By Genevieve Penta
Photo by Larry Marano
The lure at Stage 954 Saturday night at The Casino at Dania Beach was Great White’s current lineup, including founder Mark Kendall (guitars), Michael Lardie (guitars, keyboards, harmonica), Audie Desbrow (drums), Scott Snyder (bass) and Brett Carlisle (lead vocals). With a set list of 13 songs, the audience got to hear a good mix of their catalog, including the tunes that put Great White on the charts. Saving their biggest MTV era video hits, "Save All Your Love for Me, "Rock Me," and "Once Bitten, Twice Shy," for the tail end of the show.
New singer Brett Carlisle's golden locks and strong pipes struck a chord as he worked the stage with his seasoned band members. His performance held up against the tide of naysayers who may have objected to him as the frontman. Brett joined Great White in 2022 and represents the next generation of rock and roll as we drift along from the present to the past and coast toward what's on the horizon. In addition to Great White, he tours with his original band AON (All or Nothing) in which he previously spent time opening for and performing with George Lynch and former Great White singer Tony Ilous (XYZ). He was at ease onstage, energetic and engaged with the crowd, even taking selfies with those upfront after a brief technical issue caused a pause in the show.
Power singers like Brett help keep bands like Great White in circulation by injecting a similar tone and voice to the songs that concertgoers came to hear and inevitably compared to the originals. The band's performance was solid. I enjoyed the sultry, blues-inspired guitar playing, which was not the typical shred fest that I'm used to from this genre of music. The band genuinely seemed happy on stage, playing to the crowd and having a good time themselves.
At the close of the show, Brett invited fans to meet him at the merch table and proceeded to take pictures and sign memorabilia with whoever asked, me included! Not only is he extremely talented, but he is also a nice guy!
I caught up with Dave "The Beast" Spitz (Previous bass player for Black Sabbath, White Lion, Great White) outside of the venue as I was leaving. Dave was part of Great White in the early years. He shared how he was just backstage with the rest of the band, catching up and recalling how he had helped write, "The Big Goodbye," which was on tonight's setlist. Dave was proud of the "heavy" sounding song and proceeded to play a sample on air guitar. That's an example of the power of music. Dave's contribution to Great White, a tune created decades ago, is still in play for us to enjoy and the comradery of like-minded people who come together to escape through live entertainment. It was a great night at Great White!
All images by Larry Marano:
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