Trixter – Jersey Boys Rock Vamp’d With Special Guests!

Trixter played Count’s Vamp’d on Saturday, March 29, with support acts Christian Shields and The Far Worst.

You can leave it to the good people at Count’s Vamp’d to keep rock and metal music alive. The legendary Vegas venue recently welcomed Paramus, NJ’s Trixter to the venue, along with a pair of support acts to round out the evening.

Starting the evening off were local favorites The Far Worst. One of the biggest disappointments for me in recent Vegas music scene news was the disbandment of Noize Complaint featuring vocalist Jake Bruen, who made some great music during their time together. But much to my delight, Bruen announced he’d be making a comeback, not as a lead vocalist, but as a bassist in another favorite local group, The Far Worst. The group is fronted by Mr. Bruen’s regular collaborator Bree Elizabeth, so finally getting these two in the same band seemed like a match made in Heaven, in every sense of the word. I’ll always give The Far Worst credit for cranking out the original tunes, and Ms. Elizabeth is one hell of a frontwoman, as anyone in the crowd will attest to. The band found time for a single cover song in their set, which was a cover of Motley Crue’s “Same Ol’ Situation,” and hats off to the group for covering a song that wasn’t the most obvious choice. These Vegas rockers kicked things off excellently, and that was just the beginning of a spectacular evening.

Christian Shields, the second performer of the evening, was the odd man out, being the one artist out of the three with which I had no familiarity. So, this was the one set where I was coming in completely blind, with no idea of what to expect. Christian made me a fan in mere minutes. This blues-based classic hard rock sound was everything I could hope for and more, with the sound probably reminded me more of Tesla than any other band, but it also doesn’t seem fair to pigeonhole his group with a comparison to one other artist, as he’s definitely taken many elements and forged them into something uniquely his own. To quite one of my favorite lines from the STAR WARS movies, I’ll watch his career with great interest. It was my first time seeing and listening to Christian, but it certainly won’t be the last.

New Jersey’s Trixter is certainly an interesting band that doesn’t get talked about enough. Their debut came out in 1990, featuring the hits “Give It to Me Good” and “One in a Million,” which became fan favorites. Unfortunately, the band surfaced in that period right before the music industry changed, and an entire scene largely evaporated over night from the public eye. But Trixter continued recording despite changing trends in the music world, with some of their albums past the turn of the millennium actually becoming some of their best recorded music!

Trixter’s classic 1990 debut lineup consisted of vocalist Pete Loran, bassist PJ Farley, guitarist Steve Brown, and drummer Mark Gus Scott. The current lineup retains Farley and Brown, who now alternate lead vocal duties, and drummer Ben Hans. This modern “trio” incarnation previously played at Vamp’d in 2023, doing an acoustic show (which was still pretty damn heavy contrary to what you may think), but this fan was enthused to hear the band would be doing a full-on “traditional” show on the Vamp’d stage.

I’m certainly surprised by Trixter’s decision to continue on without a traditional lead vocalist following the departure of former singer Pete Loran, but what’s truly surprising is that Farley and Brown are both excellent singers, and they do justice to the material. Both men keep busy outside of the band as well; Brown has filled in for both guitarists in Def Leppard, and Farley has a long-lasting association with wrestler turned rock singer Chris Jericho, playing in his band Fozzy, as well as his 80s KISS tribute, Kuarantine. Trixter live is definitely not the same thing as listening to their tunes on the radio or a CD. They’re a lot heavier and more powerful in a live setting.

The two classic Trixter members have a great chemistry with each other and clearly love their time on stage, and appreciate their fans. Throughout their gig, they shared stories of their history together as a band, but also were careful enough not to have these last long enough that they’d start detracting from the amount or quality of music played. The setlist was fantastic, pulling from throughout their career. Unsurprisingly, most of the set was dominated by tracks from the 1990 debut, including the “hits” most fans know, but there were a handful from its less popular (but no less excellent) 1992 follow-up HEAR, including “Rockin’ Horse.” I was also pleased to see a few cuts from the band’s most recent studio albums, HUMAN ERA and NEW AUDIO MACHINE, including “Tattoos and Misery” from the latter release. My only disappointment in the setlist was the omission of my favorite “newer” Trixter song, “Rockin’ to the Edge of the Night,” which would’ve made a fantastic inclusion here.

We even got a big epic finale, with Christian Shields and his band joining Trixter on stage to perform a fun rendition of AC/DC’s classic anthem, “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” The band definitely went out in fine form with this cover tune, bringing the house down and ending the set with a bang. Apparently Trixter’s recent gigs have always closed with a cover song and special guests, depending on who’s available. The members of the band were even cool enough to hang out with the crowd after the gig, signing autographs, chatting, and taking pictures with the fans following the epic on-stage finale.

Trixter doesn’t get talked about enough, and that needs to change. The current incarnation of the band is one of the best yet. Hopefully, we’ll be getting another album from them down the road, but for now, they’re certainly doing a good job retaining their youth and rocking the stage in fine form. If you’re a fan, you’ll be pleased to know they’re still in their prime. Definitely check them out if they come to town.

PHOTO CREDIT: Live photos by Dave Childers for ZRockR Magazine – (c) 2025 – All Rights Reserved.