Photos and review by ALYSON CAMUS
LOS ANGELES – Comedian and podcaster Dean Delray always celebrates his birthday with a bang — and a band. Around this time of year, he has been putting on an AC/DC celebration for more than 40 years, and each time he manages to gather an incredible lineup of Rock ’N’ Rollers.
For his 60th birthday bash and final tribute (final, really?), Delray threw quite a party at the Avalon in Hollywood: a Bon Scott tribute with a fantastic lineup that attracted a large crowd. The house band featured the Black Crowes’ Steve Gorman on drums, Jetboy’s Billy Rowe, Alice in Chains’ Mike Inez, and Josh Zee, who currently plays with the AC/DC tribute band AZ/DZ. Although there were some changes and additions to the lineup, the band, fronted by Dean Delray on vocals, celebrated the late AC/DC frontman with massive energy.
The night started with an hour of comedy, featuring up-and-coming stand-ups as well as famous funnyman Bill Burr and Dean Delray himself. After an introduction by Billy Corgan, who joked about being Burr’s brother — it’s true that the resemblance can be quite uncanny — the audience, who had stayed seated so far, rushed to the stage for a glorious Rock ’N’ Roll show.
Dean Delray showed his Rock ’N’ Roll muscles for a good part of the show, handling vocals on most of the songs while a rotating series of musicians came on stage for a few numbers. Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith drummed on several songs, such as “Whole Lotta Rosie,” while Rage Against the Machine’s Brad Wilk, Primus’ Ler Lalonde, and Tool’s Justin Chancellor also showed up to celebrate the iconic AC/DC frontman.
Some other heavy hitters were on the bill, including The Kills’ Alison Mosshart, who delivered a perfectly wild rendition of “Dirty Deeds.” Meanwhile, Gene Simmons, with his black cap screwed onto his head, apparently declined to cover any AC/DC material and instead played a KISS song, “Deuce,” with all the heavyweight Rock ’N’ Roll he is famous for.
Queens of the Stone Age’s Joshua Homme closed the show with his charismatic presence. With the help of guitar prodigy Mark King, he performed “Night Prowler.”
For some people — the AC/DC purists — the band was never the same after the death of the Australian phenomenon, who died 46 years ago. He was certainly one of the greatest frontmen of all time, and albums like High Voltage, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Let There Be Rock, and Highway to Hell continue to define the shared DNA of AC/DC’s biggest fans.
Setlist
Live Wire
TNT
Riff Raff
Bad Boy Boogie
Whole Lotta Rosie
Squealer
Deuce
Sin City
Dirty Deeds
Hell Ain’t a Bad Place To Be
Let There be Rock
Highway to Hell
Night Prowler