Greece should be Ryan Roxie’s second home since he visits us often but more importantly he is very much loved by the people here and that’s what counts the most. Obviously we wouldn’t miss the chance to be at Temple Club to enjoy Alice Cooper’s guitarist who would be accompanied once again by Snakebite; the only Greek tribute band to the legendary shock rocker.
Unfortunately for me and many others, Wild Machine had to cancel their show at the last minute due to insurmountable health problems but the gap was more than filled by Johnnie Holliday’s DJ set that» warmed up” the crowd that had begun to fill the club.
Shortly after 9:00 Scream Collision hit the stage. I hadn’t had the chance to see before this band so I was kinda curious. Comfortable, well-rehearsed and with the ally of a flawless sound, Scream Collision presented a decent set for about an hour, winning -with ease, I must emphasize- everyone who was at the club at that time. Progressive metal (with influences from Shadow Gallery and Queensryche, just to name two bands) with hard rock touches and musicians who were absolutely flawless, Scream Collision performed songs from their debut album “Memories” and three covers of Ozzy (“Mr. Crowley”), Maiden (“Remember Tomorrow”) and Pink Floyd (“Another Brick in the Wall”). Overall they did a great job and I think it’s worth checking them out and supporting them.
But the time had come for Snakebite who were armed and ready to perform their own version of the unsurpassed Alice Cooper Show. We’ve written about this band before. These guys are die-hard fans and they pay attention to the smallest detail in all the covers they do and the show they present. Their concert at Temple was, of course, no exception. They performed a few songs before Roxie took the stage with them starting with the legendary “Welcome To My Nightmare” and “Devil’s Food” (including Vincent Price’s fantastic narration). “Teenage Frankenstein”, “The Ballad of Dwight Fry” and “Feed My Frankestein” got the crowd more excited and the show was of course absolutely fitting (more details in the photos by Yiannis Dolas).
In that frame and the crowd all worked-up, Ryan Roxie took the stage and, as it was expected, he was typically cool, smiling and with that awesome rock n’ roll aura around him. The opening notes of “Be My Lover” and “Is It My Body” remind us of Alice’s classic period while “Brutal Planet”, “Man of The Year”, “Perfect” and “Dirty Diamonds” prove that the Prince of Darkness released some awesome records in the 21st century. Needless to say, that all hell broke loose and the crowd went berserk during “He’s Back”, “Bed of Nails”, “Poison”, “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, “Billion Dollar Babies” and “School’s Out”. Even at the moment where Konstantinos Kuzigiannis had to change a string on his guitar, Roxie continued with an impromptu and off-script rendition of “Me Generation” from his solo album “Imagine Your Reality”. Rock N’ Roll or what?
The live show was over but the night continued with an after show party at a nearby club. It was a great rock n’ roll concert with an authentic rock n’ roller but also two bands (Snakebite, Scream Collision) who really gave their best and for that they deserve a lot of congratulations. Many kudos to Kostas Savas and all those who contributed to the organization of the event…
Sakis Nikas
