• Tue. Dec 3rd, 2024

Terry Bozzio – Live at Sam Ash in Vegas Last August Was Both A Highlight and Disappointment of 2014

Terry Bozzio played an in-store show at Sam Ash Music Las Vegas on Tuesday, August 19, 2014.
Terry Bozzio played an in-store show at Sam Ash Music Las Vegas on Tuesday, August 19, 2014.

 

One of rock and pop’s most iconic drummers is Terry Bozzio. Initially rising to fame in Frank Zappa’s band, he eventually found himself in bands like UK (featuring future Asia bassist/vocalist John Wetton) and Missing Persons (featuring his then wife Dale Bozzio on vocals). Over the years he has remained relevant, and an influential drummer on many musicians across various rock and pop genres.

One thing about living in Las Vegas is that rock and roll fans get no shortage of amazing musicians visiting and playing in the city on a regular basis. When I heard Terry Bozzio would be playing an event in Sam Ash’s Vegas store, of course, it was a place I wanted to be right away!

Sadly, right from my arrival, it became clear that this was not going to be an event that was handled as well as the Paul Gilbert event I had attended at Sam Ash two years prior. Immediately upon entry, audience members were given ads for the event with the rather explicit instructions of things like “no pictures, no autographs, etc.” This was a stark contrast to the Gilbert event, in which he took photos and signed things for everyone who wanted them. Given the fairly low attendance (Sam Ash said the event would be limited to 350 people, but I anticipate only 100-150 actually came) this was a huge disappointment.

Of course, despite these issues, I do not think anyone will argue with Bozzio’s performance; it was definitely great to see this iconic drummer in a small setting, doing what he does best, on a wildly customized drum kit (you really need to see the pictures of this thing to get an idea of just what it looked like and entailed). He really went wild with this performance, putting everything on his kit to good use! Furthermore, he also used a USB music device, to play along with some music tracks that played in the background, resulting in a very interesting experience. A number of attendees were clearly drummers that were enjoying the performance, and were possibly influenced by Bozzio in their own playing. Many parents had brought their kids to see the show as well, though based on the bored looks on the faces of the children and how many were looking their phones, I wonder how many of them were there willingly. Still, great to see parents taking their kids to see a great musician in action. Bozzio himself remained in good spirits despite his USB device giving him some problems during the show.

Missing Persons- a band that many immediately think of when they think of Terry
Missing Persons- a band that many immediately think of when they think of Terry

 

The only issues I had with the show were a late start time (roughly 20 minutes or so past the scheduled 7:00 PM start) and the fact that things, despite being a solid show, did drag on a little longer than they needed to (ads said the show would end at 8, but I was not out of Sam Ash until closer to 9:00 PM). Once more, it was disappointing that Bozzio did not meet and greet either; I had all of my UK and Missing Persons vinyl in the car, after all!

That said, though, this was still a great performance that stood as one of the more interesting “in store” events I have attended. You could tell the fans all had a great time seeing this rock legend in person. Although attendance was clearly not what the store had anticipated, everyone there got to see a rare, once-in-a-lifetime performance from one of rock’s great drummers.

By Taylor T Carlson

Taylor T Carlson Assistant Editor/Senior Staff Writer Taylor T. Carlson was born August 17, 1984, and has called the Vegas Valley home his entire life. A die-hard fan of classic rock and metal music, Taylor has been writing album and concert reviews since he was 16 years old, and continues to do so, having done well over 1,000 reviews. He is also a fan of video gaming and cinema, and has reviewed a number of games and films as well, old and new alike. His thorough and honest (some would say brutally honest) reviewing style has won him the respect of hundreds of music fans and musicians alike, both local and abroad, and the ire of just as many others. Despite being one of the youngest attendees at classic hard rock/metal shows around Vegas, he is also one of the most knowledgeable, having gained the unofficial nickname of “The Eddie Trunk of Las Vegas.” In addition to reviews, Taylor has written and self-published three books on classic hard rock bands, and is a regular participant in rock and roll trivia contests. Taylor also holds a masters degree in special education from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), and has appeared on the hit History Channel television series Pawn Stars. His dream is to be able to one day make a living from writing music books and reviews.

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