they were telling me about how much of a family it is. Mark Reale was mike's mentor in guitar and mike taught Nick the new guitar player for 16 years so they are keeping it all in the family. I hate that people call them a cover band.
They really are a cover band, but honestly one with the best intentions. I mean if Bobby J. wasn't so busy they would be 3/5 of RIOT members.
either way, they were amazing live and considering Mark's health issues they were never able to play shows this much or anything like this in recent years. it's great they are keeping the music of RIOT alive.
I don't care what anyone says, because I was a skeptic but once they did "Sign Of The Crimson Storm" like they did at Ragnarokkr soundcheck I was convinced.
All these new school power and traditional metal bands owe respect to Thundersteel era RIOT and I was just happy to see it all performed flawlessly live.
Tony Moore was great, Todd Michael Hall carries the torch forward for Riot now. He is simply amazing live (and anyone on this forum knows I am a harsh critic).
Honestly, they could have done their entire set of just Thundersteel and TPOP material and I would have been just as happy. That was the one weakness for Todd. The old material, but then again there was only one Guy and Rhett. It's really hard to mimic those gentlemen even in a cover band. Todd did his best, but he is more in line with Tony Moore. Again, he did the songs amazingly well, but he doesn't sound like Guy or Rhett at all. Anyone who knows "Hard Lovin' Man" will know why someone who sounds like Tony Moore cannot do that song justice.
