Great White
August 24, 2013
Duluth, GA – Wild Bills
Last year Great White put out a brand new album called Elation with their new lead singer (and XYZ singer) Terry Illous. After years of drama and serious decline in quality due to long time singer Jack Russell, the band decided to identify the problem and dismantle it. The end result was nothing less than awesome and in my opinion Great White finally sounded like the band that I loved so much back in the day. I waited patiently for the band to make its way to the East coast and to my dismay they never made it out here. Well, my patience paid off and when I saw that Great White was playing here at Wild Bills (the new home for classic hard rock bands), I was beside myself with excitement.
When I arrived at the venue, it was painfully obvious that a cover band was opening for Great White. Ok, let me take this opportunity to say this: I FUCKING HATE COVER BANDS. Cover bands belong in seedy, shit hole bars playing to people so drunk that they can’t tell that what they’re hearing are totally subpar renditions of great songs. This band was called Bandgrenade. LULZ! All I could think about is how much I’d love for all these guys to lay on a grenade and just go away. Their singer looked like a fat Chipendale singer who retired because of a back injury while the drummer looked like he was trying out for Buckcherry. The other two weekend warriors just looked happy to be sucking the life out of some of my favorite songs so I made my way to the bar and proceeded to medicate myself with Bud Light until it was time for Great White.
The venue was only about 1/3 full which alone blew my mind. I couldn’t understand how this 
could be what I do have to say is that the crowd that was there was very much there to see Great White. The audience was a very diverse audience. There were some very attractive women in the crowd of all ages, then there was the mix of older looking washed up rockers mixed with a handful of people that looked like they came straight off of the TV show “Honey Boo Boo.” It was diversity at its finest.
As “We’re an American Band” filled the room, the crowd pressed forward towards the stage and the energy was really powerful from this somewhat sparse crowd. The band took the stage without fail or falter launched right into “Desert Moon” which floored me. Lead singer Terry Illous walked out to a roar and right out of the gates he was killing it. “Lady Red Light” was next and again, Illous was on fire. I know a lot of Great White fans are on the fence with this guy but I felt like he really put his all into these songs and sang them like he’s been singing them for 20+ years. Great White reached deep into their back catalog and pulled out “On Your Knees” which kicked so much ass and had me losing my shit. I hadn’t heard this song since 1988 when they opened for Whitesnake so this was a pretty awesome treat. In addition to the awesome performance of Terry Illous, I was so impressed with the rest of the band. Michael Lardie is without a doubt the MVP of the band as his talents on multiple instruments just take the band into so many awesome directions but that’s not to take away from Mark Kendall. That guy has to be without a doubt one of the single most underrated guitarists. That man is a powerhouse player and he just blew my mind song after song.
The set list was a fine mix of Great White classics like “House of Broken Love” and “Save All Your Love” coupled with deep cut/fan faves like “Mista Bone”, “Big Goodbye”, and their cover of The Angels’ classic “Can’t Shake It.” It was very obvious that the band was having so much fun and the energy and great vibes from the stage was totally contagious and spread amongst the room. The harder the band played the crazier the crowd got. Illous worked the crowd like a master front man and you could tell he was having the time of his life. At one point he grabbed a cell phone from a fan who was filming and proceeded to sing into the phone and film the crowd as he walked back and forth at the front of the stage. This had everyone cracking up and mugging for the camera and just having a great time. Without a doubt though, the highlight of the show for me was the band’s encore of “The Angel Song.” That is one of those songs that I never think of when I think of my favorite Great White songs but hearing it live reminded me of what a stellar song it is. The band closed things out with “Once Bitten Twice Shy” and honestly, as much as I hate that fucking song, I was just groovin’ out and singing along like a retard. It was so much fun and the energy of both the band and the crowd just had me feeling it and loving it.
Great White’s performance Saturday night exceeded any and all expectations I had going into this show. They’ve always been one of my favorite bands and after this show they have renewed my faith in them and manage to remain an all time favorite of mine. The band delivered a no frills, fun packed and energetic performance. Those guys took the stage Saturday night with one mission: to make sure that everyone in that room left with a three mile smile on their faces. This show was so much fun and they totally embodied everything a great rock n’ roll show should. Loud guitars, great songs, lots of fun, and a much needed escape from the cruel world that was left behind outside the venue doors. Sometimes it’s just good to not have to think or listen to thought provoking, artistic music. Sometimes it’s just great to get some dirty, gritty rock and roll and forget about it all for a couple of hours. Great White did just that and with that being said, I’d have to say, “Mission: Accomplished.”
Great White Setlist
Desert Moon, Lady Red Light, On Your Knees (Mark Kendall solo), I’ve Got Something For You, House of Broken Love, Hard to Say Goodbye, Save Your Love, Blues Jam, Mista Bone, Big Goodbye, Can’t Shake It, Rock Me
Encore: The Angel Song, Once Bitten Twice Shy
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