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| Classless Act @ the Brick & Mortar Music Hall (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Seeing a super talented band on the climb in an intimate environment is such a rush. Classless Act opened every date of the gigantic Stadium Tour all last summer and Wednesday night they brought their arena show energy and talent to a smaller venue gig at San Francisco’s Brick & Mortar Music Hall. Non-stop motion and driving songs at a breakneck pace kept the crowd struggling to catch their breath throughout.
Taking the stage after three bands had performed before them on their “West Side Fun Run 23” mini-tour, Classless Act left no doubt of their rightful claim to the headliner slot and demonstrated a level of showmanship that has advanced even further from last Summer. Opening with the appropriate “Classless Act” first song after last year’s debut album Welcome to the Show, the band hit the stage appearing thrilled to get such a close connection to the audience, but determined to give every bit of power and energy they would have given for an arena show.
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| Derek Day & Franco Gravante of Classless Act @ the Brick & Mortar Music Hall (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Lead singer Derek Day presents an intriguing combination of front-man vocals reminiscent of Freddie Mercury blended with Axl Rose and then throws in the facial expressionism of John Belushi to make him compelling on stage. Guitarist Dane Pieper also presents a commanding stage presence – 6’ 2” and shirtless with a constant blur of motion, striking of rock idol poses and genuine never-ending smiles and enthusiasm. Between them, bassist and sometimes vocalist Franco Gravante combined with drummer Chuck McKissock to keep the pace in the pocket throughout the show. On the far side of the stage, guitarist Griffin Tucker ruled the riffs with his Gibson and ever-flowing mane. Together, the five band members seemed to continually interact with each other and the audience with a genuine feeling of enjoying the engagement.
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| Derek Day & Dane Pieper of Classless Act @ the Brick & Mortar Music Hall (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
On this night, the band was eager to also play some new songs as they are studio-bound to record their sophomore effort. “You Got Nothing,” the third song of the night showed that the album to come is going to bring an even wider audience and then was followed by last year’s “Haunting Love” – featuring sizzling guitars and some of Day’s best vocals of the evening. It was part of a 4-song block off “Welcome to the Show” with the playful “Made in Hell”, “Storm Before The Calm” presented in all of its anthemic grandeur and “All That We Are.”
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| Griffin Tucker of Classless Act @ the Brick & Mortar Music Hall (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
The band played four unreleased songs next. The hard driving ”Lay Low” from their upcoming album showcased McKissock’s power behind the drum kit and Gravante’s thundering bass. The new “Toxic Times” featured great harmonies with backing vocals by Gravante. This was followed by a logical cover of Britney Spears’ 2003 hit “Toxic” done with a firm commitment by the band. Classless Act followed with “Yesterday” – a semi-ballad and the final unreleased song of the night – delivered with Gravante on lead vocals and Day on keyboards. Day strapped on his 12-string to lead the band in “Circles” as they returned to “Welcome to The Show” – the song was delivered nicely at a stronger pace and with more intensity than on the album.
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| Classless Act @ the Brick & Mortar Music Hall (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Lots of bands have covered Led Zeppelin’s “Rock n Roll,” but Classless Act did it with a unique twist with each band member switching to a different instrument. All members demonstrated their talents in their new positions with Day demonstrating a mean Jimmy Page impression on guitar and Tucker delivering the crushing drum solo. They finished with two of their biggest hits “Give It to Me” featured an a cappella intro from Day and then led to the closing locomotive of “This is For You.”
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| Dane Pieper of Classless Act @ the Brick & Mortar Music Hall (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Classless Act are energy, enthusiasm and confidence without a hint of arrogance or pretentiousness. This is a band that was handed a golden ticket last summer and enjoyed the hell out of it while not letting it get the best of them. Judging by the new songs that were shared Wednesday night, the coming album will be one of rock’s most talked about releases. It seems likely that those in the audience at Brick & Mortar were witness to Classless Act’s last performance at a club in San Francisco. This is a band on the climb and they have the talent, look and commitment to move way up in venue size.
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| Loud Life @ Brick & Mortar (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Earlier in the night, Oakland’s Loud Life lit up the opening slot – delivered a highly entertaining set that included songs like their new single “Sore Loser” and “Neon Icons” – combined elements of metal, punk and funk and featured their lead singer donning a Chewbacca mask at one time. Allway Drive – a band out of El Paso who drove themselves out for the performance - had a sound and look that sent me back in time to San Francisco’s metal scene of the mid-1980’s. They capped their set with the guitarist igniting the end of his guitar and then producing a Gene Simmons-like fireball to wrap up their appearance. Finally, ZWB delivered a nice set of party rock and blues with hints of ZZ Top and Y&T among others. Credit goes to the booker as all-in-all, the night delivered the most incredible bang for the buck I’ve seen in a long time.
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