Photos and Review by Jim LaValley
Galleries: Appice Brothers
Greasy Luck in New Bedford, MA and Limelight brought the Appice Drum Wars to the Vault with a treat of classic Ronnie James Dio, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Rod Stewart, and other tunes. The show consisted of drumming legends Carmine Appice and his younger brother Vinnie Appice with their band jamming great tunes from their past along with some newer music that sounded great. Carmine is well known for his hard playing 60’s band Vanilla Fudge, Rod Stewart, and his stint with Ozzy during the Bark at the Moon Tour, while Vinnie is known for his days with Black Sabbath and Dio.
You could tell the Appice Brothers truly love their craft and have fun doing it, it’s so contagious and inspirational. I found out an interesting tidbit of information while preparing for this review. The late great John Bonham was inspired by Carmine’s hard playing and bass drum triplets early in his career. Cool! ?
The drum wars were sick as Carmine and Vinnie went back and forth with solos while swapping their sticks through the air. Jim Crean on vocals and Artie Dillon on guitar had some big shoes to fill with Ronnie James Dio & Ozzy and Vivian Campbell, Jake E Lee, Randy Rhodes, and Tony Iommi respectively. I thought they nailed it and you could tell the fans agreed.
The show opened with Mob Rules to set the tone of the night with classic Black Sabbath. Sample songs played included Holy Diver, We Rock, Bark at the Moon, Sexy (Rod Stewart), Crazy Train, Stand Up and Shout, and they ended the night with a Black Sabbath mashup. Carmine wrote a song about Dio called Monsters and Heroes, which they also played.
You could feel the vibe/history as the brothers spoke and told stories throughout the night with the fans just loving every minute of it. This performance was such a treat. I also met fans who were so loyal and dedicated they drove a few hundred miles round trip from as far as Connecticut and Vermont to see the show.
The Vault has exceptional sound and their attached restaurant has great food, which I always enjoy before shooting live events. Be sure to keep an eye out for Drum Wars when they come by your area in the future. It is a clinic of classic heavy metal.