The Goth tinged band The Nocturnal Affair opened the night. Armed with the deep and beautiful vocals of Brendan Shane, They are a really heavy gloomy doom band that’s kind of hopeful. A weird mix, I know. Thanks to strong as hell wireless mic, Shane took to the crowd , from up in the seats and to the pit and back again!
Not to be outdone, the duo of KrashKrama came down from the cheap seats with marching drums, bullhorns and spot lights. With their intro “Wake Them Up,” the audience sure did that. Wielding a modded out guitar body that played both guitar and bass, singer Ralf just had the crowd smiling. Vocalist and drummer Niki is the MVP. Playing drums and singing is rough, I know, I can’t do more than a mini-backing vocal before I’m all thrown off. This energetic team is just infectious. You can’t beat a band that brings out a giant hammer to smash a china cymbal while singing and playing. 
GFM or Gold Frankincense & Myrrh was up next, they are a teen aged group of cheerleader-dressed, Jesus-loving themed rock and rollers. You can hear the youthfulness in their music. Great energy, they will only get better as they grow.
Fozzy came in hot with a set spanning six records. Opening with their recent-ish single, “Sane,” they did a great cover of “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. It was the cover I didn’t know I needed. It was my first time seeing the band with their new drummer Grant Brooks. He’s a good player, I’ve seen him on the last Fozzy tour with his previous band, “Through the Fire.” However, it was an odd choice, to me, to use an electric drum kit. The whole band sounded fine, but it’s just not the same especially live, too much digital live. That being said, the band’s live energy kind of makes you forget about all that. Fozzy is definitely a group that stretches with the amount of cardio they all do on stage. From new songs like “Sane” and “I Still Burn” to classics like “Sandpaper” and “Enemy,” the show was a banger! During their set they were presented with a gold record for Judas (Century Media). Jericho shared a story of how Michael Anthony Alago and the late Johnny Z were the ones who signed the band in the first place. It was a nice tribute to the music legend.
The ending of night came with AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” It was very unexpected for sure. Fozzy is just a fun time every time I see them. Its nice to mix up all the angry metal faces with happy ones. Fozzys new album BoomBox is out May 6th and you can still catch them on tour for a few more weeks.
Buy Fozzy music and merch here: https://amzn.to/3kpgAsH
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY OJC PICS