Zakk Wylde w/ Otherwise and Jared James Nichols
Showbox SoDo, Seattle, WA
08.26.16
It is not every day that you get to witness a rock legend in a such an intimate venue, but that is exactly what Seattle’s chapter of the Black Label Society received at the Showbox Sodo with Zakk Wylde and his band bringing them to hard rock church.
Opening the night was Jared James Nichols Band. Originally from Wisconsin, Nichols made his way to L.A where he met his bandmates Erik Sandin and Dennis Holm, who hail from Sweden. With the drum kit at the center of the stage, the 3-piece group immediately went into a set of classic, blues-influenced hard rock. Nichols was a force on his axe, shredding through solos with ease while his bandmates backed him up, their manes violently flowing with exuberance. Their set ended with an energetic cover of Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen” which they certainly did justice to.
With the crowd still rolling in, Las Vegas’ metal ensemble Otherwise took to the stage. Their energy was evident from the start with the hard driving opener, “Love and War.” His mic stand adorned with what I took to be mementos from the road, lead singer Adrian Patrick was all emotion during the set. His brother Ryan was as engaging as I have seen any guitarist and Tony “The Beast” Carboney was exactly that on bass; he very well could have been Coheed and Cambria’s Claudio Sanchez’s twin brother. Pointing to all of the fathers in the crowd, Patrick explained, “All of the monsters under the bed should be afraid of you,” before the band played the ethereal “Meet Me In The Dark.” The band was very polished and present during their set, really making it known how important fans (giving props to the fan in the front row with an Otherwise t-shirt) and family (Patrick pointing to his brother and making a heart around his) are to their music and life.
After what seemed to be an extended set-up time for Zakk Wylde, the lights finally dimmed and out came the hulking rocker donning a bowler hat, denim vest, and some major shit-kicking boots. Without hesitation, he took to his platform, assumed his signature stance, and began his slaying of “Sold My Soul.” The opening song, which lasted about eight minutes, set the stage for the rest of the night with Wylde going to each end of the stage, shredding what seemed to be a never-ending solo. He unleashed all of the moves of a classic rocker from playing over and behind his head to playing with his mouth. By the end of the song, the hat came off and he unleashed his hair. Talk about beginning with a bang.
Wylde and his band are consummate performers, which is not surprising because of his pedigree with Black Sabbath and Generation Axe. Throughout the night, Wylde demonstrated his masterful metal solo abilities. The ease with which he went from each end of his guitar neck was mesmerizing. During the Black Sabbath classic “Heaven and Hell,” the sparse crowd served him well as he decided to become the Pied Piper of Sodo and lead the crowd around the floor during his epic intro solo.
While Wylde may be an imposing figure, he showed his softer side during the solo acoustic “Dead As Yesterday,” and his declaration of selflessness “The King,” which featured him on piano. The band closed the night with “Sleeping Dogs,” the single off his second solo release Book of Shadows II. After that, the show ended. No encore, just a band staying on stage and taking the time to acknowledge the faithful fans with drumsticks, picks, high fives, and hugs. It was fitting really, a no nonsense ending for a band who brings classic no nonsense rock to their fans.
Review and photos by Phillip Johnson
Zakk Wylde
Otherwise
Jared James Nichols
