Photos | Review: Mammoth WVH, Dirty Honey Co-Headline for Final Time, Unintentionally

Who: “Young Guns” Tour: Mammoth WVH; Dirty Honey

Where: Rams Head Live!, Baltimore, Maryland

When: April 1, 2022

When the delayed “Young Guns” Tour finally kicked off in late February, co-headliners Dirty Honey and Mammoth WVH were ready to rock! Baltimore was among the half of the cities with rescheduled dates, due to the Omicron BA.1 wave. Unbeknownst to any in attendance, on-stage, or in the crew, the new “Charm City” date on April 1st would tragically become the final co-headlining date of the tour!

Four days after playing Rams Head Live! (and just two after frontman Wolfgang Van Halen attended the GRAMMYs in Las Vegas for his first-ever nomination), a portion of the Mammoth WVH band and crew tested positive for the modern-day plague, just hours before doors opened at The Ritz in Raleigh. With Mammoth WVH having to back out of the remaining half-dozen shows, Dirty Honey rallied their spirits to carry the torch to the tour’s end as solo headliners. (Mammoth WVH stated that they will be trying to schedule new dates to visit the cities they missed!)

Knowing all of the twists and turns that happened after the April 1st show, the fact that Concert Crap is able to share the experience of attending the “Young Guns” Tour’s last co-headlining date feels like surviving a round of Russian roulette! If you’re willing to ride shotgun, let’s drive back to that very special night…

Dirty Honey

Swapping set times each night of the tour, it was Dirty Honey’s turn to start the show! The blues-rock quartet rolled straight into “Gypsy” from last year’s self-titled LP, clad in the finest aviators and corduroys the ’70s could inspire.

Instantly, lead singer Marc LaBelle had the crowd in the palm of his hand, extending his honeycomb-print mic stand to the audience for a sing-along in each final chorus. Corey Coverstone kept the groove steady on the drums as his partner in rhythm, bassist Justin Smolian, whipped his curly mane to the beat. Sealing the deal, guitarist John Notto evoked the gods of rock with his solos, his instrument resting on his right thigh in a wide stance to aid the highest of high note runs.

Over the past few years, the band showed their prowess with crowd interaction. First, LaBelle gave Baltimore the choice between two DH classics: “Scars” or “Fire Away.” (The latter won!) Then, among the night’s only hiccups, a wonky bass cable at the start of “Tied Up” prompted an improv blues song from the other three members.

LaBelle’s banter before their NHL Winter Classic cover of Prince and the Revolution’s “Let’s Go Crazy,” however, sparked the most buzz. “I know there’s no NHL team in Baltimore,” the singer stated, “but there’s a New Jersey Devils jersey staring me in the face.” To his surprise, the crowd broke into a raucous chant of “CAPS CAPS CAPS!” — Baltimore roots for the Washington Capitals! Immediately, LaBelle backpedaled and gave the Caps down the road a shout-out!

Rounding out the set with a drum solo, bass solo, and a guitar solo, each member got to shine. However, the closer, “Rolling 7s,” proved that the sweetest moment of the set was when Dirty Honey were whole.

Mammoth WVH

In contrast, Mammoth WVH were in a band member bind: the quintet was missing two rhythm guitarists! Frank Sidoris, first off, had just wrapped up a six-week tour with Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators in Orlando a few days prior. His absence was marked with a cardboard standee, but Jon Jourdan had no 2D counterpart.

After remarking on the unique, winding railings the crowd cheered from — “I feel like I’m in a fuckin’ Street Fighter level, whoa!” — singer/lead guitarist Wolfgang Van Halen set the record straight. Unfortunately, Jourdan had a family emergency, leaving the band as three for the third show in a row.

While Wolf played all instruments on the debut album, he joked that playing three guitars parts simultaneously was tough! Regardless, drummer Garrett Whitlock and bassist Ronnie Ficarro were there for every beat. Even when playing “Epiphany,” where Wolf needed to play guitar and keys, the set went off without a hitch!

Highlights included the performance of unreleased song “I Don’t Know at All,” as well as a solo acoustic rendition of “Distance,” the song responsible for Wolf’s GRAMMY nom, written for his late father, Eddie. Afterwards, the trio gave a phenomenal tribute to another champion of Eddie’s legacy: Taylor Hawkins.

The trio covered the Foos’ “My Hero“ with raw, unbridled emotion. Starting off, Wolf and Garrett pounded the life out of the drum set’s cymbals together. They all kept the passion going right through to the end, as the crowd sang along to every single word.

All in all, the ”Young Guns” Tour might’ve ended its co-headlining run early, but at least it ended unforgettably!

Follow Mammoth WVH on social media and music streaming platforms:

Website l Facebook l Twitter l Instagram

YouTube l Spotify l Apple Music

Follow Dirty Honey on social media and music streaming platforms:

Website l Facebook l Twitter l Instagram

YouTube l Spotify l Apple Music

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Post by Elizabeth Owens

Did you get to see any dates of the “Young Guns” Tour? Comment below!