Concert Review
Dokken &
George Lynch
Showplace Theater Of Buffalo
Buffalo, NY
Thursday December 9, 2021
Review and Photos: Joseph Suto
It’s been eight long years since Don Dokken and the band that carries his surname graced a stage in the Buffalo area. During that time Don Dokken has gone through a lot but like he says he takes what life throws at him and makes out the best he can. Many fans expect an artist to sound like they did 30 years ago and sadly that is not always the case. Being the soldier Dokken is he did the best he could which satisfied the majority of the crowd.
Kicking things off with “Don’t Close Your Eyes” from the Tooth and Nail album was a little different way to start off the set as until the last few years the band never touched since the 1980s. Perhaps the songs that sounded the best vocally were the two absolute gems of “Breaking The Chains” and “Into The Fire”.
Guitarist Jon Levin, bassist Chris McCarvill and drummer B.J. Zampa make up the current version of Dokken. Levin is absolutely a phenomenal guitarist who has now been in the band since 2003. The band sounded tight but it was Levin who really stood out especially on “Too High To Fly” where his talent was on full display.
It was Levin who introduced original guitarist George Lynch who joined the band on guitar for the final few songs. To see Lynch perform the heaviest songs of the night in “Kiss Of Death”, “When Heaven Comes Down” and of course “Tooth And Nail” was worth the price of admission alone. Hard to believe the last time Lynch and Doken were on a Buffalo stage was 1988 when they played Rich Stadium on the Monsters Of Rock tour.
For a Thursday night in Buffalo in December there was a decent sized crowd that was able to witness a band welcome back a prominent member up on stage. Not only did Lynch perform well it was almost as if he never left. Don Dokken really seemed happy at how well the show went over as he stayed out on the stage for quite some time after the show was over to sign a few items for the very appreciative crowd. Let’s hope the band will return again somewhere down the road.
Opening the night were Hair Nation featuring Buffalo Music Hall Of Famer Jim Crean. Crean and his solid band ran through a series of hair metal classics that dominated the radio in the late 80s and early 90s. The highlight of the show had to be “Sink Your Teeth Into That”, the old Talas gem which he dedicated to his best friend Phil Naro who sadly passed away earlier this year. Make sure to catch Hair Nation who also features guitarist Dan Kaplin, drummer Colleen Covo and latest member bassist Bob Rich lll.
Set List
Don’t Close Your Eyes
The Hunter
Into the Fire
Breaking the Chains
Dream Warriors
Just Got Lucky
Alone Again
Too High to Fly (Jon Levin guitar solo and “The End”)
It’s Not Love
In My Dreams
With George Lynch
Kiss of Death
When Heaven Comes Down
Tooth and Nail
