UFO Show Review
I had the chance to go up to Nashville with my dad (the one who first introduced me to UFO) yesterday to see UFO play the Wildhorse Saloon downtown. Although Michael Schenker (original guitarist, great player) isn't with UFO right now, Vinnie Moore is now the main guitarist in the band, and he's been a big influence on me in my relatively short playing-span. As a result, I was thrilled at the opportunity to see him, not to mention Phil Mogg and the rest of the band.

We got to sit/stand right in front of the stage. However, we were unable to get the meet and greet tickets, as they were already sold out. Anyways, we had to endure two warm-up bands, the first of which was a decent pop-country band. The other band, however, wasn't too good, and IMO, wasn't suitable for opening UFO (they were a cheesy cover-band). I guess it made UFO sound that much better when they came on. When they hit the stage, it was much louder than the warm-ups, but it was loud in a good, beat-your-chest kind of way (not in the Yngwie, split-your-eardrums-type loud). They opened up with "Mother Mary," an all time favorite of mine. Vinnie's tone through his ENGL heads (SE and Classic Tube 50) and two 4x12" cabs (Celestion V30s) was extremely thick, smooth and, crunchy. I could hear every note he was playing with ease. His pedalboard was fairly simple too (see picture below). Vinnie also played his new Dean signature, as well as a Dean Z and a Dean acoustic of some type. I must say, as simple as it looks, his signature model left me wanting one of my own.

Before the show, I knew that Vinnie was a good player. But wow, after seeing his playing live, I didn't realize he was THAT good! The guy can flat out play, and his phrasing was really tasteful! Forget the shredding, he can hybrid-pick like a beast! Vinnie handed me his pick too, so that was really cool.

I can't remember the exact set list, but they played all the classic UFO songs, like "Too Hot to Handle," "Lights Out," and "Rock Bottom." Phil Mogg's vocals were dead on, especially for someone of his age. I strongly recommend that any fan of hard rock (not just UFO or Vinnie Moore) to see this band when they roll around. They put on an incredible show, and I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Enough of the talk and onto the pictures (taken with my little Casio Exilim point-and-shoot).

Wade