Sebastian Bach Concert Review 2019 – Sebastian invaded Golden, CO and performed the “Skid Row” album in entirety. Here’s our Sebastian Bach concert review and setlist.

Sebastian Bach was born to be a Rock Star. And he proved it at Golden, CO this past weekend. Sebastian Bach is currently on tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of Skid Row’s debut album. He and his band are playing that album track-by-track, as well as selected songs from Slave to the Grind. This tour’s promotional material states #notapes #nofakes. 100% accurate. His voice sounds excellent and the show is an energy-filled 90 minutes of pure RNF’nR.

When Skid Row’s debut album came out I was 15 years old and too young per my parents to go an evil hard rock concert. My next opportunity was in 1991 but I was rock blocked by lack of cash when Skid Row supported Guns N’ Roses at the Deer Creek amphitheater in Indianapolis. This was just weeks before Slave to the Grind came out and Use Your Illusion hit the streets! Since that time I have seen Scab Row with Johnny “Meh” Solinger and Dragonforce Boy but never the real deal – Sebastian.

The Venue

To say my expectations were high would be an understatement. So when I rolled up to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden, CO and saw a sign that resembled the “Puppet Show and Spinal Tap” one, my initial knee-jerk reaction was WTF? And then I saw the venue itself. A barn. I thought it was going to be outside like the exceptionally run Freedom Fest I had been to there a few months prior.

I entered the barn and saw a sign that said CAUTION: UNEVEN FLOOR. And by “floor” they meant dirt. But I love random set ups like this, they make for better stories. It was a hell of a lot more spacious than the 800 to 1000 capacity max venues like the Gothic and the Ogden I usually go to in Denver. And for good reason; there was easily 1500 strong when Sebastian hit the stage.

The Opener

Unfortunately Sebastian’s set started over an hour late, presumably because the opener Kobra and the Lotus had issues syncing up their backing tapes. Perhaps you’ve heard of them as they were openers on one of the KISS tours. Here’s a Kobra hair twirl. For those that love them, great. They did nothing for me.

After they got off stage, the “warm up” song mix was heavy on deep tracks from Van Halen and KISS. Which was cool. Where else besides a Bach concert are you going to hear Almost Human and I’m on Fire?

The Show

Sebastian oddly opened with the Skid Row album outro “Tornado” instrumental and the bonus track “Forever” THEN exploded like Valentino with a hand grenade with “Big Guns” and “Sweet Little Sister.” Sebastian was in great voice, looking happy with life. And he was near impossible to photograph, zipping around the stage and turning right when I took a picture. Then the stage raps began, heavy with nostalgia but engaging, joking around throughout the evening between each song. He offered sage advice such as “You know what’s fun? Putting your cell phone away for 5 minutes!” Preach!

The Stage

The stage looked like a cross between a Best Buy HD TV display and a family album projector from the 70s. The screens showed old school selfies: Bach with Bon Jovi, Lemmy, Nikki Sixx. There were clips of Skid Row videos and oddly, lots of cartoon Thor. So much Thor. And, what I’d never seen before, endearing pictures of him in Ace makeup as a kid and hanging out with KISS circa 1977…. which explains his obsession.

He even had props! Before going into side 2 of the album, he brought out a turntable and explained the complexities of turning over a record and the challenges of 8-Tracks. He recollected about the power of classic rock radio and DJs like the fictional “Johnny Fever,” played the entire WKRP theme, dropped the needle and then tore into “Youth Gone Wild.”

Sebastian Bach Concert Review 2019 Summary

Throughout the night, when listening to the big hits off the album (18 and Life, I Remember You, Youth Gone Wild) it cemented the fact that these were MUCH better songs both lyrically and musically then their peers. And they’ve stood the test of time. So has the entire album except for the ridiculous “Here I Am” (close your eyes and I’ll be Superman!) and the boring “Clock Strikes Midnight.”

History

A lot is said about Sebastian’s behavior off stage. From the old days of Metal Sludge articles, fighting with fans on social media, to more recent shenanigans like getting kicked out of an Uber for suggesting to use a Waze app to get home faster. And why has he never been able to reunite with Skid Row? I can’t think of another band from that era, or any bands of their level of fame, that hasn’t been able to figure out how to do a reunion tour. If Van Halen could do it anyone can. I stand by my theory that it’s because Sebastian did not return Snake Sabo’s Tupperware after taking Thanksgiving leftovers home in 1992. Admittedly, it’s a dick move and unforgivable.

But whatever. None of this matters when Sebastian hits the stage because he does his fucking job, and does it well. Would I prefer that it was a full Skid Row reunion show? Of course. But I’ve seen the various incarnations of Skid Row and this is the closest you are going to get. At the end of the show when the band members were all introduced and thanked (Brent Woods – guitar, Rob De Luca – bass, Bobby Jarzombek – drums) their drummer said “And the original, and ONLY voice of Skid Row…Sebastian Bach!” Agreed.

Solid Advice

If he’s coming to your town, make sure you go. Hopefully he extends this tour with another leg earlier next year. And, fingers crossed, Sebastian returns Snake’s Tupperware, they reunite, and Skid Row does a 30th anniversary tour for Slave to the Grind!

Sebastian Bach Concert Review 2019, Skid Row 30th Anniversary Tour Setlist