Tag: Roxy Petrucci

Quiet Riot and Vixen at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, FL on 3/6/26 By Jesse Striewski/Photos By Brooke Striewski

Back in late 2006, I had been a new father for just over half a year when I ventured out to Ormond Beach, FL for Biketoberfest to catch Quiet Riot and Skid Row – two bands I loved while growing up that many of my middle/high school peers would surely give me flack for still rocking out to at the height of grunge and nu metal (Though I never cared much what anyone else thought). It ended up being one of the funniest shows I had ever been to up to that point, and I’ll forever be grateful to have seen the late legends Kevin DuBrow and Frankie Banali on stage together prior to their unfortunate, respective passings since.

Twenty years later, and a lot has certainly changed. But I knew when I saw Quiet Riot were coming to the Hard Rock Live in Orlando with Vixen in tow on Friday, March 6 (coincidentally one year to the day since I was also discharged from the hospital), it was time to finally catch the band live again, this time with my wife and Photographer Brooke beside me for the ride, too, who was ready to once again break out her SLR camera again for the occasion. (As crazy as the first week of March might have started out for us, too.) And after putting in a last-minute request, we got the “okay” from none other than Quiet Riot guitarist Alex Grossi himself (the only remaining member of the band left from said time I caught them back in ’06 who I also interviewed for Rewind It Magazine back in 2021), we were all set to go. (Thank you again, Alex.)

Almost immediately after entering the building it was clear that we had made the right decision to go. While preparing to start photographing the show from the side of the stage, Brooke ran into longtime (and legendary) Quiet Riot bassist Rudy Sarzo, whose initial time in the band stretches all the way back to the late ’70s, and recently returned to the lineup in 2021. Sarzo – who also served some time in both Ozzy Osbourne’s band and Whitesnake in the ’80s, and has also had stints with the likes of Dio and Blue Oyster Cult, among so many others – was no doubt one of the major selling points for us to go that night in the first place (Especially yours truly, having come from the school of bass players myself.)

Another group that we’ve caught live before who have also experienced some significant lineup changes since the last time we saw them back in 2019 (opening for Sebastian Bach, ironically at the very same venue), the always-lovely Vixen, who now featured new lead singer Rosa Laricchiuta, and temporary bassist Jennifer Jo Oberle filling in for Julia Lage. (Who is currently on tour oversees with Smith/Kotzen, and admittedly I was a bit disappointed to find out was not there, though Oberle no doubt did an admirable job in her place).

Vixen on stage at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, FL on Friday, March 6. (Photo by Brooke Striewski.)

The gals kicked off the night with plenty of energy though, opening with “Rev It Up” before launching into “Charmed Life,” “How Much Love,” “Crusin’,” “Hard 16,” and “Cryin’.” A medley featuring parts of “Runnin’ with the Devil,” “I Want You to Rock Me,’ “Perfect Strangers,” “What You’re Doing,” “War Pigs,” and “Still of the Night” kept the momentum going before a drum solo from Roxy Petrucci lead them back to “I Want You to Rock Me.”

Yet the girls were still far from finished, with “Streets in Paradise, “Love is a Killer,” “Not a Minute Too Soon,” “You Ought to Know By Now,” “Love Made Me,” and of course, “Edge of a Broken Heart” all finally wrapping up their whopping seventy-five minute long set.

By the time Quiet Riot hit the stage the excitement was undeniable. The previously mentioned Sarzo and Grossi were now joined by another former Rewind It interveiwee, Jizzy Pearl of Love/Hate (another band whose show we covered some years back in 2018), and drummer Johnny Kelly of Type O Negative and Danzig fame. (Who I was also lucky enough to catch on stage with both acts in the past in the ’90s and ’00s.)

Bass icon Rudy Sarzo commanded the stage with Quiet Riot at the Hard Rock Live this past Friday, March 6 (Photo by Brooke Striewski).

In an instant the entire audience was transported back in time with the likes of “Run For Cover,” “Slick Black Cadillac,” “Mama Weer All Crazee Now,” and “Love’s a Bitch,” all paving the way for what was still to come. The tender “Thunderbird” was then introduced and then dedicated not only to late guitarist Randy Rhodes (who the song was originally penned for after his tragic death in the early ’80s), but also DuBrow, Banali, and another former Sarzo bandmate, Mr. Ozzy Osbourne himself.

“Party All Night,” “Blackout in the Red Room,” and “The Wild and the Young” all kept the party going before the guys unleashed a medley of their own that featured “Let’s Get Crazy,” “Crazy Train,” a guitar solo from Grossi that segued into Van Halen’s “Eruption,” and a touch of Type O Negative’s “Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)” before coming full circle back into “Let’s Get Crazy” again.

By that point, there was not much more left to do other than the one-two punch of “Cum On Feel the Noize” and “Metal Health (Bang Your Head).” No doubt it was a night full of fun and classic anthems, but there’s more to it than just that; each time bands like Quiet Riot and Vixen hit the stage, they’re keeping not only the music itself alive, but also the memories of all those those who had a hand it helping to create it.

Sebastian Bach and Vixen at the Hard Rock Live Orlando on 10/30/19 By Jesse Striewski/Photos by Brooke Striewski

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Last year Rewind It Magazine was there to bring you coverage of former Skid Row front man Sebastian Bach’s show at The Plaza Live. This past Wednesday night, October 30, at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, Bach seemed to be full of a sense of rejuvenation as he plowed through a set that consisted entirely of his former band’s music, and the crowd ate up every minute. It was no small feat for him to pull off such an epic show, either, considering he was dealing with personal issues, having just learned of his family’s home in California being under evacuation due to wildfires shortly before going on stage.

Newcomers Kobra and the Lotus kicked off the night with the appropriate amount of enthusiasm expected from a lesser-experienced act. Front woman Kobra Paige was easily the center of attention as she slinked around on stage in a blue jump suit, belting out numbers like “Burn!” and “Let me Love You.” It also didn’t hurt she had immense talent backing her, including the dual guitar work of Jasio Kulakowski and Ronny Gutierrez.

Vixen were up next, and have been on my radar of bands to see for awhile now. Although something did feel like it was missing without former vocalist Janet Gardner and of course founding guitarist Jan Kuehnemund (R.I.P.), former Femme Fatale singer Lorraine Lewis and Jaded guitarist Britt Lightning did more than admirable jobs in their shoes (especially Lightning, whose looks first caught my eye when I saw her play with Jaded back in 2005). The band opened their set with a number from Lewis’ previously mentioned former band, “Waiting on the Big One.” More songs from throughout the band’s career followed, including “Cryin’,” “Runnin’ with the Devil/I Want You to Rock Me” and “You Ought to Know,” before of course ending it with their most recognizable hit, “Edge of a Broken Heart.”

Finally Bach hit the stage, opening his set curiously with a more obscure Skid Row number, “Forever,” before going into the first Skid Row album in it’s entirety as promised. And as soon as the familiar riffs of “Big Guns” kicked into gear, it was clear it was on! The rest of the album’s first side – “Sweet Little Sister,” “Can’t Stand the Heartache,” “Piece of Me,” “18 & Life,” and “Rattlesnake Shake” – relentlessly followed.

Before going to “Side 2,” a turntable was actually wheeled out on stage, and the band even briefly segued into the theme song of “WKRP in Cincinnati” before Bach literally dropped the record’s needle to signify the start of “Youth Gone Wild.” Pandemonium quickly ensued, as that lead to two more of the album’s heavier tracks in the form of “Here I Am” and “Makin’ a Mess.” Things of course slowed down a bit for “I Remember You” before closing the album portion of the set out with “Midnight.”

Of course the band wasn’t quite finished yet, and came back for an encore of tracks from the Slave to the Grind album, including “Slave to the Grind,” “The Threat,” “In a Darkened Room,” “Monkey Business,” and even ending with the once-controversial “Get the Fuck Out.”

It was definitely a treat to hear so many songs that normally would not have been included in his set list, and about the only other thing Bach could’ve possibly done to make the night even more complete would have been invite his former Madam X bandmate and Vixen drummer Roxy Petrucci on the stage to jam “We Reserve the Right to Rock.” Still, I’ve seen Bach live multiple times on his own, and I’ve seen his former band Skid Row play without him as well. I can honestly say that watching Bach perform a full set of Skid Row music, with photos and videos of his former band being displayed the whole time on screens on all sides of the stage, was by far the best night of Skid Row music from start to finish I’ve ever witnessed so far. 

Vixen performing before Sebastian Bach.