Warner E. Hodges hit Malmö once again (it happens quite often in fact.) This time it was not as guitarist in neither Jason And The Scorchers nor with Dan Baird And Homemade Sin. (Warner will in fact return with DBAHS next week, with The Bluefield's Joe Blanton on vocals because of Dan's current condition.
Now back to last night. I thought I was gonna see a regular Warner E. Hodges show, but in fact it turned out to be a "3 Aces" tour with 3 different headliners. They all used Warner's rhythm section, so the bass player and drummer had had to learn some 60+ songs for this small tour!
I arrived early to the venue, and I managed to secure a bar stool at the very front, only 2 meters away from Warner, and with a loudspeaker only 0.5m meters away from my right ear. Nothing that scares a longtime Motörheadbanger, but my right ear did take some hard beating.
First act was Eric Ambel, who played a fine gig and Warner joined the entire gig as co-guitarist and he got to play some great solos. Eric joked about sounding like a frog last time he was in Sweden, because of a sore throat, but he sounded fine this time around. Nice beginning of a long rock n roll evening.
Second act was Webb Wilder, who is a very tall man, and he could barely fit on the small stage without headbutting the ceiling. Very nice gig again, and Warner even joined in on one song playing the BASS. That's not something you see or hear every day!
Third on stage was Warner's band, now joined by Eric Ambel on co-guitar. Warner blasted songs mostly from his brand new album "Right Back Where I Started" [2017]. I was actually pretty impressed by the power in Warner's live vocal (we all know of the power in his guitar playing.) I counted 3 guitar loops, but the small stage didn't allow for any spins. The new album sounded excellent live and it was a fine setlist. Webb Wilder joined in on a Tom Petty cover, where Warner once again grabbed the bass. Last song was pure madness with all 5 musicians on that way too small stage. Several of them walked out onto the floor instead.
The full show went on for about 3 hours, and I had to run to catch a train back to Copenhagen, so I simply didn't have time to offload the guys from some of their merchandise. It was a fine evening in Malmö, and I was happy that I managed to kick my ass out the door and enjoy this fantastic evening of rock n roll. It was certainly well worth the trip to Sweden on a Wednesday evening.
I had a nice little chat with Warner before the gigs started. He had some very thrilling news to tell. JATS should begin recording a new album early next year. Chances are it will be a country twang thing. Sounds perfect to me! There are also good chances of a vinyl release of this new one + also a vinyl release of the latest Warner solo album. Warner also told that Dan Baird is recovering well. Dan should be back to full speed quite soon, and until then Joe Blanton And Homemade Sin will keep the train rolling.
Rating: 
Band: Warner E. Hodges band
Venue: Pub Kuntze / Sankt Gertrud, Malmö, SE
Concert Date: 2017-10-18
Support Bands: Eric Ambel, Webb Wilder
Setlist:
I'm Your Man, Dirt, Where Did You Go, Ain't That Far Away, Quarter After 4, Ghost on the Road, The Hard Way, I'm Never Alone, Back In Town, Gunslinger, Right Back Where I Started, Mary Jane's Last Dance [Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers cover], Runnin' Down a Dream [Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers cover], I Love You Baby.
Ticket Price (DKK): 170
Ticket Provider: Kulturcentralen
Content Type: Concert Review
Language: 
Updated: 2017-10-19 20:20
Created: 2017-10-19 20:02
