Enuff Znuff - Cleveland, OH 10/9/2002
Interestingly, in support of their upcoming release Welcome to Blue Island (already available in Japan) Enuff Znuff has embarked on a co-headlining tour with former Mr. Big vocalist Eric Martin. Normally, a simple club tour wouldn’t be so interesting, but this time the band has embarked on a tour without their lead vocalist Donnie Vie. And considering the trademark beatlesque vocal harmonies that the band is known for, it makes for an interesting road report.
In this case, we caught Enuff Znuff headlining the performance. And, the first surprise of the evening was a noteworthy performance by local openers The Shape, who offered a strong metal voice and talented songwriting. They were later followed by the extremely energetic Eric Martin, who took the stage with an excellent representation of old and new solo material as well as Mr. Big hits and newer Mr. Big material that most Americans haven’t had the opportunity to hear live or otherwise.
Soon to follow was Enuff Znuff, temporarily (one hopes) as a three piece. Chip Znuff noted during the set that Donnie would not be joining the band at this performance, but will hopefully catch up with them later in the tour. With Chip on bass, Ricky Parent on drums and Johnny Monaco now handling lead guitar and lead vocals, the band opened with a few old favorites and surprised most with Monaco’s worthy imitation of Vie’s vocal approach.
Easily recognizable favorites like “New Thing,” “Fly High Michelle,” and “Baby Loves You” made up most of the set, though other inclusions like “Heaven or Hell,” “Right By Your Side” and a great jam session on the band’s cover of Bowie’s “Jean Genie” from their last release “10” also caught our ear. While most fans will find flaw with anything less than the collaboration of “brothers” Donnie Vie and Chip Znuff, those who are open minded enough to give the band a listen will find that Johnny Monaco has put his heart, soul, and determination into making this version of the band work (and true fans should not let his efforts and talents go unnoticed).
