Thursday August 25th John 5 was in town and ready to perform a exorcism on the city of Mesa AZ. John Lawry, performing under the stage name John 5, has played with Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, and David Lee Roth, as well as recording with Lynyrd Skynyrd.
John 5 has since become the guitarist for Rob Zombie. In 2003, while still the lead guitarist for Marilyn Manson, Lowery (then going by the name of John 5) was invited by David Lee Roth to write and record the only uncover song on Roths 2003 album Diamond Dave. Don’t underestimate this creature of the night as John 5 is a phenomenal musician and has a wide range of talent.
John 5 stumbled on to the stage to the Willy Wonka theme in his long red vinyl outfit with his signature logo the circle with a 5 in it. As he walked like a zombie to his Fender guitar filled with green goo. He grabbed the guitar and held it up in the air as he seemed possessed. He then removed the white mask to reveal a skull mask and pulled out a violin bow and started playing the guitar with it! I was in awe and you could see the smiles all across the Nile theater loving every moment.
John 5 mixes rock with a bluesy sound and creates a creepy monstrous sound all his own. I’ve seen him perform a couple times with Manson and Zombie and you truly start to appreciate the talent he has when you see his live show. He pulls out all the tricks, with the guitar sweeps, playing with his hands behind his back, or just throwing out a bluesy guitar solos. It’s truly amazing!
It seemed at first John 5 is a creature with few words and then it happened – he finally addressed the crowd. He went up to the mic and said, “Well this is the crowd that didn’t go to the Motely Crue show. Thank you for joining me.” This was a true testament to the fans of John 5 as a massive concert was happening about 40 minutes away with Joan Jett, Poison, Motley Crue, and Def Leppard. It shows how true and loyal John 5’s fans are.
John 5 followed up with “Nikki Sixx sent me a picture from where they’re playing, so let’s send one back to him”. Everyone threw their hands in the air and smiled as he took the picture! The highlight of the night was towards the end of the set when they started to really have fun and started to play covers. John 5 broke into “Thunderkiss 65” and everyone lost it. I truly love how humble John 5 is and you can see it when he interacts with his fanbase. He’s doing what he loves and sharing it with the people that appreciate and love his art! You o not want to miss this show when comes through to your city! John 5 & The Creatures are currently touring with their Sinner Tour, which continues this week with dates in California (Roseville, Garden Grove, and San Diego) and Vegas. Supporting act Krash Krama
Setlist
Covers
All My Life / The Trooper / You Really Got Me / Heartbreaker / Thunderstruck / La Grange / The Final Countdown / For Whom the Bell Tolls / Runnin’ With the Devil / Symphony of Destruction / Detroit Rock City / Thunder Kiss ’65 / Hot for Teacher / Killing in the Name / Walk Home Sweet Home (Mötley Crüe cover) / Creepshow
