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Perhaps he was
in a rush to get out of the ninety-six degree heat, or perhaps he was
concerned about getting on the bad side of an audience filled with
alcohol-fuelled bikers, but on this particular occasion, Sweaty Teddy kept
his typical on-stage political banter to a minimum. Instead, he let the
symbolism speak for itself as he proudly waved the American flag and opened
his headlining performance with a squealing rendition of the "Star Spangled
Banner."
 He played on with the classics that have become mainstays of
classic rock radio like "Free For All," "Cat Scratch Fever" and, of course,
"Stranglehold" and even added in a few new songs from his long-awaited
upcoming studio release, Craveman, due out on Spitfire Records on September
24. That newer material even spawned a Nugent-approved Americana anthem
entitled “RawDogs & WarHogs,” which was dedicated to the armed forces of the
United States, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, National
Guard, and "We the People."
Sadly, drummer Tommy Aldridge, who had been rounding out the
Ted Nugent trio along with bassist Marco Mendoza for a few years now, is
recovering from a shoulder injury and unable to perform. In his place,
however, is the young and energetic Tommy Clufetos, who clearly takes pride
in being the newest member of this band.
 Those who have followed the career of the gun- yielding, bow-shooting, guitar-playing performer would be familiar with the more obscure favorites included
in his set like "Just What the Doctor Ordered" and "Hey Baby,” the later of
which featured Mendoza on lead vocals. But with other favorites like “Wang
Dang Sweet Poohtang” and “Stormtroopin’” casual fans were still left
pleased.
As has been customary in more recent performances, Nugent
also featured the hunting story of “Fred Bear” as well as the title track
from the Spirit of the Wild, but the “Spirit” was wrapped into the long
anticipated finale of “Great White Buffalo,” which left Nugent room for the
merger of his love of music and “the kill.”
For more information on all things Ted, visit
www.tednugent.com.
Read the review of Billy
Idol from the same show. |
