Fountains of Bud Light, shots of Jack Daniels, a wireless guitar issue, one broken snare head and a chipped tooth were the takeaways from Pretty Boy Floyd’s set Saturday night at the Rail Club Live in Fort Worth.
The show was the band’s last of four dates in Texas with The Midnight Devils serving as main support.
The Texas dates took both bands through Houston, Eagle Pass, Round Rock and Fort Worth over the course of five days.
PBF was touring in support for the 30th Anniversary of their MCA Records 1989 debut titled Leather Boyz with Electric Toyz. The RCL date was originally scheduled for 2020 but the pandemic had other plans not only for PBF but other scheduled shows as well.
Omaha based The Midnight Devils who have recently signed with Pavement Entertainment are no strangers to the RCL. The last time the band visited Fort Worth was in March of 2020. Just three days later in New Orleans, the shutdown of tours began and the band was sent home.
Sam Spade’s leopard print hat prior to The Midnight Devils’s set at the Rail Club Live. Photo by Brian McLean. Sniper, guitarist had plenty of guitar pics to toss out during the band’s show at the Rail Club Live. Photo by Brian McLean
It’s obvious the band still has unfinished on stage business from the shutdown. TMD hit the energy release button for their set delivering a full blown, non-stop, rock and roll set.
The glammed out trio utilized material from their Something Bigger release as well as new songs such as “Highway 69” from their upcoming release.
No matter the size of the turnout, The Midnight Devils played as if there were 20,000 sweaty bodies under the RCL’s roof.
Sam Spade, bassist and vocalist for The Midnight Devils. Photo by Brian McLean Sniper, guitarist for The Midnight Devils shows his appreciation to the crowd. Photo by Brian McLean
PBF’s set was to consist of the full tracking from the Leather Boyz with Electric Toyz album start to finish.
The band fronted by Steve Summers, the sole original member and vocalist took to the stage ready to set the night on fire. That’s what they did for the first three or four songs. The band was tight, Summers’s ear piercing screams were top notch and the fans were happy.
Early on, there was a disconnect between Summers and the fans due to the spacing between the stage and barricade. This allowed Summers to enter the area and share microphone duties with fans.
Unfortunately, guitarist Eric Griffin began to experience wireless difficulties which slowed the show’s momentum for a few minutes. With assistance from fellow guitarists, Griffin was able to get a clean sound back.
Pretty Boy Floyd guitarist Eric Griffin. Photo by Brian McLean Pretty Boy Floyd vocalist Steve Summers tosses a cup after doing a shot of Jack Daniels. Photo by Brian McLean Pretty Boy Floyd guitarist Eric Griffin. Photo by Brian McLean
As the night progressed, aluminum blue bottles of Bud Light and shots of Jack Daniels began to make their way to the stage. The shots were gone in seconds but Bud Light became arching spraying fountains of suds. Talks with the audience became more common. Topics included the song “Toast of the Town” as well as fellow LA Strip bands.
Pretty Boy Floyd bassist Diego Ibarra (Ashes). Photo by Brian McLean Pretty Boy Floyd bassist Diego Ibarra (Ashes). Photo by Brian McLean
At one point, Summers’s microphone inadvertently made contact with Griffin, chipping a tooth. The guitarist wasn’t sure at first but he kept running his index finger across his front teeth even asking if his tooth was chipped.
Through the slight issues and delays, the band made their way through the ten track listing for Leather Boyz with Electric Toyz. Wanting to give just a little more than the ten tracks, the band opted to play several songs again. When the band was ready for “I Wanna Be with You” a second time, the snare head broke. Unfortunately there wasn’t a replacement.
Summers and Griffin made do by performing a bedroom serenade, just Summers’s vocals and Griffin’s guitar.
After the set, members did meet up with fans but it was late. Late enough for last call, to close out bar tabs and to have the houselights on.
When PBF returns to the DFW area, may their set run smooth minus the difficulties the band experienced.