Pop Break Live: Young Guns Tour 2022 – MammothWVH (Wolfgang Van Halen) and Dirty Honey at The Fillmore Philadelphia – March 31, 2022
Two of the most exciting new bands in rock ‘n’ roll right now, without question, are Dirty Honey and Mammoth WVH.
The two burgeoning rock acts, who are red hot off critically acclaimed debut albums, have joined forces for the exciting “Young Guns Tour” — a 33 date run across the United States that sees the band alternating headlining spots.
When the tour hit The Fillmore Philadelphia on Thursday March 31, Mammoth WVH opened up the show with the one-two anthemic punch of “Mammoth” and “Mr Ed.” It was a great start to the night. They played the majority of songs off their excellent self-titled debut album.
The band is the brainchild of Wolfgang Van Halen, son of legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen, whom he dedicated a beautiful stunning acoustic version of the song “Distance” to later in the night. The band also delivered another touching dedication to legendary Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins who suddenly passed away last week. Wolfie said Hawkins was very special to him as the band played a cover of The Foo Fighters “Hero.” It was a really moving moment, especially with the audience singing along to the chorus.
Other highlights from the Mammoth WVH set included a bombastic version of “You’re to Blame.” The musicians in this band are top notch and for me this was the best song of the night. It was met with wild applause and the crowd chanting “Wolfie.” The band also treated the fans to a new song called “I Don’t Know at All,” which sounded great! The set ended with “Don’t Back Down.” Wolfie expressed his thanks to the fans for their support as Philly has always been good to him. He also mentioned that the WMMR BBQ they played last year meant a lot to them and was the absolute best. His genuine sincerity throughout the night shone through. Philly loves them right back!
Dirty Honey came flying out the gates in 2019 with their self titled EP. Their single, “When I’m Gone” topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart, making them the first unsigned band to accomplish that! Their sound is a throw back sound, very reminiscent of the great bands of the 70’s.
The band opened up with “California Dreaming.” What impressed throughout their set was their seemingly boundless energy! Charismatic frontman Marc LaBelle really knows how to work a crowd with that old school swagger. If was really fun watching bassist Justin Smolian and guitarist John Notto run all over the stage. Their style of play included hair flips and headbanging during the set. Talk about showmanship 101! Drummer Corey Coverstone got to show off his drumming skills on a solo later on in the show.
Other highlights from Dirty Honey’s high energy, intoxicating set included the song “The Wire,” “Gypsy,” and the bluesy “Another Last Time.” A cool moment from the show was when the band covered the AC/DC song “Shoot to Thrill,” in honor of Angus Young’s 67th birthday. Dirty Honey encored with “Rolling 7’s” and LaBelle ended the night by jumping down into the pit and finishing the song with the audience.
Overall this was a fantastic show. Every few years someone in the media goes on a rant that rock and roll is dead. The premise of the “Young Guns” Tour was to say hey guys, you’ve got it wrong. Personally, I cringe anytime I hear that. I’ve always dismissed that opinion and have come up with my share of bands to counter those claims in the past. From what I heard and saw tonight, we are in good hands!
