2023 seems to be the comeback kid. After a few years of Covid and uncertainty, 2023 appeared to be the year that things truly started to get back to normal (somewhat). I don’t know if it’s because people have learned not to take things for granted, but in 2023, the live music world returned with a bang. Bands started hitting the road for extensive tours, putting on some fantastic shows, but one band made a return that I had been waiting for nearly 30 years. That band is Ugly Kid Joe.
In the early ’90s, Ugly Kid Joe was the ultimate “love ’em or hate ’em” band. People either ragged on them and thought they were a joke, but then there were people like me who saw beyond the top layer of Ugly Kid Joe. Beneath the tongue-in-cheek humor and silliness was a band whose talent and musical ability were as good if not better than most of their peers. Their live shows were some of my concert-going life’s best and most memorable moments.
I last saw Ugly Kid Joe in 1993, opening for Def Leppard at Lakewood Amphitheater in Atlanta, GA. It was the first time in my life that I had purchased a concert ticket just to see the opening act. I actually couldn’t stand Def Leppard, so that should tell you what kind of fan I was of this band. I had no idea at the time that it would be another 30 years before I would see them again. In support of their 2022 album Rad Wings of Destiny, Ugly Kid Joe announced that they would be hitting the road for an extensive North American tour, and I couldn’t have been more fucking ecstatic.
Center Stage Theater was a buzz with energy and anticipation to see Ugly Kid Joe. Before the show even started, I was blown away by the diversity of the Ugly Kid Joe fan demographic. From an older Gen X crowd to high school kids, Ugly Kid Joe seemed to pull many rad people out of the woodwork. People that had seen them many times back in the day, casual fans who never saw them live, and a whole new generation of fans were present, adding to the excitement and overall amazing vibe. I knew this was going to be a fantastic night.
Ugly Kid Joe took the stage to a loud, appreciative room as they opened with “That Ain’t Livin'” from Rad Wings of Destiny, and we were off. The band sounded absolutely amazing. Even with founding members Klaus Eichastadt (guitar) and Whitfield Crane (vocals) being the only original members present for this show, nothing was missing musically. Ugly Kid Joe’s setlist was perfectly executed and sequenced with the fans in mind. Getting to hear songs like “VIP,” “CUST,” and “Jesus Rode a Harley” for the first time was amazing, and to hear the classics like “Panhandelin’ Prince,” “Goddamn Devil,” and “So Damn Cool” took me right back to the early days.
Whitfield Crane’s voice sounds like it has been completely untouched by time, and he sounds stronger than ever. Pulling from the Ozzy Osbourne, Bruce Dickinson, and Rob Halford playbooks, Whit had us all eating from his hand as he worked the crowd up and encouraged some of the best audience participation I’ve seen at a concert in a while. At one point, Crane split the audience into three sections for a cheering contest, he had every one of us clapping in unison and singing, and he conversed with the fans up front like they were old friends. Feeling more a part of the show than just a spectator is a cool thing to experience, and not every band can pull it off this well.
The camaraderie between Crane and Eichstadt has always been a staple of Ugly Kid Joe live shows, and it was so much fun to see them doing this after so many years. At one point in the show, Whit announced, “This next song is about Klaus’ sex life,” Klaus responded, “Yes, this song is about my sex life. It’s called “Failure.” Another song I was so excited to hear live, and like the rest of their set, they didn’t disappoint.
The interaction between the audience and the band is something to be seen, and it’s apparent that these guys learned from the old-schoolers. Klaus poked and prodded the crowd like we were all at a giant lunch table with him, guitarist Chris Catalyst at one point even took a seat in a chair while having his bald head toweled off by a crew member, and
Whit pointed out several young people up front asking them who brought them to the show, only to call out their parents and thank them for turning them on to Ugly Kid Joe. The sincerity of his appreciation for the support of all the fans moved me, and it was one of many things that reminded me why Ugly Kid Joe has always been one of my favorite bands.
After a face-ripping “Goddamn Devil,” Whit asked the crowd, “How many more songs do you want to hear? One or two?” The crowd went nuts, and he laughed and said, “Atlanta, how about three?” and closed the show out with “Come Tomorrow” from America’s Least Wanted, a nut-crushing version of the Motorhead classic “Ace of Spades” and non-encore (we don’t do that, said Whit) “Everything About You” complete with arm swaying and singing along that brought a huge smile to my face. The only that sucked about hearing this song was that I knew it meant the night was over. Ugly Kid Joe bid farewell to us all with huge smiles, guitar picks, and memories of a night of incredible music.
After the show, I went down to the floor and spotted the three teenage ladies ecstatic throughout the whole show. I asked them how they liked the show, and they let me know that their parents had turned them onto the band and that they were huge fans. They were the same age as I was when I saw my first Ugly Kid Joe show. Like an old man, I recounted my first time seeing them in 1992 at the Masquerade, and they were all smiles. It made me so happy to see a younger generation embracing the music of my youth, which, all these years later, is still very much relevant.
If Ugly Kid Joe ever had doubts about their importance or relevance in this world, I hope they read this because their music (even the new stuff) is timeless, good hard rock music that transcends generation barriers. Those young ladies are proof that great music can live forever and that the future may hold many generations of Ugly Kid Joe fans.
SETLIST:
That Aint Livin’
VIP
Neighbor
C.U.S.T
Jesus Rode a Harley
Panhandlin’ Prince
Dead Friends Play
No One Survives
Devil’s Paradise
So Damn Cool
Cat’s In the Cradle
I’m Alright
Failure
Milkman’s Son
Goddamn Devil
Come Tomorrow
Ace of Spades
Everything About You
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