Skid Row
Mean Fiddler
10 April 2004

Last night saw Skid Row's triumphant return to London, to make it even better, it was the last date on this tour. The new boy on lead vocals complete with cowboy hat, had his task set out for him. Neither he nor the band disappointed the standing room only audience at the Mean Fiddler. The fact there was no Seb Bach around didn't seem to matter to all those in attendance. While many in the place didn't have the new album Thickskin, that didn't mean that they were bored during the new stuff, as is so often the case.

Their performance was first class. even though they had yet a new member on drums. The band blew through all the classics: '18 and Life', 'Slave to the Grind', and, of course, the awesome final number; 'Youth Gone Wild'. As far as I can tell, Solinger has a better range than Bach. He was able to handle the screachers, the harder stuff, and the ballads with equal aplomb.The new ones that went down the best were the second track, 'Ghost', and 'New Generation', while the title track didn't impress as much. Overall, it was a bloody good gig with the band living up to their reputation.

In the audience were members of Hurricane Party, the bassist for Marillion with whom I had a chat and a few other varied members of other bands. While the crowd may not exactly be "youth" these days, there is surely nothing wrong with '30-somethings going wild'. A perfect way to start your Easter weekend.

Rating: 5/5