Chickenfoot Debut In Toronto

The Mod Club

Toronto, ON

on May 24 2009

Kevin September (CHARTattack)

05/25/2009 3:03pm

Who are Chickenfoot, you ask?

They're touring in advance of their June 9 release, which is said to be "packaged in heat sensitive artwork," and they have a lineup so whack it works. The mix includes former Red Hot Chili Pepper Chad Smith, two former Van Halians in Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar, and a lead guitar player who's been Surfing With The Alien and recently sued Coldplay, the ever-inventive Joe Satriani.

While Anthony had been working with Hagar on-and-off since their split with Van Halen, Smith joined the two rather organically via jam sessions frequently held at Hagar's famous Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Satriani, who for some time "really wanted to be a part of a big vocal-oriented rock band," completed the foursome. Recording began.

Those hoping for career retrospectives at the show would have been disappointed, but folks who came out curious to hear what these four musicians sound like after leaving their egos outside of a Toronto nightclub certainly got their money's worth. Come to think of it, even Chickenfoot's swag was kept outside to allow more room for fans to shoehorn into the very sold-out venue.

Surely, Chickenfoot's label bosses were pleased, as were rock fans lucky enough to score ducats, as this uber-tight rock band made a great argument in the neverending album versus singles debate. The band treated fans to a special kind of listening party and played their self-titled debut from start to finish, in the order it was recorded — breaking only to share a few laughs, drinks and their obvious admiration for each other's talents.

The lyrics to "Soap On A Rope," the second song on the disc and of the nearly two-hour set, includes the verse "Got money, got fame, fast cars and everything... I want to dance, got to sing... rock soul, blues... sing anything." These words rang true as a mantra throughout this entertaining show, as the four rock stars got down to the business of simply having a blast. They even included a Hagar/Montrose classic in "Bad Motor Scooter" and covered Deep Purple's "Highway Star" to round out the party.

In a uniquely Hagar bonus, the tequila empressario told a story about the previous night on the town with Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson, whom Hagar addressed while looking side-stage, with a tribute to hardworking single mothers.

The only way this show could've been more fun was if it was in your backyard, during a BBQ, and I was drinking your tequila (Cabo Wabo of course).

Check out live shots from the show here.