Buckcherry at The Blue Ocean Music Hall – MA

Photos and Review by Micah Gummel and Ilya Mirman

Buckcherry Photos HERE and HERE

Saving Abel Photos HERE

Full Devil Jacket Photos HERE

Buckcherry has been known as one of America’s best rock ‘n’ roll bands since they re-emerged in 2006 with a new lineup and a strip club favorite called “Crazy Bitch.” Since then, the band never looked back, and subsequent albums and tours showcased an ever tighter, more musically diverse group.

While most rock songs used to be about sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, that motto faded away when the iGeneration invaded. And so while the glamour and ethos of the Mötley Crüe lifestyle has long since evaporated from the mainstream, Los Angeles-based Buckcherry continue to place it on a pedestal and on Saturday night at the Blue Ocean Music Hall in MA they showed us that that lifestyle has yet to vanish.

Opening the night were hard rockers Full Devil Jacket.  Fifteen years is a long time between albums, especially if it’s between the debut and the sophomore release. But Full Devil Jacket makes the wait worthwhile. Where the sound on their debut tended toward grinding Alice in Chains-style malevolence, the new tunes offer more energy, lending the album an air of urbane aggression that, at its best, evokes the early days of Guns N’ Roses. Singer Josh Brown, whose overdose in 2000 put the band on hiatus, admirably balances bad-boy hedonism with an awareness of consequences in the lyrics (the sappy power ballad “What If I Say” notwithstanding). The band has built up a reputation for their high-energy shows by touring with heavy hitters including Saving Abel – the next band on the bill.

Saving Abel further warmed up the crowd that night. If you don’t know who this band is you might have been living under a rock since 2008, when the band blew up with the hit single Addicted. These hard working southern boys are one of the hardest working bands out there.  After years of playing big arenas and touring the country both here and abroad, the band – with new members Scott Austin on vocals and Steven Pulley on drums – has been playing smaller venues pretty much non-stop since the release of their fourth album Blood Stained Revolution in 2014.  For some bands out there it can be just about the music or their egos once they’ve reached the Rock Star status Saving Abel has achieved. Not Saving Abel!  To them it’s all about the fans, especially those that have or currently are serving in our armed forces.  Lead Singer Scott Austin took the time during their set to acknowledge and thank those in attendance that have served our country. If I had to describe Saving Abel in one word, “Humility” would be the one I would use. These guys really connect with their fanbase and by the time you leave you almost feel like family.

It was finally time for Buckcherry to take the stage and the excitement began to build in the audience. Touring on their recent release and seventh studio album, ‘Rock’n’Roll’ raises the already high expectations. It’s the first full-length album under the label ’F-Bomb Records’, following last year’s ‘Fuck’ EP, and the title ‘Rock’n’Roll’ says it all. Their recent releases followed concepts: ‘Confession’ based itself on the seven sins. As explained by lead singer Josh Todd: “There’s been so much talk about how Rock ‘n’ Roll is dead and all of this bullshit. The funny thing is, that’s been going on since we put out our first record in 1999. We wanted to call the new album Rock ‘n’ Roll, because this is what we’ve been doing our whole lives.”

Walking out onto the stage in full Glam Rock attire was Nelson, LeMieux, along with Muriel behind the drums. Todd himself came out with sunglasses on and in a simple black button-up shirt, although his pants were quite the spectacle, with patches of silver, stitched in stars, and laced up, instead of a zipper. Coming to put on a show with his Mick Jagger-esque dance moves, they kicked off their set with 1999 single “Lit Up.” Following up with firecracker “Broken Glass,” they then went into new song “Bring It On Back” which kept the crowd jumping and had the band inspired.

As the night went on, Todd progressively got down to his usual no shirt, completely tattooed torso look, and that was when he really started to get into his performance like only he can. Another notable torso baring member was Stevie D. who fed on the energy of the crowd to give a stellar performance. Going in to play a healthy mix of new songs like the crowd igniting “Tight Pants,” then shuffling around to 2013′s “Gluttony” as well as 2014′s “Somebody Fucked With Me.” Ending their show with one of their biggest hits, “Crazy Bitch,” the room was cheering them on, hoping, and deep down knowing, there would be an encore. The encore consisted of their ‘kindly’ reworded Icona Pop song, ‘”Fuck It” and the party-like “Too Drunk…,” that had all screaming in appreciation.

It seems Buckcherry was just what the doctor ordered, literally. With that said, Todd and Buckcherry were nothing less than outstanding, and this was an epic way to spend a Saturday night for those who came out to check out the show. Get a dose of real Rock-n-Roll!

Buckcherry Set 1

Buckcherry Set 2

Saving Abel

Full Devil Jacket

Setlist