Rock The Fort Day 2…The Cult/Cinderfella…….

Saturday July 16 2016…ROCK THE FORT……

First of all the Sun was shining and that’s aways a good thing for outdoor shows as I’ve been to a few where it’s downpoured rain but today it’s about heat!

At around 2 pm our Crew which included along with myself,my wife Sue,Rockin Roberts,Jenna and Uncle Randy parked inside Old Fort Williams Grounds and proceeded to set up shop! Well Randy did as he provided all day Food and Drink for us as we set up shop right in the parking lot! Thanks a bunch Dude!

Uncle Randy along with Jenna. Uncle Randy was the Host as he provided Food And Drinks all day long for the Bunch of us!

Uncle Randy In Action! Steak Tacos,Bruschetta   Couscous along with beverages were provided all day! Your The Best Randy!

Doucette….

Jerry Doucette kicked things off with an energetic hour-long set! Impressive as basically  we all know him as the Mama Let Him Play(his big single back in the late 70s) guy. But make no mistake of it he kept us entertained with his singing and guitar playing! Rocking Roberts loved it! Doucette was a good opener…..

ChuckD and Jen….

 

HELIX…..

Helix Vocalist Brian Vollmer and Bassist Daryl Gray…

Brian Vollmer I stated many a time you got to hand it to him and give him respect as he takes his craft seriously! Helix today once again delivered and as they hit the stage opening with the title track from 1985’s Long Way To Heaven segues right into Wild In The Streets and the boys aren’t fooling around! Lead and Backing vocals were tight and the boys played fantastic especially Kaleb Duck who has taken over all of previous guitar dude Dr Doerner’s parts and plays real good! I dug the fact that Helix went a little deep into the catalogue(Six Strings Nine Lives was played) given the fact that they had an hour to do so. Walking The Razors Edge was well represented with 6 songs being played! Holy crap was drummer Fritz Hinz singing backing vocals during Gimmie Good Lovin? Helix showed up and delivered a serious rock show in the heat!

Helix Guitar Dude Kaleb Duck and Drummer Fritz Hinz

 

54-40…..

These guys have been around and were real big during  the mid nineties and like Helix they take their craft serious. Leader Neil Osbourne has a good knack for writing good catchy rock numbers. Case in point opening with a one two punch of  Nice To Love You and  Lies To Me. 54-40 as they keep playing you realize just how much of a deep catalogue they have in regards to music and how it resonates with many. Case in point Uncle Randy said 54-40 were his University  band many moons ago and it was a great seeing them live! One Gun,Baby Ran,I Go Blind, and my personal fav Radio Luv Song the hits were all here! Another great act….First time seeing  them live!

Rockin Roberts/BMellis and Deke’s rocking out to 54-40

TREWS……

Another act I  had never seen but have heard things about! Trews brought it and delivered a well oiled professional set. They did not fool around as they rocked from start to finish and what a great sound along with songs to go with their  show. Paranoid Freak is a monster track and give it up for lead singer Colin MacDonald who has a real good rock voice!

Trews N Roll!

Tom Keifer….

Or CinderFella as I call him since he’s solo came out with no fanfare and ripped right into Once Around The Ride ( From Cinderella’s Night Songs debut) and I was hooked! How can you not be as he still has the voice and the dude seems to be in good shape. Keifer wrote all the Cinderella stuff so it’s basically his deal anyways and man he did not disappoint. 3rd song in and it’s Heartbreak Station which is a real good track even on the ballad side of things…Course you know you have a deep catalogue of hits when Shake Me is played early on.

Shake It Don’t Break It…

Keifer man is Old School as in the guitars he uses and he whipped up a cool batch of slide playing on Night Songs. Tom even did justice to The Stones It’s Only Rock N Roll/ Prince’s Purple Rain as an end of the set jam and took it home and finished off his set with Gypsy Road.

The Cult….

Wowzer’s the build up to this was huge! Wolfchild and Duffy in our backyard of Tbay Ontario! Did someone say Yah Yuh?

ASTBURY IS ROCK N ROLL!

The Cult showed up and Kicked ASS! Ian Astbury/Billy Duffy/John Tempsta along with Grant Fitzpatrick and Damon Fox took to the stage opening with Wild Flower and Astbury took charge with both stage presence and the Tambourine. Duffy meanwhile took charge with a succession of guitar riffs and basically schooled everyone on how to do it with class!

The Cult are a band moving and progressing forward as shown when the 2nd track of the night is Dark Energy from their current release Hidden City. Kudos to these guys for  not just  playing a KISS like same set list tour after tour as 5 songs from the current album were featured with Hinterland being my fav…Destroy The Destroyer sang Wolfchild and I hollered like a lunatic! Case in point see the pic below with my pal Brother Bryce as we were just feet from the stage!

COMBAT ROCK 101

Phoenix from the Love album was a set highlight as Tempsta pounded the shit out of his drums while Duffy played like there was no tomorrow.

Pacing of the show was good and it was great to see the addition of a live keyboardist/guitarist to the fold as it enhanced the sound in song’s like  Sweet Soul Sister and the newer tracks as well.

Astbury was chatty and in a good mood seemed  appreciative  of the crowd and what were those three lights way up in the sky? Astbury must have thought ” Where the F&^k Am I?”

The Cult ended the night with G.O.A.T and Love Removal Machine.

The Cult apologized for showing up late and said the issues weren’t there deal but thanked everyone for sticking around! The Cult could have not taken the stage till 2 am and I would have stuck around!

THE CULT IS FUCKIN’ ROCK N ROLL………