Photos and Review by Ilya Mirman
Concert Photos HERE
Winery Dogs is a rock supergroup formed just a couple years ago by Billy Sheehan (Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Niacin), Richie Kotzen (Mr. Big, Poison, Greg Howe), and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Avenged Sevenfold, Adrenaline Mob, Stone Sour, Twisted Sister).
A bit of a departure from more common band setups, this is a trio, though you wouldn’t know it if you closed your eyes. Each member is an amazingly accomplished musician, with award-winning / chart-topping careers with world-class bands. Inspired by classic rock, there’s a clear vein of progressive rock running through the band – influences and elements that make for a terrific show.
Though I’ve been watching Billy Sheehan ever since the golden age of MTV, I’ve never seen any of the guys play live, much less together – so was looking forward to the show, and didn’t know what to expect. Well, the band hit the ground running with Oblivion (the new single off Hot Streak, their second album). Immediately, it was clear whom we were dealing with. The energy, raw power, and musicianship is just over the top. The frenetic, exciting pace did not stop – giving us hours of killer rock through the 2nd encore.
Billy Sheehan is an absolute monster: never stands still, always pounding away on bass, and somehow managing to sing into the mic when running by it. If you check out some of the show photos, you’ll get a glimpse of the complex bass fretwork he unleashes on the audience.
Mike Portnoy is an amazingly accomplished drummer. When you hear his footwork, and see his interaction with the crowd and band members, it’s clear you’re in the presence of greatness, sonic and otherwise. And last but not least is Richie: a guitarist extraordinaire, Kotzen sounds great on lead vocals, with an occasional stint on keyboards and percussion as well.
One that that was interesting to observe is that the audience had many more musicians that one typically sees at rock shows. From many conversations overheard, it was clear that musicians among us held the band members in high reverence.
Winery Dogs is a musical tour de force – catch their show, and you’ll be glad you did!
Check out Oblivion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SoTgZjokLU
Setlist:
- Oblivion
- Captain Love
- We Are One
- Hot Streak
- How Long
- Time Machine
- Empire
- Fire
- Think it Over
- The Other Side
- Bass Solo
- Not Hopeless
- Ghost Town
- I’m No Angel
- Desire
- Regret
- Elevate