LIVE: TED NUGENT – August 22, 2022

Ted Nugent bending the strings, celebrating, and pleasing the crowd 

Venue: Lexington Village Theatre

City: Lexington, MI

Dates: August 22, 2022

Review and Photographs by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur (www.toddstarphotography.com)

Lexington loves Ted Nugent… there is no denying that!  It seems every tour, Ted and his band find themselves on the shores of Lake Huron in the little town of Lexington for at least one night and more often than not, two.  This year he has a pair of dates at the Village Theatre and I was there to check out the first night, but second show.  The man sells out so fast, they HAD to add another show to appease the locals need for a little Motor City Madness.  Kicking the show off in the right direction was Rick Monroe and The Hitmen.  This foursome, led by namesake Monroe, dug their heels in and delivered a solid 30-minute set that properly warmed the crowd up for the headliner.  Ramping up quickly with “Devil On Both Sides,” the set was of and running through a stretch of killer originals and a couple cool covers.  After shooting the breeze with the guys earlier in the day, it was solidified watching their performance they are enjoying the ride they are on.  Just about midway through the set, one of my favorite songs from Rick’s pre-band catalog hit when the quartet broke into “Cocaine Cold & Whiskey Shakes” and it seemed I was not the only one getting into the show at that point, as there were hands in the air, people singing along, and even some women dancing around in the VIP area.  Next up was my personal favorite from the latest disc “World’s Gone Crazy” and the net result was even better than the recorded version in my opinion.  Keeping things rolling, the band launched into a countrified version of “Ace Of Spades” and it was amazing to hear those thundering bass licks supported by a twang-filled guitar and Rick’s vocals.  After a cover of “Sever Bridges Road” the guys slipped into overdrive and offered up their closer “Gypsy Soul” and got most of the crowd to join in on an extended chorus as their set time dwindled into a memory.

Rick Monroe & The Hitmen bringing some Gypsy Soul to Lexington, MI

After a quick stage change over, Ted Nugent and his band – bassist Greg Smith and drummer Jason Hartless – wasted no time in whipping the crowd into a Gonzo frenzy.  After some great warmup tunes, the guys hit the stage and broke into “The Star-Spangled Banner” and did a little celebrating, in Ted’s words.  Next up, the guys busted into the classic rock flurry of tracks including “Gonzo” and “Paralyzed.”  that tandem was followed up by two of my personal favorites from the rockers extensive catalog with “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang” and “Free For All” sitting in the middle section of the evenings setlist.  Nugent did what he does best… rally the troops and charge forward through the night with an army of fans following his lead and rocking out.  There were chants, cheers, signing, fists in the air… you get the point.  Song after song, Nugent made proverbial love to his guitars with each song, note, and string bend.  After two more classics with “Stormtroopin'” and “Need You Bad” both featuring lead vocals from bassist Greg Smith, he blasted into two new tracks from his 2022 release Detroit Muscle.  The first “Come And Take It” was played with a shitload of attitude that was equally matched by the packed venue.  The song shifted quickly into a callout track that clearly demonstrated Nugent and a majority of the crowd tow the same political line and then moved into “American Campfire” which is appropriate for the ‘First Resort North’ that thrives on the campfire life style.  “Hey Baby” with Smith’s vocals matching the riffs escaping from Ted’s hands and guitar led us into one of my favorite tracks in the Nugent catalog, “Cat Scratch Fever.”  With “Stranglehold” and “The Great White Buffalo” taking us all to the end of the evenings journey down the path of rock and roll, there was and is no denying Nugent still has the goods after all these years and shows no signs of slowing down.  Can’t wait to see what he pulls out next year on his annual pilgrimage and tour.

SETLIST: The Star-Spangled Banner – Gonzo – Paralyzed – Wang Dang Sweet Poontang – Free For All – Stormtroopin’ – Need You Bad – Come And Take It – American Campfire – Hey Baby – Cat Scratch Fever – Stranglehold – The Great White Buffalo – Fred Bear

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TED NUGENT LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

TOUR DATES

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RICK MONROE AND THE HITMEN LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

TOUR DATES

Tags: featured

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries