HardRockChick

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

One Night: Danzig Sings Elvis at the Grand Ballroom in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 10/31/21

dev@hard
November 6, 2021
5
0

Always lived, very quiet life
I ain’t never did no wrong
Now I know that life without you
Has been too lonely too long
One night with you

Elvis….and Danzig

As any good goth kid, Halloween is my New Year. Though it is celebrated all month; donning multiple costumes…. upping the ante on horror films, buying a little extra candy. I’ll admit though, these last few years I haven’t celebrated as much as I used to. But this year would be different. I guess you could just say there was something in the air- that fine line that Halloween is supposed to toe between the silly scary and the seriously sinister. And isn’t that truly not the best way to describe the times we live in? I mean, things would be kind of funny if they weren’t true…

The day before Halloween I went to a little horror convention in Victorville to meet Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl. As a Texas kid who loved horror movies- I just adored MonsterVision growing up. And I super loved the show they’ve brought back on Shudder. Anyway, I don’t do ‘cons’ and have met a ton of famous people in my days running this site, but I got really nervous in this autograph setting! Probably because I don’t leave my house anymore. But they were very nice and it was a great experience. Horror icons number 1 and 2 √

I don’t go back to LA hardly ever; transitioning from the desert to the bowels of Hollywood blocks away from where I once called home was like visiting the ghost of Halloween past. First we had to navigate through hoards of Deadheads zombie-walking to a Dead & Co show at the Hollywood bowl, which is indeed my own personal nightmare. I could smell them with the windows up.

The Hollywood Roosevelt is the most overrated hotel in LA, I said it. I only stayed there for convenience; the Sunset Marquis or Petit Hermitage were my former haunts. It has a vibe but it is never not annoying in some way. Quickly grabbing food at the diner overlooking Hollywood Boulevard, it was hard to watch the passersby. Some I was used to: tourists thinking, “this is it? gross.” Performers hustling. But there were just so many lost souls out there, by every definition of the phrase…. high out of their minds….homeless and desperate….or just trying to find some way to hold on to a lifestyle that is not gonna last. Searching for something unfindable. The boulevard of broken dreams is the only enduring part of this street.

We had to line up a while before the doors opened, but luckily you could drink and get to know your neighbors (shoutout to the Scattered Hamlet bassist!). This wasn’t a cheap show. This also wasn’t a true Danzig show, so I was very curious as to who would be here. It used to be my fave HRC thing to do back when I went to everything– go to the side projects, the off-shoots, the guest appearances, etc. of artists you love! Smaller shows, happier artists, trve fans…

Anyway, as expected, a lot of these attendees were not really Elvis fans. Heyo- I got married by Elvis, I’ve been to Graceland twice three times, I’ve even stayed in Elvis’ childhood apartment in Memphis… convinced? Yup, this was down my alley. We own an autographed Danzig Sings Elvis album… so when this show popped up, I got tickets faster than I’d bought tickets to anything in years. My husband is a huge fan.

It also used to be hard to find a venue I’d not set foot in; I’d not been in here. But after scanning my phone and not checking my vax card as stated lol, I lamented the olden days of hard tickets and harder times as we found a seat elbow to elbow with fellow Danzig fans. ‘Evil Elvis’ was kind enough to buy us Voodoo doughnuts but I didn’t eat any. I follow the news and was shocked that no one was wearing masks but for the festive kind…aren’t we in LA?! I have to admit all of this crap is an absolute buzzkill so it was very interesting that everyone was just pretending that we were living in the Before Times. I guess it was just for one night…

Anyway, there was a spooky DJ as the room filled in and everyone indulged in sugar and libations. The buzz nearly became a roar as a cellist warmed us up with some instrumentals. There were some really cool costumes around- the best being a guy dressed like the Twilight Zone episode where everyone ends up having a pig face.

Finally, the lights dimmed, the sheets came off large, lit red Danzig letters in the back of the stage. Out walked the band, including Jesse Dayton, who I interviewed for this site probably over 10 years ago. Then saunters out Danzig, as much as you can imagine him sauntering. I say this because I’ve seen him a couple times over the years, and this show had such incredibly different energy. He was happy!

The crowd went nuts and then immediately didn’t know what to do with themselves. But Evil Elvis persevered, doing excellent intros to the songs, highlighting how fucked up most of Elvis’ songs are. Think “Little Sister” is innocuous? Read the lyrics! It’s about dating the big sister and then moving onto the little sister…

He introduced “Always on My Mind” and mentioned Willie Nelson, which got me thinking… and then he launched into “She Thinks I Still Care” which, as a Texan, I know of more as a George Jones song. I noticed him connecting with someone in the front row, so I focused in and realized it was Shooter Jennings, dressed in a god-awful orange Dumb And Dumber suit haha. Cool moment. I remember that I can’t wait to see Danzig’s Vampire Western “Death Rider”. Big fan of Verotika, it’s fun.

Before we had joked around about what he might be wearing. An Elvis suit maybe? No! The usual. It’s a uniform, it’s a costume, it’s Danzig.

Danzig’s voice doing Elvis songs truly shines. As a girl with a Wild At Heart tattoo- “Love Me” was my highlight of the night. “Fever” gets the award for most inappropriate in the era we live in. “Mystery Train” was the encore song and we truly did not want it to end. Yeah I know, everyone secretly wanted him to bust out some songs from his other work but it truly would not have felt right.

What did feel right was when, after he left the stage, it was announced that “Danzig has left the building”.

I cannot stress how important it is to spend the time, money and effort to see the artists you love now. There may not be a tomorrow, and everyone should really have learned that lesson now, though for some reason, live music still seems to suffer. But especially with these artists; this is an era we will never see again… sorry, these new artists will never hold a candle. Share the space with the living legends while you can.

NO PHOTOS!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts

A New Level: Metallica, Pantera, and Mammoth VH @ SoFi Stadium Los Angeles, 8/25/23

“Now a new look in my eyes my spirit riseForget the pastPresent tense works and lastsGot shit on, pissed on,…

September 4, 2023
9
0

Gimme Danger: Iggy Pop & The Losers with Grace McKagan @ The Pearl Las Vegas, 4/29/23

“Gimme danger, little strangerAnd I feel with you at easeGimme danger, little strangerAnd I’ll feel your disease There’s nothing in…

May 29, 2023
8
64

Kill or Become: Cannibal Corpse, Dark Funeral, Immolation, Black Anvil at House of Blues Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay 11/25/22

“Living out the days and nights in absolute fearNever knowing when and where thethreat of the undead draws nearThoughts of…

December 3, 2022
8
71

Looks That Kill: Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison, & Joan Jett & The Blackhearts @ Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, 9/9/22

“Now, listen up She’s a razor sharp If she don’t get her way She’ll slice you apart Now she’s a…

September 19, 2022
10
29

A Dangerous Meeting: Mercyful Fate, High on Fire, Paradise Lost, Fugitive, Suicidal Tendencies, Bone Thugs -n- Harmony, Frozen Soul, Emperor, Mayhem, Carcass, and Wolves in the Throne Room @ Psycho Las Vegas @ Resort World, 8/19-21/22

“Oh, they should have knownNot to play with the powers of HellSome people have lost their waySome people have lost…

August 30, 2022
12
29

Among the Living: Anthrax 40th Anniversary Tour with Black Label Society @ Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas, 7/28/22

“I’m the walking dudeI can see all the worldTwist your minds with fearI’m the man with the powerAmong the living,…

August 19, 2022
6
27

Mad World: Tears for Fears, Garbage @ Kia Forum in Los Angeles, 6/4/22

“And I find it kind of funny I find it kind of sad The dreams in which I’m dying Are…

June 12, 2022
8
15

She Sells Sanctuary: The Cult, Des Roc @ House of Blues Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay

“The sparkle in your eyes Keeps me alive And the sparkle in your eyes Keeps me alive, keeps me alive…

May 27, 2022
5
24

Rock You Like A Hurricane: Scorpions, Skid Row @ Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas

“It’s early morning, the sun comes out Last night was shaking and pretty loud My cat is purring, it scratches…

April 15, 2022
5
34

Turbo Lover: 50 Years of Heavy Metal with Judas Priest and Queensrÿche @ Zappos Theater, Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino Las Vegas, 3/13/22

“We hold each other closer, as we shift to overdrive And everything goes rushing by, with every nerve alive We…

March 22, 2022
7
15