Story by Metal Head Cosa
Photos by Lexi Miles, Photographer
The Aftershock in Kansas City was Jericho as Chris Jericho and Fozzy brought the Judas Rising tour to town for a powerslam of a show on Sept. 1.
Teaming up with Fozzy on the tour was Adeltitas Way, Stone Broken, and The Stir with local support Thousand Years Wide. A big opportunity for the Saint Joseph band, Thousand Years Wide opened the show and they didn’t disappoint. Dawning a matching black bellhop style costume were guitarist Sean Sollars, Pat Jonas on drums, Trent Holcomb on vox and stand out Derrick Egglton on bass. The group came out with their “hard rock metalcore” sound strong and tight. Mixing solid chunk and fast-paced solos with clean vocals and pounding thump Thousands Years Wide provde they’ve worked hard since their inception in 2014 to have a tight performance.
Up next was the powerhouse trio The Stir, out of Atlanta. They have been together since 2015 and have been on tour with Fozzy most of the summer. The group includes Andrew Evans on guitar and vocals, Tanner Hendon on bass and former Collective Soul drummer Cheney Brannon. The Stir have a great sound and high energy show , following in the footsteps of other great trios, they have the great ability of making up for not having the extra guitar or keyboard backup to make the sound feel full. Hendon has a great ability to bring a full vibrant sound with his bass using different effects. He combines that with the obvious fun you can tell he is having on stage and is a great match for the down and dirty rocker style of their front man. Evans is what you want in a lead – dynamic and energizing. He blazes with his riffs and soothes with his vocals. Backing on the beat is a veteran of the sticks and it shows with a great performance from a seasoned drummer.
Third on the bill from across the pond was the Walsall, UK-bred Stone Broken. A hard rock four piece with a huge sound and great look. It’s easy to tell the American influences on Stone Broken with their arena rock sound. Kieron Conroy on bass, Chris Davies on guitar, trucker hat wearing Rich Moss on vocals and guitar are joined by Robyn Hayccok on drums. They are an exciting band that pours everything into their performance. Each member fits perfectly with each other and flows very well together. Possessing a chemistry as tight as theirs on stage doesn’t come easy and for a newer band still rocking their independent release “All In Time,” they play well together and have no trouble putting on a very crowd pleasing performance. They earned all-new fans with their catchy tunes and easily made a connection from the stage.
Hailing from Las Vegas, Adelitas Way rounded out the bill. The group includes Rick DeJesus on vocals and lead guitar, Trevor Strafford on drums and Andrew Cushing on the bass. Having had the pleasure to catch Adelitas way on several occasions including the few free shows on the square in Springfield, Mo., I was looking forward to seeing them again because they get better with every show and this night was no different. Always full of passion Dejesus has been bringing his music to the masses since their debut single “Invincible” was a huge hit.
Adelitas Way rock the stage with hits like “Ready For War,” “Bad Reputation,” and “Notorious” off their latest album. Dejesus and his band boast on how they are giving power back to the band by taking control of their destiny and music. They rocked the Aftershock stage likes pros and had the almost sold out crowd jamming to every beat. Disappointed that they would be in a hurry, Dejesus told the crowd he was sorry they couldn’t stay to greet fans like usual and promised a return as quickly as possible
As the time had come for the headliner, the crowd was already excited with anticipation. They knew why Jericho and Fozzy were so late to the stage as Jericho was in Chicago just hours earlier for a very special appearance at an independent wrestling spectacular.
Arriving just in time to get a full set in, Fozzy (formally a Ozzy tribute band) lead by Jericho took to the stage to the roars from the crowd. Fozzy has been blowing up stages since its
inception in 1999 and has gone through many lineup changes. The group currently consists of Paul DiLeo on bass, Billy Grey on guitar, Frank Fontsere on drums and Rich Ward on lead guitar. And of course Y2J Chris Jericho on vocals.
No stranger to entertaining a crowd, Jericho took to the stage still dawning the partially worn off makeup from the Chi-Town show and was greeted by roars and chats of Y2J. With seven studio and one live album under their belt, Fozzy has a rich pool of fan favorite tracks to fill their set. They put on a very high energy, crowd interactive show. Jericho has managed to put together a great band of musicans and the joy they have entertaining shines through as they rock the crowd.
Opening the show with maybe their biggest hit “Judas” along with other tracks like “Burn Me Out,” “Spider in my Mouth” and the newest single “Painless,” Fozzy brings everything you want in a headliner and starting late seemed to empower the band to put on an even bigger, better show for its fans in attendance. Fozzy proves show after show they belong on some of the biggest stages in rock. The group knows what the crowds want and gives it with every performance and tonight was no exception.
The Judas Rising tour is still in motion through December and is a must see tour. With a great line up of bands and VIPs available throughout the dates it’s nothing short of a spectacular show that will leave you thoroughly entertained and a fan of all the bands.