It was all rock n’ roll up to the very last song. The biggest chills from the Skid Row concert at Vinyl Music Hall were delivered as 80’s guitar god Dave “The Snake” Sabo and his acoustic intro to “I’ll Remember You” were followed by frontman Johnny Solinger and the band (Rachel Bolan (bass), Shotti Hill (guitar), and Rob Hammersmith (drums) kicking into an electrified moment of hard rock nostalgia. By the end of the night, it became a lot more than just rock n’ roll.

If the night had ended with “I’ll Remember You”, it still would have been a monumental concert down memory lane.

As the local groups Foreseen and Grand Theft Audio rocked the opening slots, an entire rock n’ roll family pressed against the front barricade and rocked out for the entire night. The biggest stars in the group were two little girls who banged their heads and raised their fists nonstop. One of the miniature rockstars even had a pair of drumsticks that she played (with amazing accuracy and skill) during every set.

Everyone in Vinyl was shouting hit-after-hit during Skid Row’s set. It was almost unreal to realize how many amazing songs the band from Toms River, New Jersey has given hard rock fans over the years. Their debut album alone is full of heavy metal glory; “Piece of Me”, “18 and Life”, “Youth Gone Wild” and “I’ll Remember You”. Even without original 80’s era frontman Sebastian Bach, the band rocked with longtime vocalist Solinger hitting every note with pristine perfection.

Not only did Skid Row play the hits, they rocked through an entire catalog of hard rock anthems leaving my buddies and I to wonder what song had they not played. This game of “Guess what’s next” eventually led to the encore of all encores.

Just as the band returned onstage, Solinger and guitar god Sabo toasted to the young rockers in front by pulling them onstage for an epic jaunt through “Youth Gone Wild”.

It was all rock n’ roll.

– Michael L. Smith