Winger returned to Jergels last night for the first time since November of 2022, having last visited Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Library Music Hall with Tom Keifer and John Corabi a year ago. And despite having a rather late 8pm start date for the three-band line-up, fans arrived early to fight for their spot in front of the stage.
The night began with local singer/songwriter Mark Ferrari who performed an acoustic set accompanied by percussion before XDB took the stage bringing their own set of original music. Mark is a hometown favorite that can often be found performing the National Anthem at PNC Park and at regional shows in support of national acts, and he has also supported Winger at past local performances.
XDB is the band of guitarist Xander Demos who is a local guitar shredder who is joined by Paul Ricciuti on bass, Guy Cole on drums, Brendan Calllahan on guitar and keyboards, and Robert Kane on lead vocals. The Pure Rock Shop has known Robert since before our magazine was founded, as his band Love & War (now known as Apocalyptic Lovers) was one of the first bands to join us on our college radio show at WDSR at Duquesne University. So, it’s pretty cool to see him performing regularly here in the ‘Burgh again. It was also noteworthy that Brendan introduced an original song last night to an enthusiastic crowd response.
Winger kicked off a 75-minute set with the heavy hitting new track “Stick the Knife in and Twist” before transitioning into the band’s most-popular and perhaps most controversial song, “Seventeen,” from their self-titled debut, and “Can’t Get Enough,” from their sophomore release In the Heart of the Young.
We all know how rare it is for a band to have retained all of its members over several decades, so I must highlight that Winger’s original line-up of Kip Winger on bass and lead vocals, Reb Beach on lead guitar, Paul Taylor on guitar and keyboards, and Rod Morgenstein on drums remains intact with John Roth, who later joined the band, still performing with them regularly whenever he isn’t on the road with Mickey Thomas’ Starship.
If you haven’t seen Starship, I encourage you to catch them live, Mickey’s vocals are on-point at the young age of seventy-four and John is kicking ass on guitar as always. We had the great pleasure of seeing them last month in Morgantown, WV as part of the Ruby Summer Concert Series at a riverfront amphitheater.
For this performance additional guitar duties were handled by regular sub Howie Simon, who was given a moment to solo centerstage following my favorite cut from the band’s third album Pull, “Down Incognito.”
The band continued on with the first single from their latest release “Proud Desperado” and delivered more favorites like “Rainbow in the Rose,” “Headed for a Heartbreak,” and the classic ballad “Miles Away,” as well as some fun showcases of their impressive talents.
Notably, the show included a lengthy guitar solo from Reb Beach which transitioned into his instrumental “Black Magic” from the Guitars that Rule the World compilation and solo album A View From the Inside. If you aren’t familiar, you can learn more about that release and some fun facts about the instrumental (which we hear regularly at local performances from the Reb Beach Band here in Pittsburgh) in an interview from the album’s release. Additionally, we were treated to a drum solo from Rod and a finale of solos from the entire band that closed out the evening.
Winger continues to tour in support of the band’s latest album Seven with upcoming dates to include the Rock the Locks Festival, Roklahoma, and ProgPower in Atlanta where they plan to perform their third album Pull in it’s entirety. Additionally, on May 9th the Nashville Symphony will host the world premiere of a new classical concerto by Kip Winger. And, fans can catch the Reb Beach Band live on August 24 at JBs Roadside Bar & Grille and in December at The Oaks Theater.
In other Winger band news, fans can find Paul Taylor on the long-awaited Mick Mars solo album, The Other Side of Mars along with Jacob Bunton on lead vocals and Ray Luzier on drums.
Follow us @ThePureRockShop on Facebook and Instagram for more local shows like Halestorm and The Struts, and festival coverage including the Mountain Music Festival next month in Gaitlinburg, TN. Also, be sure to hit our archives for more Winger coverage and captures, as well as historic interviews from the band.
Coverage by Editor and founder Kara Marie Uhrlen posted on 7/23/2024. All event photos © Kara Uhrlen and The Pure Rock Shop.
