Review and Photos by Fred Kuhlman
Promoter: Lucky Man (https://www.luckymanonline.com/ )
Venue: Celebrity Theatre (https://celebritytheatre.com/ )
Date: Tuesday October 21st, 2025
I am really sad that tonight’s show had a poor turnout. It was so bad that they moved all of the upper seated people to the lower level just to fill in the seats. At best I would believe that there was between 350 to 400 people at the show. This seems a little ridiculous give that you are getting to see 2 of today’s better guitarists. But I am not surprised given the multitude of shows this month and how people are having to figure out how they are going to spend their money on concerts. I have been to a few other shows recently and have seen smaller than usual turnouts. Unfortunately, I believe that a number of other great future shows might also have lower turnouts.
Touring with Richie & John are Vern Daysel & The Burning Breeze. They are a 4-piece Southern Rock Band in the style of Marchall Tucker. Usually, the opening act is just ok, but I was pleasantly surprised that they were very good. They had the great 70s style rock sound. They are currently Vern Daysel (Vocals and guitar), Cobe Dante (Guitar and vocals), Nico G. Swarley (Bass) and Paige Cantrill (Drums). They will be touring with Richie & John 5 through November 6th. If you get a chance to see them and like good old Southern Rock & Roll, I am sure you will also be impressed. Please check them out on their website and social media sites.
After clearing the stage, John 5 was up next. If you have never heard of John 5, he is a phenomenal guitarist that mixes different styles of music into his unique rock performance. I have seen John 5 twice before. I saw him when he toured as John 5 and the Creatures. I thought it was one of the best shows I had seen that year. Then I saw him again in 2024 when he did a tour with only a drummer. Tonight’s show was again just John and his drummer. We were witness to a fantastic guitar lesson. John 5 is one of the best guitarists touring today. He ranks up there with Steve Vai & Joe Satriani. For some people, they might like his performance because it is all instrumental (i.e., no singing). But for people that love true technicians of guitar playing, you would love his performance.
Following John was Richie Kotzen. I first was introduced to Richie Kotzen when I saw him with Mike Portnoy & Billy Sheehan as The Winery Dogs. Unfortunately, The Winery Dogs was a short-lived group. Tonight, Richie came with his new band. Richie mixes his soulful guitar playing with his amazing voice and lyrics (yes, he does sing). The majority of his songs were from his 2011 album, 24 Hours. He did perform “These Doors” from his latest album, Nomad. I was hoping that we would have performed one of the songs from The Winery Dogs first album, but I understand that Richie only wanted to perform songs from his solo albums. Overall, Richie did an outstanding job. His band was very tight and they sounded great. Richie made the comment that the next time he comes back to Phoenix and the Celebrity Theatre, he really wants so have the stage rotate.
Since this was a dual headlining tour, both bands only performed for about 75 minutes. But in that time, we were witness to 2 fantastic guitarists. If you really enjoy seeing some of the best musicians touring today, then you shouldn’t miss seeing this tour. You can see if they are coming to a city near you by going to their websites. You can also check out their social media pages for additional information.
Richie Kotzen Social Media sites:
Website: https://richiekotzen.com/index.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richiekotzenmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richie_kotzen/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/RichieKotzenOfficial
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/tag/richiekotzen
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2025, All Rights Reserved
John 5 Social Media sites:
Website: https://john-5.com/main/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/John5official/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john5official/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/john5officialYT
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@john5official
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2025, All Rights Reserved
Vern Daysel & The Burning Breeze Social Media sites:
Website: https://www.verndaysel.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verndaysel
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verndaysel/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@verndaysel
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@verndaysel
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2025, All Rights Reserved
Richie Kotzen Setlist: (Album)
War Paint (The Essential Richie Kotzen)
Bad Situation (24 Hours)
These Doors (Nomad)
Fooled Again (Go Faster)
The Shadow (Into The Black)
Help Me (24 Hours)
Love Is Blind (24 Hours)
Doin’ What the Devil Says to Do (Into The Black)
Remember (Get Up)
