Steve Haynie Posted July 22, 2012 Posted July 22, 2012 Last night my friends backed off from driving up to Charlotte to see Winger at Amos' Southend near downtown. Of the three or four shows attended previously at the venue this one was the most packed I have seen. It was also one of the better crowds, too. There were people drinking, but no drunk assholes. There were a lot of people, but no one crushing up to the stage. It was hot, but no one was slammed against each other to make it even hotter. The opening act was Hair Nation. They have opened for a lot of heavy metal acts around Charlotte. This time there was a new guitar player who happened to play a Hamer Californian Elite for a few songs. He pulled it out for the first time when they played Cheap Trick's The Flame. They played an hour.Winger came on stage at 10:32 and played until midnight. Kip Winger has an Alex Skolnick hair style now including the white streak on one side of his forehead. What made me laugh is how low his microphone was so he could slump over a little when he sings. He was sort of holding a pose every time he was at the mic, but then he really was not posing. The guy put so much conviction into his performance that his positioning was necessary to express himself. Go watch this guy doing solo shows on youtube and you will see that Kip Winger does not do lame performances. Cannot happen. Kip only played a Warwick Streamer when he played bass. I cannot remember what he was using for an amp. There were times he sat behind an electric piano which may or may not have had the bass lines preprogrammed. If anything there must have been a split keyboard for some of the bass parts. There was an Apple notebook of some sort near the piano, and before one song Kip told the other guys his computer crashed so they needed to jam while he was waiting for it to reboot. No problem. The rest of the guys immediately jammed over a riff started by Reb Beach. After a minute or so they played the piano song, probably Headed For A Heartbreak. It could have been Miles Away. It was something nearer the end of the show.I could barely see Rod Morgenstein through his drums. His toms were high, and he was surrounded by cymbals. The drums were purple, like that really means anything here. Reb Beach has always looked like he is having fun on stage. If there is a guy who understands how to put on a show as a guitar player, Reb Beach is the guy. He never looks at his guitar during a solo. He looks at the audience and makes faces, rolling his eyes or putting on a fake grimace just to accentuate what he is playing. It was like he was playing a friendly game with the audience. The entire time Reb played a Suhr that looked to be koa with a little flame to it. If you go to his web site, the guitar he had was probably the second one on this page. I remember the wood grain on the body. There were two Marshall half stacks behind him. I got an orange Reb Beach/Winger guitar pick.John Roth is a far better guitar player than I remembered. When he soloed everything he played cool as could be. When he did his country picking thing it was really slick. The only other guitar player I have seen do chicken pickin' at a heavy rock show was John 5, and John Roth was better at playing that style. As far as I am concerned, Roth was more impressive than John 5 overall. Roth played a black Fender Stratocaster the whole time. He had a Marshall half stack, but there was a Boogie head with the hammered aluminum face sitting on top of the Marshall head.The hairspray and ripped jeans are long gone. The voice and talent are still there. Winger played like they were all having fun, not just "putting on a show." Just to add a little more Hamer content... Way back when Kip Winger (and former Winger member Paul Taylor) played with Alice Cooper through his first album he played Spector basses. Then he played Hamer Impact basses. The Warwick Streamer is based on a Spector design. It would be nice to see him brought back to Hamer if they would make him an Impact again. The set list:Pull Me Under Blind Revolution Mad Easy Come, Easy Go Stone Cold Killer Hungry Rainbow in the Rose Deal With the Devil Down Incognito Guitar Solo (John Roth)Your Great Escape Guitar Solo (Reb Beach)You Are the Saint, I Am the Sinner Drum Solo (Rod Morgenstein)Headed for a Heartbreak Can't Get Enough Seventeen Encore:Miles Away Madalaine Helter Skelter
Steve Haynie Posted July 23, 2012 Author Posted July 23, 2012 How did Rod play? I'd love to see him live someday.He played like you would expect-- perfectly. His solo was a bit different as he played along with a synth track or triggered synth patches as he played. It was more than just percussion when he played. If you saw Neal Peart on the last tour or two you saw something similar to what Rod Morgenstein played last night.
coolfeel Posted July 23, 2012 Posted July 23, 2012 Sounds like a cool show! You should have called me Steve, I would have met you there!
silentman Posted July 23, 2012 Posted July 23, 2012 Saw winger play an abbreviated set at a benefit a few years ago. They bring it all the time. Reb is a fave of mine.
lincsman Posted July 23, 2012 Posted July 23, 2012 A great band hopfully come to Europe soon,there is no mention on there website.
armaddy63 Posted July 24, 2012 Posted July 24, 2012 Steve, Awesome to have you at the Winger show on the 21st of July... The HAMER I pulled out for the song 'The Flame' is now 24 years old. I bought this new at Washington Music Center in MD. In the last few months I had to get new frets from HAMER and I installed them myself and leveled etc.... The Hamer Californians name is 'MITCHELL'...She 'was' arctic white...now yellowed... just in case anyone else names theirs...I name all of mine...lol This guitar IS and will ALWAYS be my SOLO GUITAR...we were lacking in time or you could have checked her out doing some serious screaming... Hope to catch you at another HAIR NATION show ! FYI...I have some behind the scenes stuff here if interested... http://www.reverbnation.com/page_object/page_object_blogs/artist_2615608?blog_id=6528388 Add my FACEBOOK to keep up...https://www.facebook.com/ARayGuitar Your Rockin' Amigo, ARay HAIR NATION GUITARIST HAMER FAN
Dasein Posted July 24, 2012 Posted July 24, 2012 I was going to come in here and throw turds all over Winger like an internet tough-guy - but KIp and Reb are likely to join the forum and I'd have to take them all back so I'll just say nothing and keep smiling. Cool to see the world united in Hamer love, though everytime I see a photo of Kip it looks like he's smiling just for me and I start to feel all tingly inside and I don't know why.
armaddy63 Posted August 19, 2012 Posted August 19, 2012 Steve, Your right it was that one...the pickups are different in the other one too... This is the one he used for the show in Charlotte...I was playing it before the show... https://sphotos-a.xx...675400660_n.jpg Your rockin' amigo and HAMER fan ARay (HAIR NATION)
Submariner85 Posted August 19, 2012 Posted August 19, 2012 I always liked Winger, despite all the bashing they took.
Steve Haynie Posted August 20, 2012 Author Posted August 20, 2012 Oh, heck! Reb let you fondle his guitar! Reading the forum at his web site he seems like he wants to meet people on the road. By the way, I got a Reb Beach guitar pick at the show, but that was before I moved up to fiddle bows.
armaddy63 Posted August 20, 2012 Posted August 20, 2012 Steve,what the hell is that link i clicked? I know your probably HORSE LAUGHING knowing I clicked that...some weird tune with a chic on roller skates? LOL
Brooks Posted August 20, 2012 Posted August 20, 2012 welcome to HFC aray, i have seen HAIR NATION's name around here, looking fwd to catching a show.my hard rawk cover band WIZARD SLEEVES is playing at the stumblin pig in mebane fri sept 7.hit me up if you guys ever need a 2nd band around here.DavidB is another HFC'er around here, his band SPANK is kickass, they are also playing sept 7.
damndirtyape71 Posted August 20, 2012 Posted August 20, 2012 Pull is their best record, and sadly the one that no one knows about.
Steve Haynie Posted August 20, 2012 Author Posted August 20, 2012 Steve,what the hell is that link i clicked? I know your probably HORSE LAUGHING knowing I clicked that...some weird tune with a chic onroller skates? LOLThe link is what it must be. How you interpret it is an opportunity to look to your inner self and reflect upon your place in the universe as you breath the precious aromas of incense and natural oils. Peace be upon you.
armaddy63 Posted August 16, 2014 Posted August 16, 2014 Just FYI... Our band HAIR NATION is again opening up for WINGER 11/8/2014 at the same club (Amos Southend in Charlotte)...Hope to see ya there....I'll bring 'Mitchell' ...my HAMER CALIFORNIAN....take care all!
Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame Posted August 17, 2014 Posted August 17, 2014 That's a mite far for me...but I'm considering it!
mathman Posted August 17, 2014 Posted August 17, 2014 Just want to say I was always a Winger Fan. Would love to see them one day. Even now.
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