Sebastian Bach Brings the Big Guns to San Antonio: Review, Photos
Sebastian Bach’s nonetheless obtained it.
If his crushing new solo album, Child Within the Man, did not already make it clear, Bach drove the level dwelling at the Rock Box in San Antonio on Sunday, the place he blasted via Skid Row classics and highlights off his new LP with the identical gutsy aggression of his youth.
You can see UCR’s unique pictures and the full set listing beneath.
Bach got here out swinging with Child Within the Man lead single “What Do I Got to Lose?,” a classic steel anthem that labored the viewers into a quick frenzy. Bach stored it old-school on all fronts, noting early in the set that there have been “no fuckin’ laptops” onstage. He waxed nostalgic about his first San Antonio present in 1989, when Skid Row opened for Bon Jovi. And though he as soon as bristled at the “hair band” designation, he launched “Can’t Stand the Heartache” by whisking the viewers again to the good ol’ days of blasting Van Halen cassettes, enjoying frisbee and getting drunk on the seaside.
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He additionally introduced the sass that is stored him in headlines for many years — albeit in toned-down type — rolling his eyes at the cellphones that shot into the air throughout “18 and Life” and quipping, “Look at all the videos that are being made right now.”
But Bach did not shrink back from mortality — his or anybody else’s — on Sunday. “Fifty-six years old, mother-trucker!” he declared with defiant pleasure. “Age ain’t nothin but a fuckin’ number!” Thirty-five years after Skid Row launched their self-titled debut, Bach can nonetheless hit a lot of the album’s piercing screams. He wants extra time to catch his breath between the energy notes now, however nitpickers ought to heed Bach’s personal phrases on Sunday: “Let’s see you fuckin’ do it.”
The efficiency took on a poignant air when the singer turned “I Remember You” into an elegy for Eddie Van Halen, Neil Peart, Taylor Hawkins, CJ Snare and the myriad different rockers misplaced in recent times. The dedication got here on the heels of a romp via Rush’s “Tom Sawyer,” which featured livid drum work from Bach’s son, Paris.
It was a blast, identical to the remainder of his set — as a result of Bach has by no means forgotten the long-lost artwork of getting enjoyable at a rock present. It’s troublesome not to share his enthusiasm when he swings his microphone above his head or kilos the air like a boxer. Bach has been at this for practically 4 many years now, and he stays a proverbial defender of the religion with the chops to again it up. The instances have modified, however his conviction has not — and in case you squint your eyes and pay attention shut throughout the opening scream of “Youth Gone Wild,” you’ll be able to nonetheless catch a glimpse of the little one inside the man.
Sebastian Bach, 6/23/24, Rock Box, San Antonio Set List
1. “What Do I Got to Lose?”
2. “Slave to the Grind”
3. “Here I Am”
4. “Big Guns”
5. “Sweet Little Sister”
6. “18 and Life”
7. “Can’t Stand the Heartache”
8. “Freedom”
9. “Piece of Me”
10. “Everybody Bleeds”
11. “American Metalhead”
12. “Monkey Business” (with a part of “Tom Sawyer”)
13. “I Remember You”
14. “(Hold on) To the Dream”
15. “Youth Gone Wild”
Sebastian Bach Live in San Antonio, June 23, 2024
The Bach rocks the Rock Box.
Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli