeman encouraging the crowd to help him count in the next song with the promise of it being worth it, and it certainly was as “Rainbow In The Dark” was played and closed out the main set. I was thrilled to see this song live with Vivian letting loose, as I had been hoping for the opportunity to do so ever since seeing him join the almighty Steel Panther on stage for a performance of the song several years ago (pre-dating Last In Line, I believe!).
The band returned after a brief encore and was addressed by bassist Phil Soussan, who dedicated the next song to the late Jimmy Bain. That song was “Starmaker,” which again sounded better than it did in soundcheck thanks to the extra energy brought on by the crowd.
Next came the epic “Egypt (The Chains Are On),” which featured the longest solo of the evening from Vivian while also giving the rest of the band plenty of time to shine. Again it was awesome to see Vivian having such a great time, as he was really letting loose from beginning to end. Aside from playing more challenging material on the guitar, the freedom of not having to sing or hit certain spots on the stage due to the lighting cues in a massive production really allowed him to explore the stage and rock out.
Freeman gave a quick mention to Ronnie James Dio before kicking off the closer, “We Rock,” which was great as usual.
The entire show was phenomenal and I’m so grateful to have gotten the chance to see these guys. I can’t recommend it enough whether you’re a Lep fan, a Vivian fan, or even just a Dio fan. They do the classics more than justice and their new material holds its own as well. So often the side projects are restricted to either the east or west coasts, mainly for financial reasons, so huge thanks to Last In Line for coming to the mid-west and the Arcada Theatre for making it happen.
The venue itself was great, with my only gripe being insufficient lighting at times. I wouldn’t mind seeing shows their in the future and now realize that I’ve missed several shows in the past just based on the photos of the various artists that have played there that are featured all throughout the venue. There is a huge poster-sized photo of Scott Weiland in the bar area that made me really regret not seeing him there.
This show was someone of an epilogue to the Leppard activity over the last to or three years for me. Their tour wrapped in late June, but I knew I had this show featuring Vivian to look forward to still. Now that it has passed, I have no idea when I’ll see him or the rest of Leppard again… I know it’ll be in 2018, but when, where, and in what capacity? Only time will tell and I’m sure it’l be here before I know it.
Media Review:
Links:
TurnToDust86 