Just before heading out on tour with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Ronnie James Dio, veteran drummer Vinnie Appice had his California curtain-call at Harper’s Sports Bar & Grille on Friday, January 26. Vinnie was joined at the Northridge night-spot by numerous other rock-&-roll notables in the ensemble known as the Hollywood Allstarz, who hammered the house with a satisfying smorgasbord of hits, following a good, long set by bluesy boogie-band Judge Jackson.
Most metalheads know by now that when Vinnie hooks up this time with Iommi, Butler and Dio, the outfit will be called Heaven and Hell, not only in reference to the great album Black Sabbath made with Dio on vocals in place of Ozzy, but apparently also in deference to the Ozz-man’s insistence that there is “only one Black Sabbath,” the original lineup of Iommi, Osbourne, Butler and Bill Ward. Hope remains for that legendary Sabbath lineup to still reunite, both for shows and maybe even more new music, but in the meantime, the Heaven and Hell tour commences in Canada on March 11 at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum. It will continue through Canada to New York by March 30, after which the band should head on to more U.S., Asia and Europe dates. Therefore, January’s show at Harper’s brought Vinnie’s current stint in the Hollywood Allstarz to an end, so lots of local fans and musical friends turned out to say farewell to the prolific percussionist.
Judge Jackson’s generous playlist opened with Robin Trower’s “Day of the Eagle” and blazed on through a total of 16 songs. The band shuffled other familiar standards in among their own originals, one of which was the western-themed “Bandit,” dedicated by barefooted singer Todd McTavish to a friend named Chris. 
Guitarist Lee Jackson delivered satisfying down-home solos as always, while ably supported by bassist Lee Jackson and drummer J.J. Garcia. Before they were through, Todd noted that the boys should have their fourth CD out sometime very soon – and it’s bound to be a good one, because these guys are kings at what they do.
Once Judge Jackson’ gear was cleared away, Vinnie Appice’s drumset was assembled right next to that of another powerhouse drummer, Alan Krigger, so Harper’s patrons beheld a two-kit configuration not often seen since the Doobie Brothers disbanded. Krigger’s history includes membership in landmark band London, as well as work with Carl Wilson, Ike and Tina Turner, and one-time Angel keyboardist Gregg Giuffria. Playing bass for the Allstarz was Jimmy Bain, former member of Rainbow and Dio, while guitar duties were handled by Quiet Riot’s Carlos Cavazo. At the microphone stood singer Chas West, best known as vocalist in Bonham, the band begun by John Bonham’s son Jason. Together, they were Hollywood Allstarz indeed, which they proved by proceeding to play an eclectic, hard-rocking set of songs from their respective pasts.
In a salute to Vinnie’s upcoming gigs, the show opened with the beginning bars of the Dio-era Sabbath song “Heaven and Hell,” leading into “The Mob Rules.” Then the Allstarz dug deeper into the past for “Immigrant Song” and “War Pigs.” From the beginning, Chas displayed the vocal power and range needed to pull off any song by any band, and he certainly had the stereotypically self-assured frontman’s attitude to accompany his prowess, but... Chas could have used a bit more work on his microphone twirls, for he didn’t seem to have quite the same panache and precision as Robert Plant in his glory days, but no matter … it was close enough for rock-&-roll!
Down the hit-list went the program: one song each from Rainbow and Bonham and Whitesake, a single-song sample from an Allstarz side-project called 3 Legged Dogg, a couple of Quiet Riot cuts, and finally a trio from Dio.
A classic comic moment came during Vinnie’s drum solo after “Still of the Night,” when the other band members came on stage wearing t-shirts saying “Carmine is Better” – Carmine being, of course, Vinnie’s brother, and a great rock drummer in his own right. Hilarity ensued.
At one point came a poignant cameo from an unexpected guest, when Chas introduced Tomi Rae Hynie, widow of R&B great James Brown, and the two teamed up on Quiet Riot’s party tune, “Cum On Feel The Noize.” Tomi’s tones were tinged with saucy soul, which served the song well. Guesting on another Quiet Riot piece, “metal health,” was nimble-fingered Chuck Wright, the Quiet Riot bassist who played on the original track with Carlos – and thereby was the “Allstarz” designation validated that much more, as the hits and the stars kept on coming.
The show closed out with Dio’s “Long Live Rock and Roll,” during which wailing vocals trading off with screaming bluesy guitar riffs during. The song’s title aptly summed up the hearty sentiment felt by everyone there at Harper’s, as bandmates and fans alike expressed their hopes that Vinnie Appice has either a heavenly time, or else a hell of a good time, on his upcoming tour with fellow rock icons Ronnie James Dio, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi and in Heaven and Hell.
