WORDS AND IMAGES: DANIEL GRAY | While on a mini Mr. Scary tour, George Lynch and Lynch Mob took over the Grand Theater in Anaheim for an energetic Saturday night show.
As most people know by now, Lynch Mob seems to have a rotating cast of characters, with George on guitar and Jaron Gulino on bass as the current mainstays. This evening, the band featured Andrew Freeman, frontman for Last in Line, the Dio supergroup, on vocals. Freeman has also played and toured with Lynch Mob often, so that he can deliver any of the songs with ease. On drums was Jimmy D’Anda of BulletBoys fame, who has toured and played with Lynch Mob many times over the years as well. So, Saturday night was a power-packed line-up capable of delivering both Lynch Mob and Dokken music with great facility.
The first surprise of the evening was George coming on stage with an EVH Frankenstein. As he tore into “River of Love” from the first Lynch Mob album, seeing Lynch with the iconic red, black, and white striped pattern was pretty cool. Watching Lynch’s fingers tapping and flying across the fretboard, it looked ultra badass. But it wasn’t just a one-off or stunt. He kept playing the Frankie for “Hell Child” (also from the first Lynch Mob album) and the breakneck Dokken tune “Tooth and Nail.”
So, after three songs, you might think it was time for Lynch to reach for one of his ESP models or even his own custom-made Mr. Scary guitars. But no. He gets handed a Charvel Bumblebee. Side note: It turns out that at a meet and greet at a recent show, a fan handed George the Bumblebee to play. He loved it so much that he got the fan to sell it to him. That convinced him to get the EVH Frankenstein. After a bit of banter from Freeman, Lynch started the opening notes to the Dokken hit “It’s Not Love,” which is always a perfect song to get the audience singing the chorus.
Then there was a little break in the action. Legendary promoter Joe Schultz presented George with a lifetime achievement award for his over 50 years in the industry, and his son, Jimmy Schultz, came on stage to do the honors. Lynch looked truly touched by the award and referenced playing at the Grand Theater, starting back in the day. After thanking Jimmy, Joe, and the audience, with Bumblebee in hand, he ripped through “Eruption,” followed by “Street Fighting Man,” Dokken’s “Into The Fire,” and his signature instrumental, “Mr. Scary.” The evening ended with Lynch Mob’s title song from the debut album Wicked Sensation.
It’s been said that no Lynch Mob show is ever quite the same. On this night, it was obvious that, between the guitars he was playing, the songs he was performing, the award he was given, and the venue itself, Lynch looked like he was having a blast on stage. As one fan said as he was on the way to the parking lot at midnight, “He’s still got it.”
