Concert Review
Honeymoon Suite
Vixen
10.02.24
West Herr Riviera Theatre
North Tonawanda, NY
Review/Photos: Joseph Suto
The double bill of Canadien rockers Honeymoon Suite and the female band Vixen brought a great atmosphere to the West Herr Riviera Theatre Wednesday night. Both bands had played the Theatre before and both put on quality shows for their legion of fans in the past. This time was no exception as it was all about the songs that have stood strong over the years.
Vixen kicked the night off with a set of songs highlighted mainly by their first two albums. The band currently consists of drummer Roxy Petrucci who is the sole remaining original member, guitarist Britt Lightning, bassist Julia Lage and vocalist Rosa Laricchiuta. Laricchiuta jut came on board this summer and has already settled in nicely. She had been singing with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on the west coast since 2016. I must say she was an excellent choice and has a very powerful voice. Now that the band has been solidified let’s hope we get some new music soon.
Honeymoon Suite knows what the fans want to hear and they played exactly that. The band has been touring in support of their latest album Alive, released earlier this year. The band featured two cuts from it and mixed in most of their hits and a few lost classics such as “Wounded” and “Say You Don’t Know Me”.
The band is still comprised of four of its original members including drummer Dave Betts, bassist Gary Lalonde, guitarist Derry Grehan and vocalist Johnnie Dee. Rounding out the band or as they say last but not least is keyboardist Peter Nunn. Nunn has been in the band longer than any keyboard player. He even got his moment in the spotlight as he played the venue’s Wurlitzer organ preceding “What Does It Take”. A lighter moment of the evening was the organ rose up and was stuck up in the air for a few minutes until personnel came and rectified the situation.
The band closed the main set with the song that broke them to help them win the Q 107 contest in “New Girl Now”. That one song opened many doors and here the band is standing strong today because of it. It appeared Dee decided to add in “Alive” as a spur of the moment choice before the band ended with the classic “Love Changes Everything”.
These are the type of shows many fans from the 80’s and 90’s come to see. It takes em’ back to a moment in their life when they felt more alive and brings back good memories.
HONEYMOON SUITE
VIXEN
Set List
Honeymoon Suite
Say You Don’t Know Me
Find What You’re Looking For.
Burning in Love
Wounded
Stay in the Light
Wave Babies
Feel It Again
Keyboard Solo (Peter Nunn played theatre’s Wurlitzer organ)
What Does It Take
Lookin’ Out for Number One
Guitar Solo
New Girl Now
Encore
Alive
Drum Solo
Love Changes Everything
Vixen
Rev It Up
Charmed Life
Cruisin’
How Much Love
Cryin’
Hard 16
I Want You to Rock Me / Perfect Strangers/ What You’re Doing / War Pigs / Still of the Night/ I Want You To Rock Me
Not A Minute Too Soon
Streets in Paradise
Edge Of A Broken Heart
