The Whisky A Go Go was heaving on a Saturday at the very end of August, for a metal double-header that saw KK's Priest join forces with Accept.
It's an interesting lineup (which is out for a North American tour). German veteran metal band Accept only has guitarist Wolf Hoffmann in the ranks from the original lineup. Singer Mark Tornillo has been there since 2009, and nobody else has been in any earlier than 2015.
Meanwhile, KK's Priest has beloved Judas Priest guitarist KK Downing, plus former JP singer Tim "Ripper" Owens. So both bands, on the surface, are a bit of a patchwork of former glories.
Cynics might sneer, but the reality when faced with these two bands in a sweaty Sunset Strip club is that they are both firing. Against the odds, Accept 2024 and KK's Priest put on a killer show.
Original singer Udo Dirkschneider plays a solo show at this same venue in a few weeks, but to be fair, Tornillo is doing a stellar job. Tornillo-led songs such as "Teutonic Terror" and "Humanoid" (the latter from the most recent album of the same name) sound great alongside classics such as "London Leatherboys" and, obviously, "Balls to the Wall."
Similarly, KK's Priest deserve immense credit for the fact that songs from their own records (Sermons of the Sinner, The Sinner Rides Again) sound perfectly at home alongside the Judas Priest classics.
"Hellfire Thunderbolt" and "Strike of the Viper" were highlights from the KK's Priest originals, but of course everyone wanted to hear those metal standards.
The covers of Joan Baez's "Diamonds & Rust" and Fleetwood Mac's "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)" sounded superb, Ripper really embracing the intricacies. "Burn in Hell" and "The Ripper" got an understandably huge reaction from the Whisky crowd, and naturally, "Breaking the Law" was arguably the biggest moment of the night.
Why wouldn't these two bands keep going?
