4th & B - Downtown San Diego
 |
By Amber Shaffer, SDAM Staff Writer, and Sara Dozier, freelance writer
©Copyright
2024
SDAM.com/Amber Shaffer
NOTE: As many of you know, the guitarist for Great White, Ty Longley, was killed in
a club fire in Rhode Island on February 20th, 2003, just a month after the show we reviewed below.
Thanks to
Paul Parks
for the awesome photos of the San Diego show.
Find out more at the Great White Web site.
4th & B was 1/3 full of die-hard Great White fans singing along and
leaping over each other to touch the hand of the alpha-rocker, Jack
Russell (the singer-not the lap dog). Russell, the only original band
member still touring as far as we could tell, was quite animated,
frequently dousing the crowd with water, by bottle and by mouth. We also
enjoyed watching him having forehead sex with his guitar players during
their solos. They probably didn't enjoy it as much as we did. We were
also impressed by his talent with the mic stand - you can tell a truly
seasoned rock veteran from a rookie by their ability to twirl it around
like a baton in time with the drum beat.
The lead guitar player (bald, dark-glasses) could have been an original member, although we didn't recognize him. The lighting guy was also a little confused, so we don't feel all that bad for not knowing. He was a damn good guitar player. We liked him.
Despite all our wise cracks, we do want to say they were all very proficient musicians. And Jack Russell has an astounding vocal range, considering his age and the years of abuse he has inflicted on his vocal chords. He effortlessly hits notes so high, that most women can't reach them, even with training. The audience might have been more entertaining than the band. We didn't know San Diego had such a large community of "Sharkies.' They played their standard hits: Rock Me, Save Your Love, and Once Bitten, Twice Shy. Everyone there appreciated those songs, but also knew the words to all the other songs, including the lyrics from Russell's new solo effort. We would have liked it if they played "Wasted Rock Ranger." But, they didn't. So sad. A special note about the woman with the long black mullet - it was the best hair we've seen in a while. Keep an eye out for her at the Dokken/Whitesnake show at Cox next month. Maybe we'll see ya there. More about Great White on a fan's Web site. |
The other three members of the band looked almost young enough to be
Jack's kids. There were plenty of blonde chicks in the audience, who
looked like they had survived the 80s, albeit with skin damage. They
seemed moved by the boyish good looks of the rhythm section. One girl
mounted her boyfriend's shoulders and half-heartedly flashed the band,
with her bra on. We were as disappointed as the rhythm guitarist was. He
just shook his head and smiled sadly, his 'fro-like coif swaying in
the breeze.
Speaking of the rhythm guitarist, he had flair. His nails were painted
black, his hair was curly- not frizzy- with perfectly placed blonde
streaks. You could tell he was a guy who took care of himself. He was a
good guitarist, too. We would have held up lighters if were we smokers.
Instead, we just had to vote YES on Proposition Rhythm Guitarist.