Riviera Review: Honeymoon Suite and Vixen

Honeymoon Suite and Vixen played a double bill of music in the Western New York area this past Tuesday.

Both bands reached heightened status back in the mid-to-late 1980's, and both have been on similar paths since. Both bands have gone through numerous lineup changes with original members coming and going. Another thing they have in common is they both still have name recognition. For me personally, it made for an interesting bill. It's been at least 20 years since I saw Honeymoon Suite play live. Also, this is the first time I saw Vixen with their new singer, Rosa Laricchiuta, since she was announced as the new vocalist back in May.

Vixen was up first and played a strong 45-minute set.

I purposely didn't watch or see any videos with Laricchiuta as the new singer, so I didn't know what to expect and wanted to be surprised. I can honestly say she was amazing!

She worked the stage like a seasoned pro. You would have thought she had been with the band for years when you saw her interact with both bassist Julia Lage and guitarist Britt Lightning. Their camaraderie really showed, and the result came through in the music. They banged out "Cruisin'" and "How Much Love." This show wasn't like other recent Vixen shows I've seen in the past. The dynamic vocals of Laricchiuta were the difference. You can immediately feel her impact. Her range was spot on. It was powerful but melodic when she needed it to be.

Of course, it's all being backed by the drumming of the only remaining original member in Roxy Petrucci.

She still can swing the sticks and continues to be the driving force behind Vixen. The band closed with their biggest hit in "Edge of a Broken Heart." Things are looking up for Vixen with Laricchiuta in the fold. Who knows, maybe some new music will be on the horizon for the band!

Honeymoon Suite was up next with their new record in town called 'Alive,' and the band was eager to deliver a high-quality performance.

The 2024 version of HMS consists of Johnnie Dee on vocals and rhythm guitar, Derry Grehan on guitar, Dave Betts on drums, Gary LaLonde on bass, and Peter Nunn on keyboards. They went back to the 1991 record "Monsters Under the Bed" to play "Say You Don't Know Me." A new track in "Fine What You're Looking For" was up next. The band seemed in great spirits, moving around a lot and playing to each side of the stage. Longtime HMS fans were happy when a track called "Wounded" came on that seemed left for dead and was brought back to life in recent years. I believe the song went over super well. The way the show was going, you could feel some audience members participating was in order. Dee found a gentleman in the front row, leaned down, and let him sing some of the chorus of "Stay in the Light." The band didn't let some technical difficulties with a Marshall Head get in the way of their performance. It was swapped out mid-song, and the band didn't miss a beat. Of course, everyone was on their feet for the band's biggest hit in "New Girl Now." HMS exited and then came back out to do the title track to their latest effort. They closed out their set with one of their other big hits, "Love Changes Everything."

It may have been an odd booking by the looks of it, but it couldn't have worked out any better than it did. Each band brought something to the table and thought all the attendees went away feeling satisfied!