Review and Photos by Fred Kuhlman
Promoter: Lucky Man (https://www.luckymanonline.com/ )
Venue: Marquee Theater, Tempe, AZ (https://www.marqueetheatreaz.com/ )
Date: Saturday January 7th, 2023
Tour: Prophecy Fulfilled Tour 2022
Tonight, we were got to see The Iron Maidens and 4 Arizona band. The Iron Maidens and The Jack – The Ultimate Tribute to AC/DC are tribute bands. The other 3 bands, Empire of Dezire, Doubleblind and Six Million Dead performed their own original material. For the next 5+ hours we got the hear some great music.
The Iron Maidens
If this was a warm-up show prior to going to Europe and touring with Accept, then the people in Europe are in for one hell of a great show. We were fortunate to be able to see The Iron Maidens prior to their road trip with Accept in January. The ladies outdid themselves. From the interplay of the 2 guitarists, the pulsating rhythm of the bassist, the heart pounding pulse of the drummer and the powerful singing, we fans got our moneys worth and much more.
For those unfamiliar with The Iron Maidens, they are an all-female group of musicians that perform Iron Maiden classic songs. The band is made up of lead singer Kirsten Rosenberg, guitarists Nikki Stringfield and Courtney “CCShred” Cox, drummer Linda McDonald and bassist Wanda Ortiz.
The show started with probably the most iconic heavy metal song that everyone knows from just the first few notes, “The Trooper”. Just like Bruce Dickerson, Kirsten came out decked out in a British “Red Coat” and waving the British “Union Jack” flag. They covered the great Iron Maiden classics like, “Wasted Years”, “2 Minutes to Midnight”, “Fear of the Dark”, “Powerslave” and “The Number of the Beast”. But probably one of the things I enjoy most is the selection of none traditional songs like “Back in the Village”, “The Prisoner” and “Brave New World”. I have seen Iron Maiden 5 times and I have not seen them perform these songs, so having The Iron Maidens cover them was a real treat.
What can I say about these ladies, they are great. Each show I have seen of theirs has been amazing. Each musician is spectacular in their own rights, but together they are one powerful heavy metal band. Yes, they just do covers, but I really like that and since Iron Maiden decided to skip Arizona in 2022, this is one of the few ways I get to hear those great songs.
It looks like The Iron Maidens will be tour with Accept throughout Europe for the rest of January and all of February. If you get a chance to see them they are well worth it and with Accept, it will be a power house night of great heavy metal music. You can check out The Iron Maidens on there website and Facebook page and find out if they are coming to a city near you.
Website: https://theironmaidens.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/theironmaidensofficial/
Photos by Fred Kuhlman, All Rights Reserved
The Iron Maidens Setlist:
The Trooper
Back in the Village
Phantom of the Opera
Brave New World
Genghis Khan
Wasted Years
Caught Somewhere in Time
Fear of the Dark
Run to the Hills
The Number of the Beast
The Prisoner
2 Minutes to Midnight
Powerslave
The Jack – The Ultimate Tribute to AC/DC
Tonight, we got to hear 2 great tribute bands, the headliner, The Iron Maidens and The Jack – The Ultimate Tribute to AC/DC from Tucson, Arizona. We got to hear all of our favorite AC/DC songs including “Highway to Hell”, Thunderstruck”, “The Jack”, “Dirty Deeds”, “Hells Bells” and “For Those About To Rock”.
Angus Scott plays Angus Young character and is both dressed like Angus and also does all of the stage antics that Angus is known for. Milton Young takes on the role of Malcom Young and plays the subdued rhythm guitarist to Angus’s over the top performance. Brian Bon Scott Johnson performs just like Brian Johnson and delivers the lyric in a strong and powerful performance.
If you love AC/DC’s music then you should really enjoy seeing The Jack – The Ultimate Tribute to AC/DC. The reason I keep using the full name is that there are a number of other AC/DC tribute bands around the world that use “The Jack” as their name.
You can find out more information about the band and their upcoming concerts on either their website or Facebook page.
Website: https://thejackaz.wixsite.com/thejackepk?fbclid=IwAR0Kqx67qL6z_INSC64uYqmKeN1-kTk4ZTHsF5rj3yvjFhuG6mBtibnZm-A
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ACDCtrib/
Photos by Fred Kuhlman, All Rights Reserved
Empire Of Dezire
Tonight, was the night of powerhouse female lead signers. Empire of Dezire (EOD) is fronted by the dynamic and charismatic lead singer, Tulin Howey. She is joined by her husband and lead guitarist Kenn Howey. They are joined by guitarist Jeremy Dasher and bassist Neal Harris. Late last year, their drummer left and he has been replaced by Brett McKinney.
Empire of Dezire is a great heavy metal band. They have the classic dual guitarists (Kenn and Jeremy) common to all great heavy metal bands. The drummer and bass player are very strong and provide a really nice bassline and pounding rhythm section. An what can I say about Tulin, she is a small lady with an enormous voice. Between Kenn’s power riffs and Tulin’s huge voice, they deliver a magnificent performance. In a lot of ways, they remind me of Judas Priest in the bands power and delivery.
I last saw EOD perform on the same bill as Kings Of Thrash. It was one incredible night of outstanding music. But every time I have seen EOD, either at a small bar or one of the big stages, they always put it all out there for the fans. You can never go wrong seeing an EOD show. Their music is spectacular and the performance is top-notched.
You can find more information about Empire Of Dezire from either their website or Facebook page.
Website: https://eodproject.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/empireofdezire/
Photos by Fred Kuhlman, All Rights Reserved
Doubleblind
Doubleblind is this 4-piece Rock & Roll band out of Jerome, Arizona. Every so often they make the trip down from up north into Phoenix to play a gig. I have seen Doubleblind twice before and I really enjoy their songs. The musicians are very good and the lead singer, Trecia Taylor definitely commands the stage. The rest of the band is made up of drummer John Westcott, guitarist Roy Sandoval and bassist Noah Pfeffer
All of the songs from tonight show were from their album Snake Charmer One of my favorite songs was when they played “Snake Charmer”. The crowd also like when they performed “Super Spreader” which is about the Covid-19 pandemic.
Doubleblind is nothing fancy, just a solid good old Rock & Roll band. They remind me a lot of bands from the 70s. Trecia is very animated on stage and has a very powerful voice. The rest of the band is very good. If you enjoy good old Rock & Roll music, then you really must see Doubleblind.
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Jeromeoriginalrock
Photos by Fred Kuhlman, All Rights Reserved
Six Million Dead
Six Million Dead was kinda the odd duck band at this event. They are a Death Metal band while all of the other bands as straight up Heavy Metal. If you were into Death Metal (and a number of people at the event seemed to be) then you will like Six Million Dead. I don’t mind Death Metal, but was not expecting it at tonight’s show. But it did get the band some crossover exposure which should help. For me the songs seemed a lot alike in tempo, rhythm and tone. This is not bad and a lot of Death Metal bands sound like this. If you like Death Metal, then you might want to check out Six Million Dead.
Sorry, there are no photos of the performance. The lighting sucked. It was all dark and blue.
