Sheclipse played Count’s Vamp’d on Friday, March 15, 2024, with support act Classic Chaos.
When it comes to rock and roll in Las Vegas, Vamp’d remains one of the top spots. Local, national, international, it’s a damn fine rock house where everyone plays, and that’s as true as it’s ever been. On March 15, audiences got not one but two fine Sin City Bands: Sheclipse, the world’s only all-female Journey tribute, and Classic Chaos kicking things off.
Starting the evening was Classic Chaos. The group covers a wide array of songs spanning several eras of rock. In all honesty, I’m not someone who gets overly thrilled when I hear that there’s another cover band playing; they’re a dime a dozen in Vegas and countless other major cities with a rock scene. But Classic Chaos is different, because since they started in 2017, they’ve always kept things energetic, fun, and unpredictable in the best of ways. Also, any rock group to grace the stage at Vamp’d who has female members is a definite plus; it’s definitely something I want to see more of when it comes to the rock world at large. Vocalist Tammy Lynn is an absolute powerhouse in this regard, as is bassist Betty Vance. The rest of the band members are no slouches either, including guitarist Don Polednak and Eric Silverman, and drummer David Vorce.
But again, what makes a Classic Chaos show fun is the unpredictability; you never know what song’s coming next! One of the true delights of this gig was hearing “Say What You Will” by Fastway (a group formed by Motorhead’s Fast Eddie Clark and UFO’s Pete Way) which I’m not sure I’ve ever heard any group perform live before, as well as a combination of everything from Ratt and Lita Ford to Van Halen and Night Ranger, and even some older 70s era tracks. It was a fun set all around; the band members clearly have a good chemistry and know what they’re doing when it comes to entertaining an audience.
Sheclipse, of course, headlined the evening. I love Journey music, and I love women who rock. This to me seemed like the best of both worlds. Fronting the group is Carol-Lyn Liddle, who has quite the extensive resume, including the Aces High Iron Maiden tribute band and her own Herstory of Rock shows. Her former Raiding the Rock Vault bandmate John Payne was even in the house to show his support! This woman never fails to please; she’s the proverbial singer who could sing the phone book and make it sound good.
The music of Journey, particularly the classic era in which Steve Perry was their vocalist, is timeless. Songs like “Any Way You Want It,” “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Wheel In the Sky,” and “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin,” all remain massive radio hits to this day. It’s no surprise they remain fan favorites, and getting to hear these songs done live, done by any band, is always a pleasure. But getting to hear them done live by an all-star female band seemed like an even greater prospect. It was also great to get to hear them with a keyboard player; this is something many artists covering Journey songs lack. Tammy Lynn from Classic Chaos even came on stage to join the group for a song!
With such a big Journey discography, it’s understandably difficult to choose a setlist that balances big hits with minor hits and deep cuts. This set featured most of the big hits, and a few deeper songs sandwiched throughout, giving the audience a nice combination of sounds throughout their Steve Perry-fronted career. One of the biggest and best surprises of the night was a performance of minor hit “Just the Same Way” from the 1979 EVOLUTION album, featuring keyboardist Brenda Fitz taking over on vocals to perform the Gregg Rolie parts. Probably my only minor complaint of the evening is this element was underused; the big missing hit was the “Feeling That Way/Anytime” medley from 1978’s INFINITY, which extensively featured Rolie’s vocals, and Fitz and Liddle could easily have done this one justice. It would also be nice to hear some tracks from the band’s first three albums on which Rolie did all the vocals; hopefully we’ll see this in the future, because I know these girls are up to the task and then some.
Sheclipse owns whatever stage their own; these are easily some of the best renditions of Journey tunes I’ve ever heard, and any fan should take the time to see them live; the same is true of Classic Chaos as well! Once again, a damn fine evening of rock and roll I was happy to attend, as was everyone else in the house.
