Courtesy Australian Musician

George Thorogood & The Destroyers. Forum Melbourne. Friday Oct 28, 2022
Review: Greg phillips Photos: Jason Rosewarne

It’s only been two and a half years since George Thorogood and The Destroyers were last here but with a pandemic in between visits, it seems like it’s been forever. Having already destroyed Canberra a couple of nights earlier, tonight was the first of two ‘Good To Be Bad’ tour shows at the Forum Melbourne and the pre-gig line of loyal fans stretched some way around the block in anticipation of the doors opening.

Talented guitarist, singer, songwriter Hamish Anderson was gifted the job of warming the crowd up but he needn’t have been too concerned as the audience was clearly in a festive frame of mind well before a note had been struck. With Hamish in trio mode, pumping out a quality dose of blues rock, the Forum throng gave back as much as the band delivered. His smokin’  blues treatment of Bowie’s Ziggy era track ’It Aint Easy’ was a revelation. Thorogood later paid Hamish a huge compliment by allowing the young guitar gun up on stage to jam with him.

As the lights dimmed and Barry McGuire’s classic ‘Eve of Destruction’ blared through the PA, the crowd sung along with gusto. The theme to The Good The Bad and the Ugly then welcomed Delaware’s finest to the stage as George yelled … How sweet is this?

Opening with Rock Party, the gig in its infancy was already wild.  At its heart, it’s only rock ’n’ roll but with a band dispatching such a punchy bottom end, there was a runaway train vibe to the show. Once you step onboard, there’s no chance of disembarking.

An entrancing version of Bo Diddley’s ‘Who Do You Love’ like I’d never heard before, possessed a little voodoo. Thorogood not only pays homage to the blues greats tonight but also salutes his DC garage rock roots, playing ‘Shot Down’ from 60’s garage band The Sonics and followed it up with ‘Night Time’ from New York punks, The Strangeloves

‘I Drink Alone’ signalled singalong time and from this moment on the audience participation never stopped. Thumbpicking his black ES125 with intent, Thorogood then inflicted a rousing ten minute version of his staple ‘One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer’ upon us. So hot was the performance that a few minutes into the next tune, the PA blew out, resulting in a ten minute reprieve to catch our breath.

Thorogood now armed with his famous White Fang guitar returned to the stage like nothing had happened and before the audience could cool down they blasted into ‘Get a Haircut’ and ‘Bad To The Bone’. The crowd of predominantly bald, bearded guys with beer bellies linked arms and sung their hearts out like nobody was watching.

With everything so loose, it was clearly time to ramp up the party mode and deliver the knock out punch with the classic Champs (or Pee Wee Herman depending on your vintage) track ‘Tequila’, featuring Buddy Leach’s slick sax licks.

“Melbourne, the world’s best kept secret,” shouted George as he too seemed like he was having the time of his life. ‘Born To Be Bad’ brought the show to a close but not the singing as Thorogood joined the assembled two thousand in a raucous version of our national anthem. It could have easily been a nursery rhyme with the same result. Fun much? You bet.

Congratulations to the Boogie People Fan of the Month for November 2022 Mike P! Learn more about Mike below!

Where are you from?: Edwardsville, IL

How many years have you been a fan?: I started listening to George when the album Move It On Over came out in 1978

What is your favorite George Thorogood song: Gear Jammer

How many times have you seen George Thorogood live? Around a dozen times, but my favorite show was in 1985 at the Illinois State Fair grandstand.

What’s one thing that sets you apart from other George Thorogood fans?: Everyone knows Bad to the Bone and sings along, but can they sing along to Madison Blues or Bottom of the Sea? I can!

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Congratulations to the Boogie People Fan of the Month for October 2022 Laurie A! Learn more about Laurie below!

Where are you from?: Lincoln, NE

How many years have you been a fan?: 46 yrs. My first concert was with my dad. He took me to see you. No one is better than GT&TD!!

What is your favorite George Thorogood song: Get a Haircut. But too many to count

How many times have you seen George Thorogood live? 30. My fav show was at Stir Cove. Adam kept making fun of me. I can't help it. Standing next to your idol is an amazing feeling.

What’s one thing that sets you apart from other George Thorogood fans?: All I can say is I have been a fan since I was 9 years old. My dad took me to my 1st show and I've been to 30 shows. There is no other band that I will travel to see except for George. So happy to see him in Lincoln. 

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Courtesy Chris Loomis - LiveMusicToday.com

The biggest Rock Party and Crazy Times were had Saturday night September 10 at Fivepoint Amphitheater in Irvine, CA as Sammy Hagar & The Circle along with George Thorogood & The Destroyers played an old school rock n roll show as part of the Crazy Times North American Tour. On the tail end of a classic SoCal heat-wave that had temperatures over 100 degrees for several days prior, this particular night was overcast with an unusually high level of humidity for these parts but that did not stop the die-hards from missing this soirée.

With Thorogood’s many drinking themed songs and Hagars portfolio of spirit companies there was no way anybody was drinking alone on this night. Singer/Songwriter Chris Trapper started off the night with a 30-minute acoustic set that provided a nice soundtrack as the fans gathered inside the venue.

About 7:30pm the lights dropped and George Thorogood and The Destroyers took the stage opening with “Rock Party” and what a perfect song to start the night. Between the perfect vocals and the guitar picking, Thorogood quickly reminded you that he may be a bit older but is still a wildman onstage. Joined by his band The Destroyers that includes drummer Jeff Simon who has been with Thorogood since 1973, guitarist Jim Suhler, Buddy Leach on saxophone and for this tour the incredible Rev Jones on bass.

These cats had everyone in party mode with “I Drink Alone” and “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” and of course the night ended with “Bad to the Bone”. This 10-song set really resonated with the crowd who was a bit more on the 50-something side and Hagar truly chose the PERFECT band to prime the crowd.

Now Sammy Hagar is one of the most under-rated rockers out there but if you really think about his career, it is truly amazing. Lead vocalist for Montrose, successful solo career, Rock n Roll Hall of Fame inductee as a member of the mighty Van Halen, member of supergroup Chickenfoot and now playing with The Circle that includes Michael Anthony on bass, Vic Johnson on guitar and Mr. Jason Bonham on drums – WOW!!

The band hit the stage and cranked out their amazing new single “Crazy Times” then into an incredible setlist of Montrose, Van Halen and solo Red Rockerar classics – this show was stacked with no filler. Johnson playing a Peavy Wolfgang guitar brought out the power-drill for the beginning of “Poundcake” as Hagar put aside his guitar and pranced around the stage interacting and joking around with both Johnson and Michael Anthony. Anthony and Hagar have been blood-brothers since the Van Halen days and are truly meant to play together and yes Anthony still nails those iconic backing vocals.

Jason Bonham needs no introduction and does a superb job behind the drum-kit – his favorite part of the night is no doubt a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock n Roll” as Anthony trades off lead vocals with Hagar on this one. Johnson is a bit reserved onstage but a killer guitar player as he just nails all the EVH (RIP) parts so well. This band is just balls out FUN from start to finish – lots of in-between song conversations and joking – these guys give the fans the total experience when you see them live.

Hagar continues to defy the aging process as he looks amazing and sounds even better – maybe a sign we all should be drinking more Tequilla. The band proved on this night “There’s Only One Way to Rock” as they ended their time onstage with “Eagles Fly” and finally “Cabo Wabo”. Be sure to pickup Sammy Hagar & The Circle’s new album – Crazy Times – when it hits the streets on September 30.

Click here to read more and see photos.