WILD AMERICA & STAIRWAY TO HALEN LIVE

This past weekend in Stratford, CT, two beloved bands in the local scene – Wild America and Stairway to Halen took the stage with a sold out crowd at Nikki’s Beach House. After a rainy morning, the weather cleared up just in time for the afternoon rock show. After seeing these two bands down in Baltimore the previous weekend, the bar was set high for this performance. And all I can say is they delivered.

Wild America hit the stage around 3PM kicking off a night filled with straight-up rock and roll. The band released their debut album ‘Gasoline’ back in 2018, via Kivel Records, and have since received well-deserved praise. The tangible energy in the room proved the fans were eager to hear what the band had to offer in a live setting. And let me tell you, they did not disappoint. Wild America creates a perfectly balanced combination of ‘80s style harmonies, singable choruses from vocalist Joe Labbadia, and shreddy guitar solos. Being a bass player myself I appreciated the stellar groove and bass tone of Steve Wovkanech. While the set consisted of primarily original material, there were also a few covers sprinkled throughout. They also included a couple tracks from their upcoming record to be released in August. Towards the end of their set they played ‘Stronger’ which originally featured Roy Cathey of Cold Sweat but today the guest vocalist was Stairway to Halen’s own Andre Vanchot. Overall, they played an hour and a half of kickass rock n’ roll tunes.

 

Setlist:

• Long Road

• Love ‘Em/Gone

• Something Inside

• She Will

• Sometimes Love

• On The Outside

• I Don’t Need Your Love

• Are You Ready

• Gasoline

• Maybe Tonight

• Rockstar

• Is Anybody Listening

• Stronger

• What’s Your Name?

• Encore: Renegade

 

Stairway to Halen covered all the greatest tunes from two of the most iconic rock bands of the ‘70s and ‘80s, respectively, Led Zeppelin and Van Halen. The task of honoring the music of those two bands with the technicality they deserve is certainly not an easy job, but these four guys pull it off effortlessly. Andre Vanchot takes on the vocal stylings of both David Lee Roth and Robert Plant with ease. Despite guitarist Billy DiNapoli and drummer Arnie Cuozzo being on double duty for the night, their energy was not at all depleted through the entirety of the two sets. The fans showed their love for bassist Bob Ambrose by breaking out into a ‘B-O-B’ chant. With this set the band pointed out that for the last year we’ve been asking ‘Where Have All The Good Times Gone?’ and now the good times are finally back. The crowd participation was electric throughout the Stairway to Halen set. The band and the crowd totally fed off each other’s energy and excitement. All I can say is I look forward to seeing these two bands again soon.

 

Setlist:

• Hear About It Later

• Unchained

• Drop Dead Legs

• Kashmir

• Where Have All The Good Times Gone

• Black Dog

• The Ocean

• Atomic Punk

• Little Dreamer

• Ramble On

• Good Times

• On Fire

• Little Guitars

• Immigrant Song

• Cradle Will Rock

• Everybody Wants Some

• Over The Hills

• Hot For Teacher

• Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love

• Out On The Tiles

• Runnin’ With The Devil

• Nobody’s Fault

• Eruption

• Mean Street

• Whole Lotta Love

• Dance The Night Away

• Beautiful Girls

• Communication Breakdown

• Rock N Roll

• Jump

• Panama

• Somebody Get Me A Doctor

 

Here is a brief bio on our newest contributor Shannon Wilk.

My name is Shannon Wilk and I am a music journalist, music photographer, and musician based in Connecticut. I’ve had a love for rock music for as long as I can remember – I grew up listening to predominantly hair metal. When I say that you’re probably thinking I grew up in the ‘80s but I actually grew up in the 2000s. When I first started writing at my own publication, rockininterviews.com, I was a kid with a dream of one day making it in the music industry. Ever since then I’ve worked day in and day out to make that dream come to fruition.

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To learn more about Wild America check out their:  Website

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Stream their music:  Spotify / Soundcloud / YouTube

To learn more about Stairway to Halen check out their:  Website

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Stream their music:  Here

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