Vixen
Conway Riverfest
Conway, SC
06/27/2026
Catching a show in the middle of summer in the South OUTSIDE is something very few bands will get me to do. Going into Conway is also something I don’t do ever, but it brought me a huge ass load of happiness in the form of seeing iconic 80s hard rock band VIXEN.
Like most Gen X kids, I grew up loving hard rock, glam metal, and metal in general, and unless you were living under a rock, you knew who Vixen was. They had huge hits like “Edge of a Broken Heart,” “Cryin’,” and “Rev It Up,” just to name a few, and I loved them. I never got the opportunity to see Vixen live, so this was an opportunity I wasn’t going to pass up. Did I mention how fucking hot it was? It was 90 degrees, all humidity, zero breeze, and no original members sans drummer Roxy Petrucci. Honestly, it didn’t fucking matter because the Vixen I saw that night brought it and raged in a way I never saw the OG lineup.
Before you start throwing shit at me, let me explain. Actually, I never got to see the original lineup of Vixen, but I was a huge fan. I had the debut album and Rev It Up on cassette, and I literally played it for Rev It Up so much that it got eaten by my Sony Walkman. I finally ended up getting them both on CD, and they were mainstays in my rotation through the aughts.
Over the years, I lost track of them, and I didn’t like the lineup with Lorraine Lewis on vocals, but with this lineup, everything just fucking works. Lead vocalist Rosa Laricchiuta, guitarist Britt Lightning, bassist Julia Lage, and drummer Roxy Petrucci took the stage and opened with “Rev It Up.” My sweaty, fat ass couldn’t stay seated, so I was up and rockin’ out, which always seems to entertain my wife more so than embarrass her.
Right out of “Rev It Up,” the band slid right into “Charmed Life.” At this point it was so insanely hot, but these bad-ass motherfuckers were not letting it faze them one bit. Up next was “How Much Love” and “Cruisin’” but it was “Hard 16” that was the highlight of the set for me. This was my absolute favorite Vixen song back in the day, and finally getting to see it live gave me so many feels that my neurodivergent ass didn’t know whether to cry or hug myself from the overwhelming excitement.
One of the things that captivated me so much during their set was their energy. This band knows how not to let up. The interplay between bassist Julia Lage and guitarist Britt Lightning was a whole show in and of itself. Laricchiuta is also a natural when it comes to working up an audience. She doesn’t try so hard that it looks sad. She is an awesome frontperson, and I loved her performance. Last but not least, Roxy Petrucci. What can I say about Roxy? (other than the fact that she never replied to my letter asking me if she’d go to my senior prom with me in 1992. It’s ok, Roxy, I forgive you) Roxy, to me, is a fucking legend and the fact that she isn’t mentioned when talking about amazing drummers should be a criminal offense. That cat fucking drove that band like an 18-wheeler, never letting up. She plays with so much power and swing that it creates a dynamic that covers all the bases from subtlety to kick-ass in-your-face rockin’.
Vixen’s nine-song set consisted primarily of songs from the debut and Rev It Up, as well as the obscure rarely played song “You Ought To Know By Now.” Hearing Rosa Laricchiuta rip this one out was a truly great surprise. I had this on a bootleg cassette a while ago so to get to hear it live was an unexpected treat.
Vixen also surprised the fuck out of me with a great medley of classic songs including “Runnin’ with the Devil / I Want You to Rock Me / Perfect Strangers / What You’re Doing / War Pigs / Still of the Night / Drum Solo / I Want You to Rock Me. I’m not gonna lie, hearing them do “Perfect Strangers” by Deep Purple made me wish they would include this song in its entirety in their sets. Hell, I’d love to hear them record this one as well because it was absolutely killer.
Vixen in 2026 is no fucking joke, people, and that is a hill I will proudly die on. As much as I would’ve loved to have seen the original lineup (RIP Jan Kuehnemund), I can honestly say that this lineup isn’t the “next best thing.” I honestly feel like it IS the best thing. Again, not to take away from the OGs but goddamn, I could write for days about how blown away I was.
Vixen was the coolest thing to happen to Conway, SC in, well, ever. The heat was barely tolerable, and to see them up there unfazed and still delivering 110% was not just exciting but inspiring as well. I can’t say much more than Vixen melted my fucking face, and no, it wasn’t the ridiculous heat. Vixen’s amazing set showed that in 2026, Vixen is still capable of bringing the heat, the smoke, and the fire better than ever.
If Vixen is coming to your town, rev it up and get your ass to that show. You can thank me later.
Vixen Setlist:
- Rev It Up
- Charmed Life
- How Much Love
- Cruisin’
- Hard 16
- Cryin’
- Runnin’ with the Devil / I Want You to Rock Me / Perfect Strangers / What You’re Doing / War Pigs / Still of the Night / Drum Solo / I Want You to Rock Me
- Streets in Paradise
- You Oughta Know By Now
- Edge of a Broken Heart
Oh yeah, and they wiped the stage with Slaughter.
The end.
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