Chickenfoot
Webster Hall
New York City, New York
November 8, 2011
Tony Pijar
Chickenfoot has just completed their brief, five date ‘US Road Test Tour’ in New York and will be in Europe after the holidays. It’s definitely a ‘must see’ show! Of course, they’re out promoting the amazing “Chickenfoot III” album.
Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith’s fill-in drummer extraordinaire, Kenny Aronoff, are not about presenting a demonstration of musical dexterity or raiding their respective back catalogues; it’s all about putting on a fun, uncomplicated, show, and because the ‘road test shows’ were presented in an intimate setting (the Webster holds about 800-1000 SRO), the band and vibe was in your face! The band opened with “Lighten Up,” “Alright Alright” and “Big Foot” from the new release. The songs all have that Chickenfoot-identifiable mid-paced groove, especially “Big Foot”, which has got to be the best song they’ve penned to date. Other highlights were the riff killer “Soap on a Rope”, “Oh Yeah”, “My Kinda Girl” and the poignantly powerful “Three and a Half Letters”. Sammy’s not just about chicks and fast cars; check out the lyrics to “Three and a Half Letters” and you’ll see what I mean. Only one cover this time around; Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady.”
The music was great, the show was great, and they are a legitimate band as opposed to a supergroup with four distinct musicians vying for the spotlight. In fact, the frequent embraces, continual joking around, and perpetual smiles a mile wide strongly indicate just how strong this collective bromance is! Really, every facet of this show was perfect – catch them when they hit Europe!