John 5 and The Creatures Terrorize Syracuse’s Westcott Theater

There was no shortage of excitement this past Friday in Syracuse; The Syracuse University Men’s basketball team crushed the Dayton Flyers in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, the SU women’s basketball team dominated Army West Point for a huge win and nestled in the culturally diverse Westcott Street neighborhood, the Westcott Theater hosted the infamous and incredibly talented guitar legend, John 5! John is on his current headlining solo instrumental tour.
John 5 Westcott Theater 1

It was an awesome sight to see so many music fans in attendance. To say that this was just a night of instrumental music would be understating it. I would describe it as an artistic live performance of a horror movie set to an intricate, perfectly designed musical score.

John lurked out onto the stage with his fine-tuned band, The Creatures, and from the moment the first notes hit the air, they tore up the stage with selections from the most recent album “Careful with That Axe” along with some surprises from earlier albums.

For those who recognize John 5 as Rob Zombie’s current guitarist and as a horror aficionado, it was probably not shocking that the band paid a little tribute to the horror genre.  John and company played a very kooky and cool version of the classic “Munsters Theme.” During their rendition, a macabre looking skeleton tossed out guitar picks. The audience was definitely getting into the whole vibe.

John 5 Westcott Theater 7

I have to say what truly amazes me, and I think I have said this before, is how John’s guitar playing is incredibly diverse! From tearing through intense solos, to a very laid back, warm country sound and a revved up killer version of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.”  I can’t wrap my head around the precision in his delivery and his ability to make it look effortless.

Some of the song highlights of the evening included: “This is my Rifle”, “Mad Monster Party”, “Black Grass Plague” and a medley that pays homage to classic rock and metal music icons!

After the smoke cleared and final notes faded away, John 5 and the Creatures took a moment to express their thanks and appreciation to those who attended. If you didn’t get the chance to experience John 5 and the Creatures on this tour, you definitely missed an incredible experience musical experience.

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