It’s A Birthday Bash At Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill On April 4th

All Live Photos By Travis Failey Photography
Sebastian Bach Photo Credit: Jim Louvau

A birthday party was held on Friday night in Saint Pete at Ferg’s Sports Bar and Grill, and the birthday boy was none other than SEBASTIAN BACH, who was turning a youthful 58. I say youthful because Sebastian always brings it every time he hits the stage, performing as if he were still fronting SKID ROW back in the 80s. The weather was beautiful, and the outdoor venue was packed to the gills in both the VIP areas and the large, standing-room-only general admission locations.

Ferg’s is huge place and is recognized as the nation’s best local sports bar and have upped their concert game considerably over the last couple years, taking shows from the other area venues.

The tour labeled as “The Party Never Ends” which are lyrics from SKID ROW’s hit “18 & Life” included main support in WHITE LION featuring Mike Tramp and STITCHED UP HEART who opened the show at 7:30 sharp.

STITCHED UP HEART was formed in 2010 in Los Angeles by singer Alecia “Mixi” Demner and have released 3 studio albums and 3 EPs with another studio album ‘Medusa’ to be released this June. The band went through multiple lineup changes but Demner, guitarist Merritt Goodwin & bassist Randy Mathias have been together since 2014.

They opened with their 8 song set with ”Sick Sick Sick” and went directly into “To The Wolves” which was the title track from 2023 release. Mixi commanded the stage; vocally, she was amazing, effortlessly mixing aggressive “dirty” vocals with clean tones that sounded like they were coming from a songbird. She reminds me a lot of Tatiana from JINGER and Heidi from the BUTCHER BABIES, but even better.

STITCHED UP HEART moved quickly through their set as the sun was setting on the half packed courtyard at Ferg’s. Some of those in attendance were taken aback a bit by the bands aggressive and extremely heavy songs at times but appreciated how well they were performed by the veteran band.

Drummer Delaney Jaster was spectacular on the kit, perfectly in time and doing stick tricks that drew your eyes away from Mixi, Goodwin and Mathias. The band finished up their set with “Immortal” and “Monster” and then went and greeted their friends and a lot of family members who were in attendance. I asked Delaney how they got on this touring bill because it is an odd fit and she said “Sebastian got us on the tour” and thankfully he did as they gained many new fans because of it, especially with Mixi being the absolute rockstar performer she is.

Next up was Mike Tramp and WHITE LION with Tramp spending the last few years re-contextualizing his past, culminating in his ‘Songs of White Lion’ album series. The opening theme song from the movie ‘The Warriors’ played over the house speakers which was a fantastic call back to the cult classic that many men still consider one of their favorites including myself and Mike Tramp.

The band took the dimly lit stage and Tramp looked great for 65 as he has taken care of himself better than most of his contemporaries but his voice has naturally lowered into a raspy, soulful baritone over the decades. Some fans in the crowd wondered what was going on with the presentation of the songs but started to get into the set big time during “Little Fighter” and “Hungry.”

Tramp spoke to the crowd, pointing out some of the vintage WHITE LION t-shirts in the audience and joking about how the band used to fight over hairspray back in 1988, which got a great laugh. He also talked about the first time they opened for AC/DC. When they played “When the Children Cry,” he recalled being shocked to see 25,000 lighters held up in the air. “Let’s get back to that,” he said, and as the band started to play the ballad, fans proudly held up the flashlight apps on their phones.

With a hard stop time of 9:15 PM, I was shocked to see them close the set with “Lady of the Valley,” especially since many were eagerly waiting for “Radar Love.” When they walked off the stage, the two guys next to me said, “Well, they must be doing it as an encore.” Unfortunately, the cut-off time was strict; Sebastian was scheduled to be on in 30 minutes, and the gear had to be switched out.

WHITE LION and Mike Tramp were solid and a great lead in for Sebastian Bach. Tramp wasn’t trying to pretend it was 1988; instead, he delivered mature musical renditions of his classic catalog. The songs were more intimate, but lacked punch for some people, while others enjoyed his set especially those who had never seen him or the original WHITE LION band from years past.

By this time, the courtyard at Ferg’s — with its stage video screens now working flawlessly — was overpacked. The crowd waited patiently for Sebastian to take the stage at his scheduled 9:45 PM start time. However, many turned impatient as the clock ticked past 10:15 PM with no sign of Sebastian or his band. One fan shouted out, “Who do you think you are? Axl Rose?” A few minutes later, another blared out, “No wonder SKID ROW doesn’t want you back!”

Both comments got big laughs from the crowd and then they were appeased as Bach and his new bandmates hit the stage around 10:25 opening with “What Do I Got to Lose?” from his most recent release ‘The Child Within The Man.’

It was an interesting choice to start the show with as most weren’t familiar with the song but Sebastian knows where his bread is buttered and kicked it up ten notches and got the fans on their feet with SKID ROWS’s “Slave To The Grind” “Here I Am” and “Big Guns.”

Sebastian then mentioned how important this year’s birthday was as he turned 58 this year as his dad and grandfather both past away at 57. Birthday signs were brought up to the stage by the fans with Sebastian happily obliging them by showing them to the crowd and putting them up on the drum riser while his son Paris crashed the cymbals on his kit.

After “Sweet Little Sister,” Sebastian once again mentioned his birthday, expressing his gratitude that his daughter was there to celebrate with him and Paris (whose own birthday was the very next day). A fan even handed Sebastian a beautiful birthday cake. Bach proudly showed it off to the crowd but joked that he couldn’t eat it, or he wouldn’t be able to fit into his jeans anymore. He was clearly having a blast, smiling and engaging with the audience throughout the 17-song set.

He was fantastic vocally as he has been throughout his career but his redundancy about his birthday (8 times) and other topics like “Do you remember the 80’s” between songs was a bit much but we did witness something, I personally have never seen before at a concert.

Sebastian said “Remember the 80’s when we didn’t talk about politics? I remember driving in my black Camaro, listening to ‘Shout at the Devil,’ drinking beers and playing Frisbee.” He then had someone from the side stage throw him a Frisbee where he then threw it perfectly across the venue into the tents where fans scurried to claim it. That was the catalyst for many other Frisbees, these with the Ferg’s logo, to be launched at the stage with Bas now playing catch with the fans.

After resuming the show with “Piece of Me,” Sebastian took a minute to point out the young fans in the crowd and stated “Our future are the youth and not fat old white dudes (referring to politicians) and let’s hear it for the young kids that are here” which got a huge pop from the crowd.

Following “Future of Youth” (the third of his four solo songs for the night), Sebastian led an “Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy” chant. He took a moment to talk about the legendary musicians we have lost recently, particularly Neil Peart, and noted how every show is dedicated to Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell from PANTERA.

“Monkey Business” was next with a cover of “I Don’t Know” by Ozzy mixed into the middle. Afterwards he mentioned that Todd La Torre from QUEENSRYCHE was there and that he (Sebastian) had to sing his ass off tonight because of it. The smile on Sebastian’s face was infectious throughout the crowd as he high fived the people in the front more than I have ever seen before which they appreciated highly.

After “I Remember You” and the last of his new solo songs in “(Hold On) To the Dream,” Sebastian said he was the new lead singer of TWISTED SISTER and led the crowd in a chant of “Rock, Rock, Rock” before playing the TS anthem “I Wanna Rock.” You could tell that the late start time was catching up with the the older crowd as the physical reaction to this song was minimal.

Even so, It didn’t look like many fans left the venue as they were waiting to sing the chorus from the biggest anthem of the night in “Youth Gone Wild” and belt it out they did as midnight struck in Saint Petersburg. Once again Sebastian was all smiles and then told everyone “To Get The Fuck Out” as he and the band played the SKID ROW song with that same title. An exhausted Sebastian stayed on stage for a couple minutes and then security rushed him to his bus as a few fans tried to get autographs without any luck.

I have seen Sebastian both solo and with SKID ROW many times. Like me, many know what to expect: classic songs and anthems with amazing vocals from one of the best ever and a little bit of goofiness from Sebastian. Friday night at Ferg’s in St Pete had all of this and more including an eye opening performance from STITCHED UP HEART, classic songs played with a new flair from WHITE LION, and another great live performance with new material mixed in from SEBASTIAN BACH.

Sebastian continues his non-stop road show with a variety of bands joining him. For dates and locations near you: https://www.sebastianbach.com/tour

STITCHED UP HEART

MIKE TRAMP’S WHITE LION

SEBASTIAN BACH