True music fans go out to local venues to see a good band. They will trudge through snow, cold, wind, and rain to make it out to see a few musical moments that touch their inner soul. Saturday nights are a great time to see a band and dance the night away. This past Saturday an awesome show was provided by Jacked Up at Eskape in Buffalo Grove.
The amount of music provided by Jacked up was amazing. This four piece band just nailed every song they did and tore the roof off the place with their flashy ability. They aren’t a bunch of guys who know a few chords and finally decided to climb out of the cellar. These guys can actually play.
Doing a good selection of classic rock songs is a great way to design your set list if you are a cover band. Jacked Up jammed out songs like “Long Train Running” (Doobie Brothers), “Summer of 69” Bryan Adams, and “Locomotive Breath” (Jethro Tull). The list of great songs was long and they all were done to perfection.
Drummer Ken Kreis played his ass off on drums. The amazing ability provided by this man was something to watch. He holds the timing together and has incredible hand work as he does runs around the kit coming back to the clock within synchronization with the band. He is nothing short of fantastic and a hard hitter. He also provides some sweet backing vocals.
Bass player and a master of the bottom end is the man at stage left, Jeff Barker. This guy has amazing fingers and is the cream of the crop for bass players in the Chicago area. His bass rig speaks for itself. A nice SWR amp with an Alembic bass provides a sweet feeling within the room anywhere. The lightning fast fingers and creative ability within this guy is a show all by itself. Wow!
The man in the middle is Dave Nickrand on lead vocals. He pulls off vocals and gets the crowd into it. He has a solid vocal range and gets the crowd pumped. He looks the part of the classic rockstar with the headband and scarf coming off of the microphone stand. It’s clear he was influenced by so many of the great singers that came before him.
New comer to the band is Michael Alan Krajewski on guitar. There is no other guitarist within the band because another one isn’t needed. It would only get in the way. The six string slinger is a veteran to the lead guitar role and masters the guitar riffs of all the virtuosos that came before him. As he plays through the night he claims the title of king of the hill on his ax. Phenomenal guitar player.
This band just continued to rock one great song after another. “Kryptonite” (3 Doors Down), “Pride and Joy” (Stevie Ray Vaughn), and “Breakdown” (Tom Petty) were some of the highlights of the evening. “Hey Jealousy” (Gin Blossoms) was a great song to hear live and it was flawless. “Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting” (Elton John) showed the vocal capabilities of the guys in the band. The bass player, singer, and guitarist all took a verse of the song going across the stage. They really have their show together.
“Radar Love” (Golden Earring) was the song to see. The thunderous bass, sweet guitar licks, and drums fills made the night worth the trip all by itself. The nearly forty year old hit was done to perfection as good if not better than the original song. The feeling of seeing it live was nothing less than euphoric.
At all local shows someone always has to yell out “Freebird” in honor of the Southern boys Lynyrd Skynyrd hit. Jacked Up didn’t let the crowd down by not playing the ten minute song, but they did a unique version of the masterpiece with the piano intro being done on bass guitar. The version of this song was one of a kind and they ended their show with this rock anthem. Talent is found within all the members of this band. Jacked up rocks!
If you need a band to see at a local bar, look up Jacked Up. These guys know how to blow the roof off the place and they will take most of the walls with them. After seeing them live, you know you have just seen a kick ass rock show. You leave the venue singing most of the songs that they did. Simply put, Jacked Up rocks.
