Remember the good ol’ days where you could actually see a known band in a club for $5.00? I saw Ugly Kid Joe for five bucks. I saw Rhino Bucket for five bucks but one of my most memorable and fun $5.00 rock shows was when Babylon A.D pulled into Atlanta.
Babylon A.D was a band that got thrown into the hair/glam metal but much like Skid Row I always felt that they stood above the pack yet failed to really break ground and get noticed. The band was a favorite in my friends circle and because they were kind of obscure we felt like they were a secret for us. They had a few videos like “Bang Go The Bells” and “Hammer Swings Down” but it was their, at the time, latest album “Nothing Sacred” that floored us. When we found out they were coming to down we were so pumped.
The Masquerade was probably about 1/2 full with about 400 or so people and the energy in the room was just electric. Opening the show was two new bands called Wildside and Roxy Blue. I think Wildside opened the show and they were forgettable to say the least. They had a video out called “Hang On Lucy” and I thought they were pretty lame. They were total Hollywood cheese just making themselves out to be bigger and better than they were. Memphis’ Roxy Blue took the stage next and I was absolutely floored. The audience was totally into them and totally blew Wildside out the back door of the venue. Roxy Blue was like the 2nd coming of Van Halen and their performance was energetic, fun and in your face. They opened their set with “Love’s Got A Hold On Me” and I went running right to the merch booth to buy a copy of their cassette (yes I said cassette) and a shirt. I was really impressed by these guys but like so many bands, this would be the last time I would ever see them and they would only release one album.
Babylon A.D. took the stage to a decked out set up that had some cool lit up stairs to the drum rise and a killer backdrop. It was always a treat when a band would put some effort into their show. The band opened this show with “Pray For The Wicked” from the “Nothing Sacred” album and right away I knew I was seeing an amazing band. Singer Derek Davis was every bit the front man that any of his peers were and more so in my opinion. He had this David Lee Roth like swagger to his performance and a voice that was pure rock and roll. The set list was made up of a great mix of songs from both albums like “The Kid Goes Wild”, “Bad Blood”, “Take The Dog of the Chain” but it was the set closing “Maryanne” that blew the roof off the place and had everyone going nuts. I still remember to this day what a great performance this was and I’m lucky to have seen these guys twice.
Back in these days, we didn’t have YouTube or any of that shit so seeing a band live for the first time was an exciting experience. I just don’t feel that energy or that electricity in seeing shows any more. That element of surprise is gone and it just lacks that excitement. After the show we all hung out by their tour bus waiting for them to come down. The guys all came down and hung out with us, signed all our stuff and gave us all guitar picks. They were really cool guys and very appreciative of our support. We parted ways
Babylon A.D put on a show this night that has stuck with me for nearly 20 years. It’s kind of like when you hear people talk about that one great show that they will never forget be it Zeppelin, Aerosmith or even KISS. Babylon A.D put on an extremely memorable performance and it will forever be engrained in my head and heart as a truly amazing concert experience.
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