Next Halen

I had so much fun tonight watching the two tribute bands Next Halen and Thunderstruck. I had never seen them before and didn’t really know what to expect but I must say that both bands just blew me away.

Next Halen is Oklahoma’s own Van Halen Tribute band which doesn’t just play down a set list. The band was created out of a great group of friends Dan Glazier – Vocals, Drew Sevier – Guitar, Johnny Johns – Drums and Darek Johns – Bass will put on a show that makes you think you are at an actual Van Halen concert. It’s as though you entered a time machine and was transferred back to the 80’s to see the real Van Halen. The band truly steps in to Van Halen’s shoes and becomes the real deal.  From the outfits to the stage presentation, including their chemistry, it all was spot on. Lead guitarist Drew Sevier did an amazing job replicating the sound of Eddie Van Halen and we all know this is not an easy thing to do. He really stepped up to the plate and didn’t disappoint. The first song the band performed was “Jump” which is actually one of my very favorites and it was one of the bands biggest hits off of the album “1984” which was released in December of 1983. Then they immediately went into playing “Panama” also off the “1984” album. The crowed loved every moment from the second the band started. They sang along, jumped up in the air every time the word jump was said and yelled out Panama during the Panama performance. The mood was set for one big party.

The drummers seven-year-old son “little Johnny” came on stage to show off his abilities on the drum kit and started playing “Runnin’ With The Devil”. You can actually see footage of the performance on the bands Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/NextHalen/. Then little Johnny really surprised everybody when he did a stunning drum solo. That kid has a lot of talent and the crowd loved every beat of it.

The band continued to entertain their audience throughout the evening with many other Van Halen hits like “Jamie’s Cryin”, “Somebody Get Me A Doctor” and “Dance The Night Away”, where the singer ended up shirtless, ripping his shirt off his body and based on the girls reaction, they really liked that part. Then the band played “Unchained”, “Eruption”, “You Really Got Me” and “Ain’t Talking Bout Love”. It was time for the show to come to an end and the band performed their last song for tonight which was “Ice Cream Man”.  I was kind of sad for the show to end but I was eager to see what Thunderstruck was going to throw our way.

Go and check out Next Halen at https://www.facebook.com/NextHalen/ and https://www.nexthalenband.com/ , or better yet go and watch them live.

Set List:

• Jump
• Panama
• Running With The Devil
• Jamie’s Cryin
• Somebody Get A Doctor
• Dance The Night Away
• Unchained
• Eruption
• You Really Got Me
• Ain’t Talking Bout Love
• Ice Cream Man

Alright! The crowd was fired up, in party mode and ready for Thunderstruck: America’s AC/DC to make their appearance on stage, but before I go in to the performance of the evening, let me tell you a little about the band. Thunderstruck is a tribute band keeping the spirit of the AC/DC alive. They are a band from Louisville, Kentucky and the band members are Dave Moody-vocals, Corey Baetz-guitar, Jerry Lawson-drummer, Chris Jones-base, Kevin Feller-rhythm guitar.

Thunderstruck

In their BIO the band has the following message for their fans and future fans: “Thunderstruck recreates the spirit and energy of an AC/DC concert, the way you remember it. Thunderstruck aims to please every crowd, playing the songs you know and love from all eras of AC/DC. Striving to stay true to the AC/DC way, Thunderstruck obsesses over the tones and structures of each song’s studio and live versions, also using all the gear necessary to bring the power and entertainment of a genuine AC/DC show.”

Tonight the band fulfilled every promise made in their BIO and I would like to give A HUGE thank you to Ronnie Ron Watchmaker and Justin Manley for filling in for Chris Jones and Jerry Lawson this weekend before I go any further on my article. Both did a great job and helped the band to keep the show on the road. The stage was set up perfectly with Amps, the cannons and not to forget the famous Bell hanging above our heads. The band started out the show with the hit “Thunderstuck”. The crowd cheered and gave the band a thunderous applause and instantly started singing along. The room was charged and you could feel the electricity in the room. It was such a great atmosphere and you just got pulled in to the fun of the show. The band continued with other great hits like “Shoot To Thrill”, “Dirty Deeds” and “TNT” getting the crowd ready for the performance of “Bad Boy Boogie”. Everybody who knows AC/DC knew exactly what to expect during this song. Corey did an excellent job performing like Angus Young. His guitar skills are insane which he proved with a stunning guitar solo and when he stripped like Angus, guess what!!! Can you guess it? Yep, he also dropped his shorts while climbing on the drum riser. I absolutely loved it and on the response of the audience they did too. The band continued with “You Shook Me All Night Long” and when they played “Highway To Hell” they had a little girl, which I wouldn’t guess being much older than 3 Years old, join them on stage singing the highway to hell words in the chorus while sitting on her fathers shoulders. It was a great moment and you could see how proud this little princess was. After “Highway To Hell” they couldn’t have chosen a better next song than “Hells Bells” followed by “Have A Drink On Me” and “Let there Be Rock”. No matter what song they played it was high energy, fun and entertaining. Honestly I don’t even know how Corey could keep up the energy throughout the whole evening rocking out on stage. I think he sweat out every drop of water in his body. Great, great show and the band continued with “Rock n Roll ain’t Noise pollution”, “It’s a long way to the Top”, and “For those about to Rock” with Canons.  But wait….  The night was not over, the band’s encore concluded the evening with two classics “Whole Lotta Rosie” and “High Voltage”.  Couldn’t have been better.

Thunderstruck

If you get a chance to check out Thunderstruck, don’t hesitate, call your friends and get to the venue and be prepared for an amazing night of AC/DC music.

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/thunderstruckus/

Thunderstruck tour dates:    https://www.thunderstruckus.com/tour

Thunderstruck:    https://www.thunderstruckus.com/

Diamond Ballroom Setlist:

• Thunderstruck
• Shoot To Thrill
• Back In Black
• What Do You Do For Money, Honey
• Dirty Deeds
• TNT
• Bad Boy Boogie
• You Shook Me All Night Long
• Highway To Hell
• Hells Bells
• Have A Drink On Me
• Let There Be Rock
• Rock N Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution
• It’s A Long Way To The Top ( If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll )
• For Those About To Rock

ENCORE:

• Whole Lotta Rosie
• High Voltage

Thunderstruck and Next Halen

Diamond Ballroom, Oklahoma City-OK, April 27th 2019

Reviewed by RacerX / BackStage360

Images: Billy Esquibel / BackStage360

Email: Michelle@backstage360.com