CHICKENFOOT KICKS ASS

The last planned show of the summer concert season happened this Friday night at the Fillmore Auditorium in downtown Denver. Headlining the show was Chickenfoot, a new hard rock band led by former Van Halen lead vocalist Sammy Hagar. With him are solo artist Joe Satriani (guitar), Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and former Van Halen bass player Michael Anthony. The band released their self-titled debut album, Chickenfoot, on June 5, 2009, this being part of the tour to promote themselves and the album.


Michael Anthony asserts that the bands name originated from initial jam sessions between Hagar, Smith and himself: "there are three talons on a chicken’s foot and there [were] three of us." Later Anthony stated: "it was just supposed to be a bullshit name that we’d used for a while, and then [when] the rumours spread about the band, everybody used that name so we thought, "fuck it, let’s call it Chickenfoot" - it all comes down to the music anyway."


People showed up early for the sold out show, a line snaking around the block, waiting for the doors to open at 7 PM. Those people wanting to purchase alcoholic beverages waited in a second line to get ID'ed and tagged. Not me, as I was serving myself.



Opening for Chickenfoot were Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam, a bluesy rock sound that really got the audience going. In June 2009, Joe Satriani described Davy as his "new favourite modern-day bluesman" in a Playlist article in the Sunday Times.

The place really began rocking when Chickenfoot took the stage. Sammy once again proved why he such a great front man with his down to earth style, a true love for what he's doing and his appreciation of the support of his fans. He sounded great and was all over the stage, enjoying every minute of it with his band members. Chad was the crazy man that set the beat. Michael still knows how to lay down the groove and provide backup vocals. Joe is a great guitar player with a sound that really made the songs pop. Watch out Eddie!

I was just a few heads from the edge of the stage with great views of the action. These general admission shows in small venues are the best because its easy to get in real close. Drum sticks were flying through the air into the audience, guitar pics following. Although packed in a crowd up front, there was plenty of room for me to dance to the music (or the people around me moved away from this crazy dude!). By the end of the show I was drenched with sweet from the heat of the crowd and my dancing to their great sound. As always, I was very enthusiastic when it came to cheering the band on. The people around me were probably thinking "WTF!" at my very loud support. I don't feel sorry for the people standing in front of me.

It's always a let down when the band takes its final bow and the lights are turned on. Fortunately I've figured out how much tequila is needed to put me at the edge and safely bring me back before the end of the show. No memory lapse. Getting home was no problem and I was in bed by 1 AM.

Although not the Denver show, here's a sample of what it was like. Download Chickenfoot's August 10, 2009 show in St. Paul Minnesota:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GCQILCNK