Just a few hours ago, John Corabi did a solo acoustic set in Providence, RI at the Strand Theater. He was the opener for Winger and Tom Keifer (of Cinderella). Now I’ve seen the other two bands, but I never had the opportunity to see John Corabi. So my friend Dan and I headed up and it was a treat!
He opened with Love (I Don’t Need It Anymore). He was having sound issues that weren’t noticeable to the crowd, but he couldn’t hear himself through his monitors. He joked, “welcome to my sound check” and did some bantering with the crowd. He talked about some friends who were shot while sitting outside which ended up being the inspiration for his next tune, If I Never Get to Say Goodbye.
If you don’t know who John Corabi is, he was the dude who replaced Vince Neil in Motley Crue. They put out their self-titled 1994 album with him, and musically it’s their best album. John is a guitar player himself and just added a new kind of energy to the band. The hair band feel was gone and it was just a solid hard rock album. But…they brought Vince back and became a joke. Screw them. He’s also been in a ton of other bands throughout the years. Check out his discography online if you care to. I recommend his band Union. But back to the show.
He chatted some more, showing his appreciation to the crowd for supporting him over the years and asked people who didn’t know who he was to watch “The Dirt” on Netflix. He explained, “I’m the guy who shows up at the end and ruins Motley Crue’s career. And I’m damn proud of it!”
He also talked about how each night, his job is to come out, sing some songs, talk to the crowd, tell some jokes, and essentially warm up the crowd for Winger and Tom Keifer. Which means, “I’m the fluffer for Winger and Tom Keifer!” What’s a fluffer you may be asking? Use the Google or check out the Urban Dictionary website.
He completed his set with:
- Daydream Believer (Monkees cover)
- Hooligans Holiday (video below)
- Dead and Gone (from his other band hr Dead Daisies)
- Man in the Moon (Corabi, not REM)
After his set, he said he’d sign some stuff with the exception of checks and dicks. Anything else was fair game. This would mean missing the beginning of Winger’s set which most peeps weren’t willing to do it seemed. But Dan and I did. He signed some shit for us and posed for photos. Pretty cool night.
Winger and Tom Keifer up next. Stay tuned.
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