Buckcherry

Legends Theater at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, FL
May 2nd, 2006

Buckcherry crashed onto the stage of the Legends Theater last night, bringing their loud and aggressive brand of rock to South Florida fans. The plethora of leather-clad, longhaired men and midriff-baring, high-heel-wearing chicks at the show reminded us that although the world has declared the official death of 80’s metal, it still exists in some places.

Buckcherryopened a 14-song set with “So Far,” the first track from their new album “Fifteen.” From the onset, it was clear that while singer Josh Todd was eager to strip off his shirt and parade about Mick Jagger-style to the crowd, he was less than potent when delivering song lyrics in an audible fashion. Constantly jumping about like a Mexican jumping bean, even stopping his singing at times to catch his breath, Todd proved that you don’t have to be heard clearly for people to rock out to your songs. This effect was magnified considerably by a bad mix from the soundboard, leaving some people wondering why they paid $30 to see this show.

On a positive note, guitarist Stevie D was pure pleasure to watch and listen to. His solos were timed well and not overly long, and he was charismatic enough to command the stage for periods of time-sans twitching-and deliver consistently good licks.

Despite the bad sound and strange antics, the show was an overall good time. Six of the 14 songs were new tracks, including “Broken Glass,” “Onset,” and “Next to You.” “Crazy Bitch,” the first single from Fifteen, brought raucous cheers and moshing from the crowd, even when Todd inserted a chorus of Billy Squier’s “The Stroke” right into the middle of the song.Buckcherryalso performed some of their older hits, including “For the Movies,” which brought out the lighters and “Porno Star,” which had some women lifting up their shirts and…well, you get the idea.

Buckcherry closed the show with their first hit single, 1997’s “Lit Up.” Despite the song’s introduction, which included a litany about the drugs that Todd supposedly loves, the crowd went wild and sang along, causing Todd to superseded himself in manic contortions and high-pitched screams of ecstasy. Well, maybe he really DOES love the cocaine.

On a scale of one to ten for live performances, the Rock Queen rates this show a 6.

Official Buckcherry website: http://www.buckcherry.com/