SEBASTIAN BACH LIVE REVIEW 2015

Sebastian closes his Australian Tour with a stunning date in Perth

The Astor Theatre, Perth September 27 2015

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Best known as the original singer for Skid Row back in the 80's and early 90's, Sebastian Bach has been  rocking out for a couple of decades now and Sunday night saw the singer and his backing band bring their  tunes to Perth on the final show of the Australian tour. Did he still have the voice? He sure did!

Opening up on the night were 4-piece female rock outfit Legs Electric who are native to the Perth scene and  were comfortably fitting as support for the night. With their bouncing classic rock sound and a well gelled setlist that represented the band, it was a great kick off for a night of rock n' roll.

Half an hour later after their set, Sebastian and co. rolled onto the stage and kicked it off with the title track to Skid Row's 1991 classic album "Slave To The Grind". It was slightly bumpy with Sebastian at the forefront to begin with but the music was heavier than the original which kept any negative aspects at bay.

Sebastian's  solo tracks made their way into the set early on including a great rendition of "Temptation" and the crowd rolled with it  in excitement but when "Big Guns" made it's way onto the set, it was electrifying as the Skid Row memories  came flooding right back. From here on, the set was filled with Skid Row stuff - "Piece Of Me" was a highlight as was "18 And Life" with its huge chorus and the crowd singing along to every word.

Nostalgia doesn’t even begin to describe the feelings of hearing this classic sung with Sebastian's tremendous voice.  "Monkey Business" was mixed with a classic Rose Tattoo song in "We Can't Be Beaten" while the final solo  track of the night "American Metalhead", which was conveniently renamed "Australian Metalhead" for the night, was one  of the better tracks from his solo stuff, even if it's a cover song in itself.

"Breakin' Down" was the only "Subhuman Race" song to be played on the night and while the album is decent enough, it's those first 2 Skid Row albums that were welcomed as being the main ingredients of the night's setlist. Of course, we can't have a Skid Row night without the legendary "I Remember You" making its way  through and aside from a slight variance in melody in 1 or 2 lines in the chorus, it was pretty much spot on  note for note. It's a song that demands to be played the way it was originally intended and whatever version  Skid Row are doing now, it's simply not going to have that Bach magic.

"Youth Gone Wild" was a crowd pleaser towards the end of the set and to top things off, the band pulled out an AC/DC classic with a blistering “TNT" for an encore which can never go wrong at a show in Perth. So did he still have the voice? He sure did!

by Andrew Rockit photos by Marc Buffman

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