The Young Guns Tour was quickly recognized as one of the hottest tours of the year. With powerhouses, Mammoth WVH and Dirty Honey, blazing the stage reviews from fans and media were nothing short of amazing. And then crisis struck when members of Mammoth WVH’s tour group tested positive for COVID-19, causing the band to drop off the remainder of the tour. Dirty Honey could have canceled the remaining stops as well and headed home early. Instead, they stepped up to become the headliner and continued their trek with Orlando, FL being their next to last stop on the tour at Hard Rock Live at Universal Studios grounds. And when Dirty Honey’s publicist reached out to remind the media that Dirty Honey was still continuing the tour and to confirm my attendance to review, the answer was simple, “Count me in, I love Dirty Honey!”
It was a beautiful day over at Universal Studios and the crowds were heavy through Citywalk (where there are restaurants, a movie theater, and a mini-golf course, and stores) as I made my way to Hard Rock Live. I got there early to give myself time to setup and a chance to talk to with my fellow media photographers before the show. At opening the crowd was light, which, sadly, didn’t surprise me. I had assumed a fair number of people didn’t plan to attend without Mammoth WVH on the tour and many may not know Dirty Honey enough to attend. But, by the time the show was ready to start, the crowd was much bigger, which was awesome to see.
Before we could find that out, the band from Franklin, TN Naked Gypsy Queens opened up the night. A band that is said to be clearly rooted and ingrained in rock n’ roll released their debut EP Georgiana on February 11th via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group. Raised on the old-school rock like The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd, the band worked hard to become one of the well-known rock acts in their state. Naked Gypsy Queens is Chris Attigliato (vocals/guitar), Cade Pickering (guitar), Bo Howard (bass), and Landon Herring (drums).
The crowd greeted them with applause and cheers before they played a single note, appreciative this show was canceled. And when they did start playing, it was energy right out of the gate. Chris was a wildman on the stage between his work on the mic and his guitar playing. His clothes also looked he fit right in with the 70s rock scene, wanting to provide that old-school rock vibe, which he absolutely did. But, something seemed off. While Chris had tons of energy on stage and moving Cade and Bo didn’t (outside of a hair flip Bo did). I found it really weird to have a frontman so energetic and lively but the rest of the band didn’t match that vibe. And while I normally don’t talk about lighting for a show, I felt bad as half the time Cade was shadows on the left side (if you’re facing the stage) where you could barely make him out. Their music itself also seemed off and I found myself just becoming disinterested in their set.
To be fair, I felt that the lighting and sound may have been more of a technical issue during their performance than a band issue. I went out to find some of their music on their website and damn, it’s good stuff! “Down to the Devil” is a masterpiece of rock and really gives off the vibe I should have seen from them live. “Georgiana” the title track from their EP is a more methodical rock song with some wonderful guitar hooks and dare I say it, a twang in the guitar riffs. These alone convinced me this band is worth checking out and hopefully what I saw that night was just a one-off bad night. I will say the crowd did enjoy their set, so I hope they come back around again so I can give them a second chance. You can find the band’s music and merch HERE.
And then came our headliners in Dirty Honey. The rock band out of Los Angeles, CA formed in 2017. Through their hard work and great music, this band became noticed by fans, media, and members in the music industry. And the band achieved a success no other band has ever done. They took their song “When I’m Gone” to #1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart as an unsigned band (i.e. not with a record label). The band released their debut self-titled EP in 2019 and then their debut self-titled studio album in 2021. Dirty Honey is Marc LaBelle (vocals), John Notto (guitar), Justin Smolian (bass), and Corey Coverstone (drums).
Dirty Honey was ready to rock the moment they stepped out onto the stage and kicked it off with “California Dreamin'” with those dreamy guitar riffs from John. From the moment they start playing you completely get Dirty Honey embodies the spirit of rock ‘n roll and they were born for it. Marc delivers the song perfectly well too. They followed up with “Break You” from the EP, which I really like as Justin gets to deliver some truly wonderful bass sounds throughout it. From there they moved on to “Heartbreaker” also from the EP. It’s a slower tune than some of the others but has a really catchy chorus that Marc not only delivers well but gets the audience involved to sing along with him.
Through a 17-song set that night Dirty Honey absolutely rocked the Hard Rock Live and the fans were completely sold on them. And with good reason. Corey is a solid drummer being the backbone of the band, always keeping on point, though seriously focused and deadpan on his performance. Justin lays down that bass like an established jazz player, smooth and technical, and smiling the whole time enjoying that stage. John is so talented beyond expectations. The way he plays that guitar as if he’s been doing it all his life. But, his skill is so impressive with the way he makes his guitar talk, no, sing the notes out. Honestly, I would rate him as one of the Top 5 rock guitarists on the scene today. I see him as the Slash of this new rock generation. And then we have Marc. This very young talented vocalist to me has the soul and style of Elvis. Marc is a natural frontman with beautiful vocals, but most importantly, he knows how to work the stage. The way he walks, the way he leans in with the mic, the way he just holds it. It’s all so natural for him. And his interaction with the crowd is completely on-point. Holding the mic stand with the mic over to them to sing, jumping down into the photo pit to be close to those at the rail. He understands how to give the crowd what they need to have them come back for more.
Dirty Honey had some fun with the fans that night doing two wonderful cover songs. The first was Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” and putting their own Dirty Honey spin on the song. Absolutely well done and very entertaining. But, doing AC/DC’s “Shoot to Thrill” was just the perfect choice. When they started to play it I just thought it was so right for them to perform it and get that crowd completely amped up. And, it was a great rendition of the song. Marc said his Mom was in the audience that night and they had to perform their song “Gypsy” from the studio album that ended up becoming his Mom’s favorite song, even though she wasn’t thrilled with the idea of him becoming a rock star. And I really dig that song too.
But, they did one thing I feel a lot of rock bands forget about these days, solos! If you’re a rock band, there is nothing more crucial than allowing your band members to show off their instrumental finesse to a crowd. In the 80s rock bands did this all the time. And I feel now in modern-day a lot of bands just throw those instrumentals to the wayside focusing more on delivering songs. Of course, getting a song right when performing it live is crucial, but let the band have some fun and let loose! And this is exactly what Dirty Honey did. Marc stepped off stage to let Justin get down and dirty with a bass solo. Do you want to talk about something rare? Unless you were watching Rush, when is the last time you saw a bass solo happen? And Justin absolutely delivered it. Next up was Corey with a drum solo. Now, I’ve met Corey and found him to be a very reserved and quiet person. But, during this drum solo, he absolutely let loose and went wild! This is the drummer I want to see more of during Dirty Honey sets! I knew Corey had the skill and it was nice to finally see him truly shine on that stage. And last, but definitely not least, John’s guitar solo. It was everything anyone should have expected from them. He ripped those riffs, let that guitar wail, and looked smooth, cool, and collected during it. Literally left goosebumps on me.
The band wrapped up the show that night with “When I’m Gone” and “Rolling 7s” both from the EP and to me, staple Dirty Honey songs. When they finished they thanked the Orlando crowd for their support and took a bow before heading off stage. Did they make a bunch of new fans that night? Absolutely! That merch line was so long when I was walking out so everyone could take home a piece of Dirty Honey. You can find their music and merch HERE. Their setlist that night was:
- California Dreamin’
- Break You
- Heartbreaker
- No Warning
- The Wire
- Scars
- Tied Up
- Down the Road
- Gypsy
- Let’s Go Crazy (Prince cover)
- Another Last Time
- Bass Solo
- Drum Solo
- Guitar Solo
- Shoot to Thrill (AC/DC cover)
- When I’m Gone
- Rolling 7s
Overall, it was a great night of solid rock and roll. After seeing Dirty Honey as a headliner, there is no doubt in my mind these guys are ready for their own headlining tour. Their music is great, their live performances are spectacular, and at this point it’s just a matter of time before you see them playing bigger stages. This band is going to break out big and soon enough everyone will know the name Dirty Honey.
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