Article and Photos by: Abigail Buckler
Las Vegas, NV – Supergroup is a word that is thrown about too often to describe bands, but when you put musicians of this caliber together there is no better word to describe it. Friday night in Las Vegas brings progressive rock band Sons of Apollo to the Brooklyn Bowl. Comprised of Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (guitar), Mike Portnoy (drums), Billy Sheehan (bass), Derek Sherinian (keyboards) and Jeff Scott Soto (vocal) this band has a vast history with too many bands to list, but they are arguably some of the best musicians in their respective fields.
The band takes the stage and the crowd is first struck by Bumblefoot and Sheehan’s dual necked guitars as the music explodes. All the audience can do at first is stop and say wow. The music is complicated and delivered with perfection and Soto’s vocals are no different. The show is like an old school concert with each member being able to showcase their talents with a solo. It begins with Sheehan who plays bass unlike many others. Some may not have been overly aware of him like they might have been with names like Portnoy and Bumblefoot, but there is no question they are now.
Bumblefoot has an amazing energy interacting with the crowd and running around the stage. When it is time for his solo he delivers a funky blues musical interlude. There is no arguing Portnoy is one of the best drummers in heavy metal and he doesn’t disappoint here. He plays the drums with intensity and speed and provides a vocal. Along with Sheehan’s solo another stand out of the set is Soto’s vocal solo something that was completely unexpected, but had the crowd singing along. The members of this band come together as one cohesive unit. There appear to be no egos here which is refreshing since it is not always the case. These guys give the impression that they really like playing together and delivering an intense set for the fans for over a hour and a half.
Throughout the set there are jaws dropping from both the musical ability and the vocal. There is so much going on with talent on the stage it is often hard to focus on one aspect because another is pulling your attention, that is not a bad thing. Overall this is an impressive night of music that really leaves the crowd impressed. Supergroup is the only word to describe these musicians.