The Power of Richard Kotzen: Live at the Rockpile
Most people agree that Kurt Cobain was the most influential artist of the last two decades; however, there’s one musician who has been vastly overlooked and underrated by the music community – Richard Kotzen. Not many people are familiar with Kotzen’s work or his band, Mr. Big, but this man is without a doubt one of the greatest guitarists to ever live. If you have never heard of him before now, make sure you check out this video below! It will give you an idea of what kind of music he plays and how good he really is at playing guitar!
The venue
The Rockpile is a small club that has been around since 1958 and is nestled in downtown Toronto. It was originally a jazz venue, but now hosts many different genres and attracts people from all over Canada. The intimacy of the venue makes it a great place to see an intimate performance, like Richard’s.
The support act
I was lucky enough to witness one of my favorite guitarists, Richard Kotzen. He played a solo set and also joined in on songs by Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan and Cream. What I enjoyed most about his performance was his ability to take a song that we all know so well and make it new again. The set ended with an encore and people were chanting one more song but he waved them off, saying this is how it always ends.
Richard’s showmanship and crowd interaction
Richard Kotzen is a seasoned veteran and has been playing for 45 years. He was kind enough to give me a solo guitar lesson before his show. The Rockpile is an intimate venue, so everyone in the room could see and hear him up close. He played some classics like Wild Thing and Mr. Brownstone, but also surprised us with some deep cuts from Steel Wheels and a song from his new album.
The Setlist is down below and don’t forget to leave a comment 🙂
I’m Drew, the founder and editor of Front of the Stage. I have a strong love for music and photography, which started at a very young age. There’s just something I love about experiencing live music and capturing memories that will last a lifetime, and that’s how Front of the Stage came to be.
