Ted Nugent By Jay Skolnick August 2, 2023 Hillbilly Vegas, a Southern rock/country band from Oklahoma opened promptly at 8 pm. Unsurprisingly, vocalist Steve Harris admitted, “My favorite people are hillbillies.” Ted Nugent, the wild man of rock, combined his blistering guitar and politics as he played to his adoring audience who ate up every rant and blazing guitar lick. His audience in attendance loved him, although the two upper tiers were closed due to poor ticket sales. He began sharply at 9 pm with what his setlist called a “Noize Xplosion,” and a guitar instrumental of the “Star Spangled Banner.” He looked fit, healthy, and full of energy. He yelled, “Do you have the spirit of the wild? My guitar (Gibson) loves you. Where’s Bo Diddley?” He mentioned his latest album, Detroit Muscle, and the heavy guitar power attack from the Ted Nugent Detroit Muscle Machine. He proudly declared, “My boys are soulful.” His current band consists of drummer Jason Hartless and bassist Johnny Schoen, who both assist with the vocals. He launched into an inspired “Free-For-All,” sounding pretty much like 1975. It brought back memories of shooting him at the Miami Jai Lai in 75! Share It!
