2023 decided to take a full on right turn into awesomeness when it was announced that California hard rock legends Ugly Kid Joe will be embarking on their first North American tour in 27 years. As a huge fan of Ugly Kid Joe since 1991, Ii always felt that they were a sadly underrated band. While they had (and still have) very much a cult following, Ugly Kid Joe was easily one of the best live bands of the era.
After the major label success of the debut EP As Ugly as They Wanna Be and the full length debut America’s Least Wanted, Ugly Kid Joe hit the road touring bands such as Scatterbrain, Def Leppard, and a coveted opening slot on Ozzy Osbourne’s 1992 No More Tours tour along with sleaze rockers Faster Pussycat. Ugly Kid Joe also hit the road playing large clubs and small theaters across the US nearly selling out every show with opening acts Charlotte, NC hippie metalers Animal Bag and NYC rock trio Collision. I had the pleasure of seeing Ugly Kid Joe a whopping four times in 1992 and 1993 and each time their live show was completely over the top. The energy from the band went right into the audience and all in all it was utter insanity. Those were some of the funnest shows I have ever been to and I can still talk about them as if they were just here last week. In my opinion, that is always the sign of a truly great live show.
Ugly Kid Joe was an amazing band and the musicianship in that band was just out of control. Singer Whitfield Crane was (and still is) one of my favorite vocalists. As a matter of fact, he was even asked by Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton if he’d step in and replace departed vocalist Rob Halford in 1992.
Crane explained that he couldn’t accept the offer, “because you can’t be Rob Halford. You can’t be David Lee Roth. It’d be cool, and considering my love for Priest, which is immense, that would have been cool to do it, but not really. It’s not a good move. But to jam with Tipton and to know those guys — I mean, those are my fucking heroes. Judas Priest, I mean, fuck. But man, old-school Priest, Jesus, God. So, yeah, I got offered Priest, back in the day. I never said that to anyone.”
In 2022, Ugly Kid Joe released Rad Wings of Destiny (best fucking album title EVER) earning them a lot of great reviews from fans and music sites all over the world. It’s a great album that has UKJ dipping more into their AC/DC influence and the result is a great, fun hard rock album full of grit, attitude, and top notch performances. As for the US tour? Who knows why they finally decided to do a US tour after all these years but all I can say is that it’s about fucking time.
Ugly Kid Joe 2003 Rad Wings of Destiny Tour Dates:
May 03 – Brick by Brick, San Diego, CA
May 04 – The Regent, Los Angeles, CA
May 05 – Majestic Theater, Ventura, CA
May 07 – Hard Rock Cafe, Las Vegas, NV
May 08 – Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque, NM
May 11 – Rise, Houston, TX
May 12 – Echo, Dallas, TX
May 13 – Diamond Ballroom, Oklahoma City, OK
May 15 – The Truman, Kansas City, MO
May 16 – Bourbon Theater, Lincoln, NE *
May 18 – Arcada Theater, St. Charles, IL
May 19 – Epics Events Center, Green Bay, WI
May 20 – St Croix Casino, Turtle Lake, WI
May 21 – Hi Fi Annex, Indianapolis, IN
May 22 – Rust Belt, Moline, IL
May 24 – Machine Shop, Flint, MI *
May 25 – Agora Theater, Cleveland, OH *
May 26 – Lovedrafts, Mechanicsburg, PA *
May 27 – Jergels, Pittsburgh, PA *
May 28 – Tally Ho Theater, Leesburg, VA *
May 30 – The Ramkat, Winston-Salem, NC *
Jun 01 – Centerstage, Atlanta, GA
Jun 02 – Yellow Rose Theater, Cottonwood, AL
Jun 03 – The Ranch, Fort Myers, FL
Jun 04 – Jannus Live, Tampa, FL
Jun 05 – Club LA, Destin, FL
Jun 07 – House of Blues, New Orleans, LA *
Jun 09 – Come and Take It Live, Austin, TX *
Jun 10 – Rockbox, San Antonio, TX *
* UGLY KID JOE and PISTOLS AT DAWN only
Ugly Kid Joe, Fozzy, and Pistols at Dawn
About The Author
