Roger Schultz 
I’m not familiar with any of Slaughter’s new music. I just wanted to see some of the old songs performed live, the ones I remember from my youth.
I had a first date with this girl on a Friday night. We seemed to connect, she’s a rocker. We talked about attending a rock show and noticed Great White and Slaughter were playing the next day at the Arcada Theater (105 E Main St, St. Charles, IL) so on a whim, I bought some tickets.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t make it so I reached out to The Metal Channel Journalist and Founder David Halbe, hoping to see if he could be a last-minute fill in but the bastard had family obligations, so I said fuck it and went stag.
I’d never been to this venue before and wasn’t familiar with the area. Honestly, I was expecting to get mugged, so I brought my blade, thinking I might have to stab a muther-fucker. Luckily, this concert hall turned out to be in a really nice area. It was literally sounded by a river, waterfalls, and a ton of boutiques and bars. The whole vibe was very welcoming. People were walking around enjoying the afternoon and I can tell you they put a lot of effort into making this downtown attraction to be enjoyed by all.
I went into the venue and immediately noticed a pizza pub with a bunch of pin ball machines and gift shop to my right. I thought it was interesting, you don’t usually see that type of shit at a rock venue. To my left were the merch tables, easily accessible, and right in your face. Just beyond that, a little off to the right, was a small bar where you could order drinks. I grabbed a beer, went back over to the merch tables.
I purchased some Great White guitar pics. The Slaughter merch table didn’t have much to offer by way of trinkets, all they had were shirts. The chick working the merch table was dressed in a top hat with a red circus ring master style garb. It reminded me of the Slaughter music video for “Fly To The Angels”.
I’m not familiar with any of Slaughter’s new music. I just wanted to see some of the old songs performed live, the ones I remember from my youth. An old man dressed as a movie theater usher looked at my ticket and welcomed me in. The inside of the venue had an old-school feel like attending a show at the Aragon Ballroom (1106 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL) or even the Ramova Theater (3520 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL), a high-ceiling airy place that was sure to have great acoustics.
Slaughter took the stage and had the crowd rocking. I wasn’t familiar with the first few songs of their set, obviously newer material and like I said, I was there to see the old shit which of course, they stashed for later. Scrutinizing the band, I must admit I was surprised at how large Mark Slaughter had become. I get it, we’re all getting old. Our bodies are starting to slump, but this guy is a stage performer. In my mind, you have a commitment to present yourself in a certain manner. Don’t look like ‘Vince Meal Junior’! However, I’m not a lady and I’m not gay so I really didn’t care what the dude looked like as long as he could still sing. Fortunately, Mark’s voice was still in prime shape.
They launched into “Fly To The Angels” which halted two minutes before the end and brought up some cancer survivors on stage. It was a heartfelt moment. I had recently lost my girlfriend/partner due to similar circumstances and felt I could literally feel her spirit on my shoulder. It could have been the beers I drank or the impact of the moment, but I immediately knew I had to leave the venue. Choking back tears, I knew I didn’t want to be seen crying like some bitch. As I was leaving, Slaughter began playing “Up All Night”.
I was disappointed I was missing Great White because I’d seen them before, in their prime, open for Whitesnake back in 1988. In my mind, Jack Russell, is the only vocalist for Great White. I can’t imagine the band fronted by anyone else.
Because I was by myself and drinking beer, I exited the venue then went around to the back to bullshit with the roadies, who turned out to be very cool. They gave me some guitar pics. I ran into two girls who desperately wanted to get into the show, so I gave them my tickets. I always try to pay it forward.
As I made my way home that night, I contemplated life as a series of moments. Some of these memories become precious over time. We don’t always know what they will be, but the hope is, when life finally passes you by, you can look back on where you’ve been and hopefully take those good times with you.
SLAUGHTER is:
- Mark Slaughter – Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards, Piano, Tambourine
- Dana Strum – Bass
- Jeff “Blando” Bland – Guitars
- Jordan Cannata – Drums
GREAT WHITE is:
- Audie Desbrow – Drums
- Mark Kendall – Guitars
- Michael Lardie – Guitars, Banjo, Sitar, Keyboards
- Scott Snyder – Bass
- Brett Carlisle – Vocals
