Review by Rock Over America
Burning Rain played Count’s Vamp’d on Friday, December 13, 2013.
Over the course of the past several years, one of the few things that has been constant in this city is just how many excellent rock shows Vamp’d is able to put on. The venue attracts all varieties of rock bands, coming from all over the world. This has become my favorite place for rock and roll in all of Las Vegas.
Burning Rain is a group I heard would be playing Vamp’d, and upon hearing who the band lineup was comprised of, I knew this was a show that this rock and roll fan was going to have to be a part of. Featuring Whitesnake/Dio guitarist Doug Aldrich and Dokken/Quiet Riot bassist Sean McNabb, I knew there was going to be plenty of talent on hand for this night. Despite not being familiar with Burning Rain as a standalone group, it sounded like an ideal night of rock and roll entertainment. After all, this was a rare opportunity to see Doug Aldrich in a small venue; he typically played arenas and other larger venues with Dio and Whitesnake.
Burning Rain started in 1998, and the band (which has gone through a few lineup changes over the years) has released three studio albums to date. The group has gone on hiatus due to Aldrich’s involvement in other bands, but this has not stopped them from maintaining a solid following amongst a global fanbase.
Prior to attending the show, I began surfing sites like YouTube to see what Burning Rain sounded like; as big a fan as I am of these musicians in their respective bands, I was not at all familiar with the material the group had put out – In fact, I did not even know they had put out an album (let alone three!), or that they had been around for as long as they have been. The group has a bluesy hard rock sound that would not have been out of place in the rock and roll scene of the late 80s/early 90s, however the group also manages to make a sound all their own.
One question I was asking myself prior to this show, having not been too familiar with them beforehand, was the question of what the setlist would be comprised of. Would this be mostly material from the Burning Rain albums? Mostly covers from the artists’ past bands?
Again, this is a show I went to not fully knowing what to expect, but overall the night was an excellent one. Here, we have a diverse group of musicians who have played with some of the biggest name bands in rock and roll. Right from the first few moments of the show, it became clear that these guys love doing what they do, and that they live for being on the stage, creating quality rock and roll. Every fan in attendance was clearly having a great time; there was not a dull moment in the entire set. The band, interestingly, said that they had not played that many gigs in America, and has mostly played European shows.
As far as the setlist itself goes, it was roughly 90% Burning Rain originals, with very little cover material. I have seen a number of those “mini supergroups” that come out to Vamp’d on a regular basis, and while they all play excellent songs, it is often the same generic rock covers you hear from so many other cover artists. I admire a band like Burning Rain that writes and records their own material, and can back an entire setlist on it. In fact, there were very few cover songs at all; the band did Whitesnake’s Crying in the Rain and Montrose’s Rock Candy. One of the true highlights of the set for me, however, was Aldrich taking up an acoustic guitar and playing a song dedicated to the families of those who were killed in a school shooting last year; it was definitely a heartfelt and powerful moment. All through the night, the band managed to show off many diverse sides to their musical personalities. I personally would liked to have heard maybe a handful more covers of songs from the artists’ old bands (would have been great to see Aldrich rocking a Dio tune or two), but at the end of the day I am very satisfied with a band that can support themselves primarily on original material on stage.
Another surprise came at what I thought would be the end of the show. Paul Shortino (who played with Sean McNabb in Quiet Riot) and John Payne (of the band Asia) were in attendance, and joined the band on stage to jam on some classic rock tunes, including material from Led Zeppelin and Free. This was a nice, fun surprise that made for an entertaining way to conclude an already exciting evening of rock and roll.
After this night, I know full well that I need to hit up the record stores and start a Burning Rain CD collection of my very own; how I have not been aware of the group for so long is beyond me. But if they make it back to town, I will definitely be first in line for the gig. Long story short – these guys were phenomenal in their respective bands, and they do even better together, doing originals. If Burning Rain comes to town, do not pass up an opportunity to see them.