Straight Outta Quarantine Tour 2021 Takes Over Amos’ Southend with Faster Pussycat and Enuff Z’Nuff
After more than a year without live music, it was clear Friday night that Charlotte rock fans were ready to break out of quarantine and rock out like never before as eighties glam rock legends Faster Pussycat and Enuff Z’Nuff brought their Quarantine Tour to the Queen City with a sold-out show at Amos’ Southend. It had been a long time coming and the night was a spectacular success in every way.
Kicking things off was area favorites Testarossa and there was probably no better choice to open the night. Their unique style brings the old-school feel of the Sunset Strip to the new millennium and the crowd at Amos’ ate it right up. Drummer Buddy Radford got the crowd engaged from the start as he took the stage to the sounds of Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy,” singing away and urging fans to sing along. Right then and there, everyone knew it was going to be a crazy night, full of surprises. As always, Testarossa’s set had everyone amped up with Jordan West’s searing guitar and Blake Webb’s slinky bass lines. Lead vocalist Colten Bell led the band through their biggest hit, “Mother Lover,” which features a guest appearance by Danny Worsnop of Asking Alexandria, and even Donna Summer, the queen of disco, would have applauded their cover of her hit song “Hot Stuff.”
As more and more people filtered in, it was time for Enuff Z’Nuff to take the stage and take it they did with style and aplomb. Led by vocalist and bass guitarist Chip Z’Nuff, the band sounded polished and tight. Wait a minute, is it really 2021? Because Chip looks great in his sequined cap and sounds better than ever. He had the audience laughing as he chatted between songs, recanting stories of the old days and joking that Faster Pussycat was still out in the tour bus doing copious amounts of drugs.
Lead guitarist Tory Stoffregen was not only technically impressive but a stellar showman as well as he kicked and spun and posed for the cameras and fans. Chip did mention that Tony was from England and grew up on the same street as Geezer Butler and that the two may or may not have smoked a lot of weed back in the day. Whether true or not, it got more than a chuckle or two from the crowd. The band played their biggest hit “Fly High Michelle” and my personal favorite “New Thing.” If the night would have ended right there, I would have been satisfied but luckily there was much, much more rock and roll to come.
Faster Pussycat’s self-titled debut album was released in 1987 and they fit right into what my friends and I were listening to at the time. Those were the days indeed when my boyfriend took longer to style his hair than I did and tried to wow me with his attempts at the “Bathroom Wall” guitar solo. Suffice it to say, when the band came out I was in my glory, reliving every moment of those days and soaking in what had been missing from my life for over a year-live music.
Lead vocalist Taime Downe is the only original member left but he has surrounded himself with a sensational band and they did not disappoint. Drummer Chad Stewart and bass guitarist Danny Nordahl kept the rhythms grooving while guitarists Xristian Simon and Sam “Bam” Koltun traded licks all night long. It’s amazing what a burst of youthful energy Sam brings in jumping, spinning, and giving it 110%. Is that even possible? If it isn’t, it should be because that’s the kind of electricity he brought to the stage. Taime even joked that “he’s only sixteen, don’t tell the cops.”
Vocally, Taime sounded fantastic and he genuinely looked like he was having the time of his life which in turn raised the energy level of the venue to record levels. The guy in front of me didn’t stop moving all night long as he headbanged, danced, and rocked the heck out. The crowd went wild for “Cathouse” and I saw a few couples slow dancing in the upstairs VIP area during the ballad “House of Pain.”
Earlier this year, the band released a brand new single “NOLA” which fit nicely into the set. It was even nicer to see many in attendance familiar with the new material, singing right along to it. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Faster Pussycat show without the song that originally drew me into the band “Bathroom Wall” which was played as a medley with “Pretty Fucked Up.” But wait, if you thought that was it, you were wrong. A “Faster” version of the Betty Blowtorch song “Shut Up and Fuck” was next followed by the grand finale of the evening “Babylon.”
Wow! What a show! If you missed it, you should be kicking yourself in the ass right now so learn a lesson and buy tickets early next time. If you were there, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. In fact, all I did was talk about the show, all week long. I wouldn’t shut up, I just kept “Babylon on and on.” Shut up!
