Tahoe Onstage photos by Kurt Johnson
Editor’s note: Strange Weather makes its second Red Room appearance in the Crystal Bay Casino at 10 p.m. Saturday, June. 11. The band also played twice at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Here’s what happened at that second show:
Strange Weather will be blowing out of town soon, so catch them while you can.
The South Shore rock band Strange Weather busted out a vintage-inspired, decades-spanning, concert for a roaring home crowd May 28 at the Vinyl showroom in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Vinny Berry (vocals), John Munroe (guitar), Todd Christensen (bass), and Jon Gardner (drums) had a blast during their second appearance at the venue, where they first appeared in March. The band played for two-plus hours, with the raucous, upbeat music spilling out of the club’s doors onto the crowded casino floor.
Strange Weather can cover a great musical range, from laid-back grooves to edgier, hard-nosed rock, and it was all on display through Vinyl’s full-throated sound system. The group kicked things off with “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath, before turning to its own “Shi Shi Dogs.”
Berry had the concertgoers cheering and roaring with his soaring vocals, while Munroe’s guitar work was excellent, per usual, faithfully replicating classic solos and ripping through his own leads. Fan favorite Christensen joked with the crowd in between thumping out his grooving basslines, while Gardner’s usual laid-back persona belied the intensity and accuracy of his drumming.
Strange Weather played a variety of originals and covers, with Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child” and “Slither” by Velvet Revolver seated comfortably alongside the group’s “Elvis” and “Mother Stingray.” The band even broke out The Beatles, playing Lennon’s “Yer Blues.” With Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” as an encore, these guys definitely know how to fill out a set.
Now in just its second year, the group has come a long way already, and has a bright future. Strange Weather released its debut album earlier this year, and just returned from its second tour of Southern California.
These lads will be relocating to Los Angeles in the fall to reach broader audiences, and will certainly be missed by Lake Tahoe music fans. Next stop, a free show in the Red Room at the Crystal Bay Casino on June 11. Watching Strange Weather thunder over the Vinyl stage was the perfect way to kick off the holiday weekend, as well as the summer music season.
To see more photos by Kurt Johnson, click the LINK.
