The Boys are back in Town! Thin Lizzy comes back to Chicago for the last leg of their tour, and man do they still sound good! Some old members, some new. But either way, they make up a great team! The band's comprised of new lead singer Ricky Warwick (The Almighty) who replaced original lead singer, the incredible and legendary Phil Lynott, original member Scott Gorham on guitar and vocals, Vivian Campbell (Dio, Def Leppard) on guitar and vocals, Marco Mendoza (Whitesnake) on bass guitar and vocals, original member Brian Downey on drums, and original member Darren Wharton on keyboards and backing vocals.

The band that opened for TL was a Chicago-based band called Marty Casey and Lovehammers. A great alternative rock band with a front man who acts like Freddie Mercury in my opinion. Marty Casey got claim to fame as runner-up to be new lead singer for INXS on the reality show “Rock Star: INXS”.

Despite the rest of the band's initial apprehension, they supported Casey and could occasionally be seen in the television crowd cheering him on during his performances. On September 6, 2005 Marty Casey debuted a different version of the pop-heavy Lovehammers song, "Trees", which had been previously available for download on the Lovehammers website. It became an instant hit with the audience and debuted on MSN.com as a #1 download. They played a great set of originals, along with a great cover of The Who's “Teenage Wasteland.”

As Thin Lizzy came out, the crowd roared with yells and applause. I'll tell you one thing, these guys really know how to get a crowd going. They played all their big hits that night. From “The Boys Are Back in Town,” “Jailbreak,” and “Still In Love With You.” Ricky was a great lead singer, and everybody showed off their stuff amazingly! They came out for 2 encores paying tribute to late TL guitarist Gary Moore who passed away not too long ago. Overall, a fantastic concert that was no to be missed!

Go to www.thinlizzyonline.com to see where they'll be playing next!

Also check out Marty Casey and the Lovehammers at www.lovehammers.com

I got a chance to catch up with new lead singer Ricky Warwick for a bit to talk about how it feels to be the new front man of Thin Lizzy.

Buzz: What drove you into performing?

Ricky: Well, I've seen a band called Stiff Little Fingers playing In Belfast when I was 14, and it was one of those moments of me knowing I wanted to play guitar. It was one of those shows that blew my mind. I knew right there and then that's what I wanted to do. It was life changing.

Buzz: How long have you been with Thin Lizzy?

Ricky: Well, I started last May, so it's coming up to be a year.

Buzz: Where did The Almighty start from?

Ricky: The Almighty started in a small town in Glasgow in Scotland. I moved to Scotland from Belfast when I was about 15. I met a couple of guys in my last year of high school, and we started playing in bands, and we stated rehearsing every week. We've been playing together for about 4 or 5 years, and we morphed into The Almighty. We started out very quick with that band. But it was basically born in Glasgow, Scotland.

Buzz: I know you're from Belfast. What do you think about Gary Moore and his passing recently? How has his death affected you and the rest of the band?

Ricky: Well, you know, it's awful. He was just an amazing guitar player. He played on my favorite Lizzy Album, which is “Black Rose.” I never knew Gary. That was probably because he's from the same part of Belfast as I'm from. But I never knew him. I always knew him as a fan, you know?Obviously Scott and Brian, who've played with him. It has a big effect on them. They've lost a friend and a fellow musician. It was very sad, you know. And he left at 58 years old which is awfully young. It's just sad when you lose a great talent like that, you know?

Buzz: Now I know Vivian Campbell is in the new lineup with you and he's in Def Leppard. Now, how long have you known Joe Elliott and how did you meet one another?

Ricky: Joe and I met back in Dublin, Ireland back in 1996 at a secret David Bowie concert. How cool is that? I was living in Dublin at the time, and I went to the David Bowie concert obviously. And I knew Joe was a big fan of The Almighty cause of the magazines and everything. But we've never met. I just walked in and he was standing at the bar and he said, “Ricky Warwick?'” and I said “Joe Elliott?” He bought me a drink and we hung out. We love going to see music and have a great love of soccer. And we've been best pals for going on 20 years now. I was the best man at his wedding, and you know he's just a great guy.

Buzz: Where did the name Thin Lizzy come from?

Ricky: It was Eric Bell, the original guitar player that came up with it. He got it from a comic. I think it was called The Dandy, which was a UK comic back in the day. And there was a character in there called Tin Lizzy, which I think was a robot. And it just became Thin Lizzy. I know when it first got around, Phil didn't like the name, and nobody could come up with anything better. So it just obviously stuck. It turned out to be the fantastic band name that it is.

Buzz: Can you tell me about the legend of Phil Lynott?

Ricky: Yeah, well I grew up on Lizzy. They're one of my all-time favorite bands. And being Irish, they were a huge impact on my life when I was a kid. And Phil, he was just so enigmatic. He was a rock star. His lyrics were phenomenal. He wrote about stuff. It's almost poetry. It's so beautiful the way he writes. He's a great front man, a great bass player. He's just God. You know to the kids that are just starting bands, just go on YouTube and look at Phil onstage. Look at his moves. Look at the way he delivers songs, because you want to be a rock and roller, that's what you need to aspire to. That guy right there. And he was a comic back in the day. You gotta understand, back in Ireland, there was very few black people in Ireland. I mean, you see a black guy, you know, fronting a rock and roll band. It was just so unusual, and so fantastic. I mean I worshiped all the guys in the band. And the fact that you think, these guys are all Irish, that just makes it even cooler, you know? And you know the world now, it's such a multicultural place now. And in Ireland with the very very few black people back in the day, Phil was very unique. You know? Just the way he looked. Such a strong look. And he was just a great songwriter. Such a great front fan. He's probably the greatest front man in the world in my opinion.

Buzz: How did you join Thin Lizzy?

Ricky: Very simple. I know Scott. I've known Scott for a while. Scott asked me to join the band, and I couldn't wait a second to say yes.

Buzz: How do you feel performing with these Rock Legends?

Ricky: It's a dream come true. I'm living a dream. When somebody says to you as a kid, “Would you like to front one of your favorite bands?”, you think that would be so great. And it's happened for me, so it's very surreal. I'm very honored. I'm very proud. I'm very aware of Thin Lizzy, and I want to do my best for Lizzy fans. For Phil, for myself. And it's just like Christmas every day man, it's fantastic.

Buzz: How has Thin Lizzy's music, and performing with them, aspired you in being a better musician and singer?

Ricky: Well, just be learning a lot about the way Phil would write songs and his sense of melodies. They're such great songs. And you gotta play them with some passion and intensity. And you gotta be just as tuned into Phil, and you gotta play them the way people know them and love them as well. You know, you can't just screw with greatness. You shouldn't screw with greatness. So I like to deliver the songs, where people recognize them straight away, and in the end Ricky Warwick's singing this song. There's a balancing act you gotta do to get that Phil created, and you're putting your own personality into it as well. I would never dream of trying to clone Phil. I think that would be the biggest insult you can give the guy. There's only one Phil Lynott, and that's it.

Buzz: What advice would you give aspiring rock singers and musicians?

Ricky: Obviously play from your heart. Learn from greatness. Check out amazing front men and singer, and watch what they do. And try to incorporate that into your own technique and your own style. Play from your heart and follow your gut.