19 h, jul 24, 2016 y - HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES
Johnny Depp LIVE:
Mountain Winery
Saratoga, California
Description:
Johnny and the Hollywood Vampires played live at The Mountain Winery, Saratoga, California.
FROM MERCURY NEWS:
Who knows how long the Hollywood Vampires will last? After all, this is really just a side project for the three Vampires, all of whom have other significant projects vying for their attention.
So, fans should definitely try to check out this super group -- featuring shock-rock icon Alice Cooper, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and A-list actor Johnny Depp -- while it's still around.
The Hollywood Vampires delivered a really enjoyable evening of music on Sunday at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga. It was wild, a bit woolly, and sold with attitude and charisma.
It was pure rock 'n' roll fun delivered by two legends of the genre and one Oscar-nominated actor. It wasn't high art -- and it didn't need to be. If you saw the band's performance on the Grammy Awards in February then you should get the picture. It's not for everyone -- the Vampires are like a self-indulgent Sunset Strip bar band, with some really good musicians -- but the capacity crowd of 2,200 fans at the Mountain Winery certainly seemed to enjoy the performance.
And there was much to enjoy, including, most notably, the expert guitar work of Perry. Many fans were concerned that Perry -- who was hospitalized after collapsing at a show earlier this month in New York -- wouldn't rejoin the band in time for Sunday's gig. Yet, Perry made his grand return during Friday's gig at Weill Hall in Rohnert Park and was in fine form as the Vampires kicked off Sunday's show with a compelling "Raise the Dead."
It was one of the few originals in a night that belonged to covers. It's all part of the Vampires' mission to honor legendary musicians who have died, often -- but not always -- as a result of an excessive rock 'n' roll lifestyle. The band's sole album, last year's eponymous affair, features nods to The Who's Keith Moon, The Doors' Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and T. Rex's Marc Bolan, among others.
Unfortunately, there's no shortage of source material.
One of the early highlights of the concert was the tribute to a recent fallen hero -- David Bowie -- as the Vampires sunk their teeth into a double shot of "Rebel Rebel" and, even better, "Suffragette City."
The band sounded strong as it continued through Hendrix's "Manic Depression" and doubleheaders of The Doors ("Five to One" and "Break On Through (To the Other Side)") and T. Rex ("20th Century Boy" and "Bang a Gong (Get It On)").
Cooper handled majority of the vocals -- and, for the most part, he handled them quite well. He did pass the microphone on a few occasions, such as when Perry sang lead on the bluesy early Fleetwood Mac nugget "Stop Messin' Around." Perry really seemed to be feeling it by this point, using the rare vocal spotlight to do a little showboating and play the guitar behind the back of his head.
Depp's musical contributions were, let's say, a little more subtle. He played rhythm guitar, took a decent lead or two, and crooned some backing vocals. Still, he does add something of great value to the equation:
Star power.
The actor, whose messy public split with wife Amber Heard has included allegations of domestic abuse, still managed to generate plenty of excitement from the crowd. There was a steady chorus of "oohs" and "ahhs," as well as quite a few catcalls, as Depp played the role of the handsome rock star to perfection.
The Vampires, backed by an expert four-piece touring band that included bassist Robert DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots) and Matt Sorum (Guns N' Roses), closed the main set by running through such classic-rock staples as The Who's "My Generation" and Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion."
