ALTER BRIDGE, SKILLET and DIRTY HONEY Get the Celebration Going at Toronto’s REBEL [Photos & Show Review]

Toronto was treated to a one-two-three punch of rock n’ roll on this past Monday night. Alter Bridge and Skillet brought their co-headlining Victorious Sky Tour to town along with the well-regarded Dirty Honey as the openers. Running for five weeks throughout cities in the U.S. and Canada, the “Victorious Sky Tour” celebrates two new releases; Skillet’s recently-released Victorious album, and the soon-to-be-released Walk the Sky album from Alter Bridge, due out two weeks from today.

With an independently released six-song EP released earlier this year, Dirty Honey’s talented lineup of Marc LaBelle, John Notto, Justin Smolian, and Corey Coverstone make for a bonafide rock ‘n roll band on the cusp of breaking out. Their single “When I’m Gone” recently topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart, making them the first unsigned band to ever top the chart. Currently working their single “Rolling 7s,” Dirty Honey performed all six of the EP’s tracks with a confident swagger that hints at what the group is destined for. The band members were all hanging out by their merchandise booth after their performance signing autographs and posing for photos. Bassist Justin Smolian hinted at some new material the band was working on for either another EP release or a potential full-length if enough songs are there.

“Rolling 7s” was one of the highlights of Dirty Honey’s set. Check out the music video:

Skillet, another four-piece rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee has amazingly been together since 1996 now. Victorious is their tenth studio effort and is filled with self-described ‘fight songs’ that continue in the style Skillet have nurtured well over two decades now. Early into their performance, vocalist John Cooper picked up his phone to look at the time. He very quickly announced that their song “Legendary” had now officially become a theme song for WWE’s Raw. Seeing as the band was currently performing, they would check out the song’s inclusion afterwards, but the members were undoubtedly in a celebratory mood this evening. John, along with his wife Korey Cooper, Jen Ledger, and Seth Morrison, more then delivered the goods this evening.

During “You Ain’t Ready,” a stagehand attached two CO2 jets to John Cooper’s wrists and allowed him to spray jets of CO2 overtop of the audience. The right-handed CO2 blaster is customized with a microphone that enables Cooper to sing-and-spray. With the CO2 jets at the front of the stage and the sparklers that lined the back of the stage, Skillet delivered a stunning live show in a venue that felt too small to contain their musical energy. Drummer Jen Ledger stepped out from the drum kit a few times during the show to sing with Cooper. Korey Cooper and Seth Morrison are two extremely energetic guitarists. Looking at one means that you miss what the other is doing. I honestly found it easier to step back and watch Skillet from the soundboard. I didn’t feel like I was missing any of the action from that vantage point.

Here’s the “Legendary” new music video from Skillet:

Myles Kennedy, Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall, and Scott Phillips strode on stage during the recorded intro of “One Life,” (the track that opens their soon to be released Walk the Sky album). The band kicked things into high gear right away with a live performance of “Wouldn’t You Rather,” one of three new songs performed this evening. Fans were treated to hear guitarist Mark Tremonti take over lead vocals on “Burn It Down,” taking a bit of weight off of Kennedy. Kennedy is still recovering from the bug that has been ailing him for the past week. Tremonti sounded good live; there could be a trend established here as it might be worth dropping in a few songs where Mark sings down the road. Just because they can, and not because Myles is feeling off.

Most fans in the room probably couldn’t even tell Myles was ill. His performance was excellent (as usual). Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall, and Scott Phillips were all in top form. The ending of “Come to Life,” where Kennedy, Tremonti, and Marshall all join up at centre stage, saw them all smiling as the track reached its apex. By the time Alter Bridge’s set was culminating with “Cry of Achilles,” “Blackbird,” “Metalingus,” and “Open Your Eyes,” the vibe in the room was genuinely celebratory. The “Victorious Sky Tour” is a more-bang-for-your-buck rock n’ roll show, where attendees get to see three great performances for one very reasonable price.

“Wouldn’t You Rather” watch this new video from Alter Bridge?

Dirty Honey’s Toronto Setlist:

01. Scars
02. Break You
03. Heartbreaker
04. Down the Road
05. When I’m Gone
06. Rolling 7s

Skillet’s Toronto Setlist:

01. Feel Invincible
02. Not Gonna Die
03. You Ain’t Ready
04. Whispers in the Dark
05. Legendary
06. Awake and Alive
07. Back From the Dead
08. Save Me
09. Hero
10. Undefeated
11. Victorious
12. Comatose
13. Monster
14. The Resistance

Alter Bridge’s sixth studio album Walk The Sky is due out October 18th via Napalm Records:

Alter Bridge’s Toronto Setlist:

01. Wouldn’t You Rather
02. Isolation
03. Come to Life
04. Burn It Down (Mark Tremonti on lead vocals)
05. Pay No Mind
06. Rise Today
07. Addicted to Pain
08. In the Deep
09. Cry of Achilles
10. Blackbird
11. Metalingus
12. Open Your Eyes