GEORGE LYNCH/ TRIXTER/ ALL SINNERS/ DAZR/ BEN COTE – FETE
By Nina McCarthy
On 2/28, George Lynch brought his farewell tour to the Fete Music Hall in Providence with Trixter, All Sinners, DAZR and Ben Cote for support.
George Lynch is an American guitarist and songwriter best known for his work with Dokken and his post-Dokken band Lynch Mob. Ranked among Guitar World’s 100 Greatest Guitarists and Gibson’s Top 10 Metal Guitarists, he’s noted for his distinctive style and technical mastery. As part of George Lynch’s historic farewell to fans, a highlight was the Mr. Scary Mini Tour Winter Rock-N-Com 2026, which included stops in West Hollywood, St. Louis, New York, Albany, and Providence.
I was happy to attend and witness the final days of this tour at Fete Music Hall in Providence, RI, on Saturday, February 28, 2026. The event took place in the beautiful ballroom of Fete and was hosted by comedians Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson (known from VH1’s That Metal Show), along with sets from Trixter, All Sinners, DAZR, and The Ben Cote Band.
Ben Cote is a Boston, MA-based rock guitarist and recording and performing artist who gained notoriety for his dedicated following on Instagram and TikTok. Ben formed The Ben Cote Band while a student at Berklee College of Music. The trio also features Dave Mansfield on bass, and fellow Berklee alum Jake Wakstein on drums.
They kicked off the night with a killer cover of Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC) and entertained the George Lynch fans with their 30-minute mix of covers and originals with the Cote-style guitar shredding. If you watched this young musician, you can see why he was invited to play this event.
Keep your eye on Ben Cote, as he may be the next generation of top guitar virtuosos. If you’re from New England, he’s also a big Patriots fan, as he made evident with his shirt and shout-outs. We see him again later in the night for the Dokken tribute.
DAZR, hailing from Greenville, SC, is Austin Hendrix on vocals and Grant Hendrix on guitars, Matthew Shranko on bass, and Jack on drums. DAZR was the only band I was unfamiliar with on this tour since they are pretty new to the touring scene, with their debut album released in 2024. “If those pants were any tighter, I could tell if he was Jewish or not,” said my friend’s date.
During the opening song, I was worried I’d be unimpressed, but to my surprise, they quickly won me over with their energy and straight-up, no-frills modern rock n roll, with just enough of the classic sound of the Zepplin era to not sound similar. Playing to an unfamiliar crowd (and apparently unfamiliar city, as they thanked “Albany” a couple times), they added a unique cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” which was appreciated by the mostly middle-aged male fans and fellow guitarists in attendance.
All Sinners brought an 80s-influenced rock sound, fitting into the early Dokken-era glam metal. Also out of the Boston area, All Sinners consists of Mike Golarz (lead vocals/guitar), Bruce Morrison (bass and vocals), Nick Testone (lead guitar/vocals), and Roger Chouinard (drums).
Interestingly, I first saw this band as a cover band, but they have since moved on to originals to keep the music modern enough to adapt. There were many “sinners” in the audience, based on the number of shirts I saw in the band’s support.
During the comedic break, Don Jamieson read aloud a letter Steve Brown of Trixter wrote to George Lynch when he was 14. It’s amazing that a copy was still around. In that letter, Steve told George Lynch that he thought he was “one of the best new guitarists he’d ever seen,” and was adorably signed “Keep flying up the fretboard.”
What a touching tribute it was, and an honor for Steve to be playing the very same stage this night with his popular 90’s hard rock band, Trixter, as part of Lynch‘s final tour.
Trixter’s current lineup consists of longtime members Steve Brown on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, P. J. Farley on bass guitar and backing vocals, joined by Ben Hans on drums/percussion. These seasoned musicians ripped through their energetic 45-minute set of best-loved hits like “Give It to Me Good,” “One in a Million,” “Bad Girl,” and “Surrender.” At this point, I was in quite a bit of pain from standing on a concrete floor for several hours, so I immersed myself in the music and didn’t keep a precise track of the setlist.
So far, it was a great night of music, but the crowd paid these ticket prices (and more, as I gathered from all the VIP laminates I saw) to see 72-year-old George Lynch do his thing. It was advertised that Lynch would perform a special Dokken encore featuring an all-star cast; however, this was bumped up before the Lynch Mob set. This actually made more sense, and the show flowed better, in my opinion.
The Dokken set was certainly a flashback to the hair-metal days, with Rikki Thrash (ex–Steel Panther) on bass, Ben Cote (The Ben Cote Band) on guitar, Don Crash (H.E.A.T.) on drums, and Jackson Davenport (VOID) on vocals, joining Lynch. After slight technical difficulties to begin, Lynch seemed satisfied as the band powered through the 7-song setlist of “It’s Not Love,” “In My Dreams,” “Mr. Scary,” “Alone Again,” “Dream Warriors,” “Just Got Lucky,” and “Into the Fire.”
It was almost comical to watch with Davenport sporting a red half-shirt saying “Balls” and the bleached blonde hair with the 80’s style chopped bangs; Rikki Thrash, with his super hero body wearing a purple cropped shirt, and the tightest leather pants I’d ever seen. Most eyes were focused on Lynch, though, and the mastery of his guitars.
There was a tour production team shooting video footage, with some young girls in 80s attire rocking to the music. If I had another drink or two, I would have thought I had time-traveled to the 80s Sunset Strip in the midst of American glam metal.
Back to the present, Ben Cote shredded his guitar, holding his own alongside Lynch without intimidation, especially during “Mr. Scary,” for some extended guitar solos. I’m telling you again, to keep your eyes on this young musician. Such a fantastic tribute to Dokken from all involved!
It’s already been a long night, but a Lynch Mob set was still to come from George and company. I’ve seen recent Lynch Mob shows with a slight rotation of artists.
Tonight included Will Hunt, of Evanescence fame (as well as filling in on the 2025 Godsmack European tour for Shannon Larkin) as guest drummer, and the talented and sexy Jaron Gulino (Tantric / Heaven’s Edge) on bass and backing vocals, who has been a consistent member since 2022.
I’ve seen Lynch Mob with varied vocalists, including Robert Mason, Keith St. John, and Gabriel Colon. Tonight was the familiar vocalist Andrew Freeman (Last In Line, a Supergroup featuring original members of Dio), and previously part of Lynch Mob.
I don’t want to compare singers, but Freeman’s voice should come with a structural warning! He hit notes that could have shattered the crystal chandeliers. He definitely did the songs justice with his added flare. This 9-song set included 3 additional Dokken songs, “Tooth & Nail,” “The Hunter, ” and “Unchain the Night,” intertwined with “River of Love,” “For a Million Years,” “Testify,” “Hell Child,” “Street Fightin’ Man,” and closing with “Wicked Sensation.”
George Lynch did what he does best, amazed the crowd with his Tiger ESP signature guitar solos, and gave them what they came for. A group photo was taken at the end, with the tour crew and musicians onstage. The crowd seemed satisfied as the venue staff verbally encouraged everyone to leave pretty much as soon as the show ended.
If this is, in fact, my last time seeing George Lynch perform live, I was honored to be in attendance for this final farewell from Providence! Thank you, George and company! In the words of 14-year-old Steve Brown, “keep flying up the fretboard!”
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