Enuff Z'Nuff flies high into Fitzgerald's for 30th anniversary

As the lone remaining original member of a band pigeonholed for one huge MTV hit back in the day, Chip Z'Nuff gladly continues to ride the wave of "Fly High Michelle" 20 albums and 30 years later. And although Enuff Z’Nuff’s legacy technically spans 14 original studio albums and a pair of live efforts (the rest being greatest hits and covers), that’s still an archive of material more vast than the average Enuff Z’Nuff fan who only knows the band by way of that tune is likely aware of.

So as Enuff Z’Nuff headlined Fitzgerald’s on Saturday night for what was billed as a 30th anniversary tour, at least one aficionado was hopeful Chip Z’Nuff would run the gamut of the group’s incredibly underrated albums — especially after demonstrating appreciation for his music during a 2011 interview (watch here).

But Enuff Z’Nuff is also touring behind the 2018 release of Diamond Boy. So the bassist, who also took over lead-vocal duties when co-founding cohort and exceptional singer Donnie Vie left in 2013 to clean up his addictions, spotlighted three tracks from the latest effort, and of course a bulk from the first three records, as part of a 90-minute set.

Hitting the ground running with “The World is a Gutter,” a song that had the majority of the crowd frozen but is one of the standouts on 1991 second album Strength, Enuff Z’Nuff showcased a sliver of the Beatles, Cheap Trick and Jane’s Addiction-influenced music that had shock jock Howard Stern singing its praises 25 years before he became a judge of talent.

But if “Fly High Michelle” — ATM Facebook Live footage here with new track “We’re All the Same” and “Dog On a Bone” — put the band on “Letterman,” as Chip Z’Nuff revealed to me in 2016 (listen here), “Baby Loves You” (watch here) and closer “New Thing” weren’t too far behind as MTV staples.

And speaking of influenced . . .

Chip Z’Nuff mentioned one of his previous visits being with Ace Frehley (coverage here) and that while the KISS icon and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler have been sober for many years, he “could look every one of them in the face and go, ‘I am higher than fuck right now!’ ” Z’Nuff promptly described the turnout as a “sausage fest” and said “the trim has slim pickings” (ATM footage below).

As lasers from The Bilo Effect meshed with Z’Nuff’s multi-colored bass strings, one of which he broke and handed to a fan, Z’Nuff demonstrated he has fun no matter how high he may be. He hid behind Tory Stoffregen, playing the lead guitarist’s instrument bass style while Stoffregen enjoyed a brew with his left hand and wrapped his right hand behind his back strumming Z’Nuff’s bass. And as demonstrated in the clip below, Z’Nuff shared the spotlight with his national support act, Thomas Weeks & Force Of Nature, during a jam session that included some recognizable cover riffs.

Rhythm guitarist Alex Kane pulled double duty in Z’Nuff’s and Weeks’ respective bands, but unbeknownst to just about everyone, Kane was Enuff Z’Nuff’s lead guitarist in 1987-88 just prior to the self-titled debut album’s 1989 release. He reunited with Z’Nuff last year.

Considering that Z’Nuff has also played in front of roughly 40 people at the former Tequila Rock Bar next to Backstage Live/Alamo City Music Hall, the singer/bassist nevertheless was appreciative of the enthusiastic humans perhaps tripling that inside Fitzgerald’s. He met with them afterward, kissing females and signing autographs — though he was taken aback by the same slew of 11 Enuff Z’Nuff CDs he was shown by yours truly in the aforementioned interview eight years earlier. Z’Nuff held off on signing them for several minutes, acknowledging he would get to them later, then quickly autographed the covers as patrons were being kicked out for closing time. He then sarcastically added his John Hancock to a flyer for good measure, sliding it in my direction without looking up at arguably the only fan on hand who sang every song and undoubtedly the only one who recognized when he teased with his bass intro riff to “Stoned” and suggested he play the entire thing, to no avail.

Enuff Z’Nuff, in one humbled opinion, is one of those bands that should’ve been bigger than they became. A group that has at least 50 songs better — such as “These Daze,” “Master of Pain,” “I Could Never Be Without You,” “Catholic Girls,” “Ain’t It Funny,” “Believe In Love,” “Holly Wood Ya,” “In Crowd,” “Innocence,” “Goodbye,” “It’s No Good,” “Top of the Hill,” “Rollaway” and on and on — than the one that gave it stardom. But it’s because of that one tune that Enuff Z’Nuff has carried on and toured even without its original voice. Which is why Saturday’s show, originally scheduled for Quatemain’s Pub in Live Oak, occurred in the first place.

The only question on this night was who flew higher indeed: Michelle or the “higher-than-fuck” Z’Nuff.

SETLIST: The World is a Gutter, Heaven or Hell, Metalheart, Baby Loves You, Kiss the Clown, Diamond Boy, In the Groove, guitar solo, The Love Train, medley jam, Wheels, Fly High Michelle, We’re All the Same, Dog On a Bone, New Thing

Guitarist Tory Stoffregen and original bassist, singer and Enuff Z’Nuff co-founder Chip Z’Nuff headlined Fitzgerald’s last Saturday night as part of the band’s 30th anniversary.

Guitarist Alex Kane lets the fans touch his strings.

Stoffregen enjoys a brew and plays Chip Z’Nuff’s bass with his right hand behind his back as a partially hidden Z’Nuff strums Stoffregen’s guitar bass style.

Kane was actually the lead guitarist of Enuff Z’Nuff in 1987-88, prior to the group’s self-titled debut in 1989, before rejoining the band last year on rhythm guitar.

Z’Nuff took over lead-vocal duties after original singer and co-founder Donnie Vie left the group due to addiction struggles in 2013.

Daniel B. Hill rocks the drums.

Although Z’Nuff mentioned the band having 20 albums (four of which are of the covers/greatest hits variety), he limited his setlist to six of the remaining 14 studio albums.

L.A. Guns-led local showcase goes over the edge for all

Anytime there are 10 bands on a one-night event, there’s bound to be a little of everything. Saturday night at Quatemain’s Pub was no exception. But not always for the right reasons.

It was L.A. Guns a blazin’. Emotions a flarin’. Electrical power a disobeyin’. And scheduled set times a goin’ up in smoke.

Sunset Strip veterans L.A. Guns headlined the two-story bar in Live Oak on a two-stage program (30-photo slideshow below). But things got interesting, and put out of whack, before the first band even took to the indoor and outdoor platforms.

Touring in support of The Devil You Know, the band featuring original vocalist Phil Lewis — listen to our interview below — and guitarist/founder Tracii Guns along with guitarist Ace Von Johnson, bassist Johnny Martin and drummer Scot Coogan was scheduled to go on at 11:45 p.m. But L.A. Guns wasn’t down with that.

According to a source, Martin told him the band insisted during the day to go on at 10 p.m. An announcement was not made via Quatemain’s or L.A. Guns’ social media outlets, so anyone planning on showing up just to hear hits such as “Sex Action,” “Never Enough” and “The Ballad of Jayne” close to 11:45 would’ve been out of luck. But as the concert began, a happy medium of sorts was reached for L.A. Guns to go on at 10:45 p.m. even though this was the last night of the current leg of its tour.

While L.A. Guns delivered the goods — watch ATM Facebook Live footage of first two songs “Over the Edge” and “No Mercy” here — the change in stage time continued a chain reaction of some of fhe locals being affected:

• Hellfire Mafia, scheduled to kick off the night inside at 7 p.m., went on at approximately 8:30

• Top Heavy, scheduled for 9 p.m., was scratched entirely

• Dokken tribute Dream Warriors, featuring the debut of Jessikill wunder-guitarist Jyro Alejo, now had part of its 10 p.m. outdoor set conflicting with those wanting to get a good spot to watch L.A. Guns inside at 10:45

• Outdoor headliners Budderside basically became a wash during its 11 p.m. set now that L.A. Guns was going on virtually at the same time inside

• ‘80s cover band Big Bang, which went on nine minutes late at 10:09 p.m., found itself setting the table for L.A. Guns, a job originally relegated to Austin band Black Heart Saints’ scheduled time of 11 p.m. To allow for a 15-minute changeover, that meant Big Bang should’ve known it now only had till 10:30 p.m. But its suddenly shortened 21-minute set caught singer Sean Nations of Even In Death and his bandmates by surprise when, as Nations said to the crowd, “We promised you some Faster Pussycat,” his mic was shut off after three tunes and before he could say the name of the fourth

• Black Heart Saints arguably was screwed the most, forced to be the only band to go on after the headliners after making the 75-mile drive from Austin

Promoter Richard Reyes lamented to the crowd that “L.A. Guns wanted to go on earlier” and asked fans to “stick around for one or two songs.”. To their credit, more than a handful of metalheads more than stuck around, rocking out to Black Heart Saints as Lewis and Guns headed offsite and Von Johnson and Coogan made their way to the merch area. However, Black Heart Saints should’ve been afforded similar or better lighting than L.A. Guns given the change they were forced to endure and the distance they drove. Instead, they received the same red, bleak lack of brightness as the support acts.

But the headliners weren’t immune from what some would refer to as cluster-fuck moments either.

During “Gone Honey,” the only track performed from the new album, the power went out on stage. Sure, those things happen, and it came back rather quickly as Lewis urged his band to resume from the second verse. But after adding “Some Lie 4 Love,” “I Wanna Be Your Man” and “Speed” to the set, Lewis was in the midst of spotlighting his mates during encore “Rip and Tear.” After calling on former Ace Frehley and Lita Ford drummer Coogan, Lewis had just introduced the Ramones-resembling Martin, who grabbed his mic and appeared set to address the crowd for the first time when the stage’s power failed again.

Martin simply flipped the mic to the ground and exited. Lewis and Guns, the only original members, didn’t get to give one another an intro but proved to be good sports about it by smiling and joining Von Johnson in acknowledging the cheers. On a side note, for those who rely on Setlist.FM, L.A. Guns did not perform “The Devil You Know” or “Kiss My Love Goodbye” as the Quatemain’s set on there would have you believe.

Reyes and Quatemain’s announced more ‘80s style shows coming, with BulletBoys on Oct. 18 and Enuff Z’Nuff — which recently had a show at Fitzgerald’s canceled due to low ticket sales — on Jan. 11. Fans can only hope, if those end up being more 10-band showcases, that lessons have been learned on the homefront so the performances, not the mishaps, become the story.

L.A. Guns bassist Johnny Martin and drummer Scot Coogan rock out on a classic tune Saturday night at Quatemain’s Pub in Live Oak.

Original guitarist and band founder Tracii Guns lays down a riff.

Rhythm guitarist Ace Von Johnson performs on opening track “Over the Edge.”

Coogan joined L.A. Guns in March after previous stints with Ace Frehley and Lita Ford.

Click the appropriate link within to listen to an exclusive interview with original vocalist Phil Lewis.

The vocalist of L.A. Guns goes "Into the Pit" and gets very candid while discussing the band's career, his involvement with both factions of the group, his first band Girl, an interesting tidbit about one of the group's videos that hits home with him, how long he went without talking to guitarist Tracii Guns before reuniting with him, the early days, new album "The Devil You Know" that comes out March 29 and more (ATM photo by Jay Nanda: December 2017).