Y & T, Icarus Witch- Penny Road Pub, Barrington, IL 7/30/10

Seeing Y & T is always great. The band's latest record, Facemelter, got them active once again on the touring circuit. The atmosphere at the Penny Road pub was intense, everyone was anticipating the return of Y & T. Prior to the Y & T taking the stage, the crowd was treated to a warm up by Icarus Witch. Icarus Witch is one of the up and coming bands. They played traditional heavy metal, and slowly got the crowd going. Icarus Witch certainly worked hard on stage to win over some new fans. The band played with a lot of enthusiasm and heart. There was definitely a spark of potential in their music.

Y & T opened their show with Open Fire, and really set the tone for the evening. They followed that with two other classics Don't Wanna Loose You, and Mean Streak. The classics just kept coming left and right. It's hard to believe Y & T had so many great and memorable songs. This show certainly inspired me to give their catalog another spin, and reminisce the great times of the 80s. Before you knew it, the band was already trying out the new material. Shine On and If You Want Me off Facemelter tested great on stage. Y & T went back to classics before returning to the new album for I'm Coming Home. The new songs were great, and the band was just smoking on stage. Dave's Meniketti's guitar playing is still very inventive and unique. He is often overlooked as a guitar player, but Dave is really a master of his craft. The band was short their bass player, Phil Kennemore, who left the tour due to back problems. Kennemore was replaced by a stand-in bass player, who did a great job holding down the rhythm. Mike Vandehule's drum solo was really great. He didn't go for the typical audience participation solo, but simply beat the hell out of his drums to everyone's amusement.



Y & T were having funs on stage, something you don't see current bands doing these days. There was an interesting impromptu segment on a few occasions where the audience would shout out an obscure Y & T title and the band would attempt to play it. Not every track was remembered, but the unexpected rendition of Midnight In Tokyo was a real treat. Even Meniketti himself seemed surprised that he just pulled this one off. I Believe In You was truly a great and emotional highlight of the show, as was Black Tiger, and Dirty Girl. Y & T played for a long time, and fed off the crowd's energy. There quite a few sing along parts with great audience participation.

Y & T put on a great show. This band can function in just about any setting, they still put the same amount of energy and passion into their live performances. Make sure to catch them when they come to a place near you.

Mark Kadzielawa