Skid Row are Plotting a Slave to the Grind 30th Anniversary Tour
Sebastian Bach’s 30th anniversary tour of Skid Row’s eponymous debut, which took place last year, was a bit bizarre but also cathartic for us long-time fans. At the New York City show we attended, it was very much all about Bach, with some strange between-song banter, head-scratching band choices and a lot of chatter about how old we’ve all gotten. Still, it was fun! Bach extended an open invitation to all of Skid Row’s founding members to come out and jam on the tour, but original drummer Rob Affuso was the only one who took him up on it. After playing Skid Row in full, the band played a few cuts from Slave to the Grind and called it a night. A second leg of that tour was scheduled for this year but, well, you know.
Now Bach’s old bandmates, still touring as Skid Row, are planning a 30th anniversary tour of their own for next year, celebrating the band’s hard-hitting second effort, Slave to the Grind. Bassist Rachel Bolan told radio host Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM last night (Wednesday, July 15) that the tour is already booked, although whether it happens remains to be seen (because, well, you know):
“Next year, we have a world tour that’s scheduled. Hopefully it happens. We’re just seeing if this pandemic [subsides]. We’re not gonna put any of our fans in danger, we’re not gonna put ourselves in danger. But the plan for next year is a 30th-anniversary ‘Slave To The Grind’ tour. Like I said, a world tour is planned. We’ll do the album in its entirety, and then we’re gonna do a bunch of stuff to coincide with it. We’re pretty psyched, and the shows are booked. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that everything is gonna come to pass… It’ll be cool, to go out there and do ‘Slave To The Grind’ top to the bottom. That’ll be fun.”
Subtle clap back at Bach? A genuine desire to revisit this classic and beloved album? Cashing in on nostalgia? Some combination of those things? Who knows, but I’ll tell you this: if the tour happens I’ll be there, and I say that as a huge Skid Row fan who hasn’t seen the Bach-less version of the band perform in at least 15 years.
Skid Row currently features three of the five musicians who played on Slave: Bolan and guitarist Dave “Snake” Sabo and Scotti Hill. Rob Hammersmith has played drums since 2010 and ZP Theart (ex-Dragonforce) has handled vocals since 2017 (his predecessor, Johnny Solinger, occupied that role from 1999 through 2015).
[via Ultimate Guitar]
