NAMM Jam 2016 – LA Guns, Beasto Blanco, John 5 & More

NAMM weekend is known for bringing some of the best shows to Orange County and the NAMM Jam at the Grove of Anaheim on January 22, 2016 presented by Delve Texas and proceeds going to the House Of Blues Music Forward Foundation. In the lobby there was a red carpet and a silent auction going on where you could bid on things like music memorabilia, artwork and VIP experiences. It was time to rock for a good cause!

LA Guns was already up on stage when we arrived and slowly but surely people started pouring in from the NAMM show with the sole purpose of enjoying some rock n’ roll. Songs like Electric Gypsy and Never Enough had the crowd feeling like they were in a time warp to the 80’s on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood. Their energy is still going strong and their music continues to get people moving time and time again.

Next up was Beasto Blanco which features Alice Cooper’s daughter Calico on vocals. Their theatrics and stage presence was just as entertaining as their music. Calico certainly gets her performer fire from her father. At one point, Alice himself came out and sang Feed My Frankenstein with the band. It was incredible to watch them perform together and it looks like Beasto Blanco has a new fan after seeing them for the first time.

Leading us into a Coffin Case fashion show were two gentleman dressed as zombies who played the drums and then were accompanied by a stream of gorgeous models showing off the fashion line as they threw clothing into the audience and at one point a plastic pitchfork which was caught by our Publisher (good hands Dave). While it is understandable that with rock n’ roll come the models, but they could have done without this fashion show as it seemed to put a bit of a damper on the rock n’ roll vibe that had been escalating prior.

Finally, it was time for the headliner, the moment we were all patiently waiting for, John 5 And The Creatures. After interviewing him for our October issue of Screamer Magazine and reviewing his show at The Whisky A Go Go in November, it was exciting to see him perform on an even larger stage and venue. John 5 came out with his black dahlia makeup and played several guitars with complete ease. The light bright guitar and the guitar that has green gel or liquid inside truly added some spark to an already fiery performance. John 5 knows how to command a stage in a way that seldom few do. The audience remained mesmerized by his every note as he played songs like Flight Of The Vulcan Kelly and This Is My Rifle. As we all snapped our fingers to the Addams Family Theme Song, John 5 took the microphone and complimented the audience for standing there watching him play guitar and he was grateful to everyone for coming out to see him. Jokingly, he added that he originally wanted to play a banjo like on his favorite show Hee Haw, but he realized he couldn’t get chicks that way. Then he said “have you seen how hot my wife is?”

Then he announced a special guest vocalist with “two first names” would be joining him, and with the energy of 20 teenagers on Monster, Buckcherry’s Josh Todd hit the stage with his usual swagger and electricity and ripped into Rage Against The Machine’s Killing In The Name Of and his own hit Crazy Bitch. Watching Todd dart back and forth across the stage was just the extra shot of adrenaline this NAMM weary crowd needed before heading home.

CLICK HERE to see more pics from the show.