2017 was a great year for Southern California, I had the opportunity of covering many of the hottest shows out here. Last show of the year was a perfect way to end it, Sweet and AJ & Co. were a perfect combination for a busy Friday night at the Whiskey A Go Go on the L.A’s Sunset Strip.
The Sweet (also known as Sweet) is a British glam rock band that rose to worldwide fame in the 1970s. Their best-known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bass player Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott, and drummer Mick Tucker. They are no strangers to the music industry with 13 hits on the Top 20 charts during 1970 alone followed by many more consecutive hits during their career as a band.
But on December 22, 2017, we saw the launch of the 50th-anniversary tour at the Whisky a Go Go on L.A.’s Sunset Strip and the introduction of new singer Paulie Z, a local musician known for hosting “Ultimate Jam Night.” Z replaces Joe Retta, who has served as the frontman for the Los Angeles incarnation of Sweet since its formation in 2008. They started their performance with a white backdrop where they showed clips from the Original members of The Sweet, short clips of concerts and interviews that lead to a countdown to begin the show. The Whiskey was jammed packed no place to move but that didn’t keep fans from enjoying themselves. Paulie Z was incredible interacting with the crowd and cracking jokes with the band members, his singing ability was amazing and the fans loved it. Paulie also pointed out that the band had only one original member remaining in the band, Steve Priest, everyone clapped and cheered for Steve. They performed many of their hits and you can really notice the older fans reminiscing and singing along. It was a really fun and exciting night for Sweet and the fans.
Ask Jones & Company was the opening act for the night, there was a line outside the Whiskey waiting to go in members of the band came out and greeted fans and took some quick photos with them. One thing I really like about these guys is that they are very humble and seem to be very nice to the fans. This was my second time seeing these guys perform so I was really excited and looking forward to their performance. I’m a fan of their style and their music, I can’t express how much these young guys really capture that old school rock and funk in their music. Alongside with their horn section, these guys are unstoppable and not to mention they have a very solid fan base that cheered them on through their set. Although this was my second time seeing these guys perform it was just as exciting as the first time, this time was a bit different seeing Ricky Ficarreli was on drums, Troy Romzek was on Bass and Vocals that just goes to show that they are super talented and there is no stopping them. Let’s not forget to mention Mr. Leo Howard giving the girls something to scream about when he unbuttoned his shirt. After the show I had a brief conversation with Tom and Ricky I thanked them for inviting Go Venue and told them what a great performance they gave and like I mentioned before they were extremely humble and very nice guys, keep up the good work!!
– Gloria Skulls, Go Venue Magazine Photojournalist
Ask Jones & Company
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The Sweet (photos by Gary Foster)
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