May 30th, 2015. Saxon/Armored Saint House of Blues Sunset Strip
PHOTOS by Natalia Britt RECAP by William Greenberg
Tonight HOB sold out! Let’s do this Los Angeles! See you all later!
— Armored Saint (@thearmoredsaint) May 30, 2015
Armored Saint rocked the crowd into an early frenzy and although I’m not as familiar with most of their catalog, they sounded great. Can They Deliver? Yes they can…
John Bush is back in the fold for his second album since his stint with Anthrax, and judging by the crowd reaction they received from their new song, “Mess”, they’re going to be in good shape moving forward.
(The new Armored Saint album, ‘Win Hands Down’ , is awesome and is currently streaming on SOUNDCLOUD via Blabbermouth -ed)
Win Hands Down! Armored Saint takes the stage at House of Blues Hollywood! http://t.co/eg7q7Gggdf
— Randall Amplifiers (@randallamps) May 31, 2015
Hanging with my two very good friends John and Joey of Armored Saint last night after they killed it… https://t.co/joIkgQMtKI
— Chris Broderick (@Chris_Broderick) May 31, 2015
@thearmoredsaint can definitely put on a killer show. pic.twitter.com/b9V46Okt9I
— NataliaBritt (@natalianbritt) May 31, 2015
One of the best in the business, @thearmoredsaint in front of a sold out @HOBSunset pic.twitter.com/DJ8ktdAHXr
— Metal Blade Records (@MetalBlade) May 31, 2015
John Bush – vocals
Gonzo Sandoval – drums
Joey Vera – bass
Phil Sandoval – guitars
Jeff Duncan – guitars
TONIGHT — Saxon w/ Armored Saint *SOLD OUT*! Doors: 7:30P, Show: 8:30P, 18+. More info: http://t.co/kYdDyedsMP pic.twitter.com/oNGxloLqD2
— HOB Sunset (@HOBSunset) May 30, 2015
Even though I’ve been a fan since the early 80’s, the last time I saw Saxon was my first time. It was two years ago and they were on tour supporting the “Sacrifice” album. (Yes, I still call them albums). That set list included a bunch of new songs and the usual staples. This time the “Warriors of the Road” were here to take us on a journey to the past.
This tour was a “Thank You” to the fans, and except for second song “Sacrifice” and “Solid Ball of Rock” (“One of our comeback albums”), everything else came from the albums that made Saxon one of the NWOBHM legends.
If “Boy Band of the Year” is a thing, Saxon won’t be in the running, but at 64 years old, Biff Byford could teach the youth of today something about longevity. His voice still sounds amazing, and the band, with original guitarist, Paul Quinn (63) and longtime, returning drummer, Nigel Glockler (62) kick some serious ass.
The Sold-out crowd ate up every song and even though the mosh pit during “Heavy Metal Thunder” didn’t have the strength of a toilet bowl flush, they sang along with every word.
This being the last date of this leg of their tour, the Sunset Strip crowd was graced with 2 extra songs during the bands encore. Wrapped between “Wheels of Steel” and usual show finale, “Denim and Leather”, we were graced with “a song about the police”, “Strong Arm of the Law” and “2 words that we all should live by”, “Never Surrender”.
CALIFORNIA ROCK NEWS 
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