Concert Review/Photo Gallery: Mammoth WVH + Dirty Honey @ Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, ON 3/24/22

The Young Guns Tour, consisting of some of rocks finest new blood, Dirty Honey and Mammoth WVH stopped in Toronto, ON, on Thursday March 24th. The bands only Canadian date and one of the first shows back for the city since the pandemic arose;a growing line formed down Danforth Street outside of The Danforth Music Hall. Lots of leather, denim, and Van Halen shirts present as Canadian rock fans got ready for a night of raw live music.

At 8:00pm the lights went down, and the crowd erupted into a wave of cheers as Dirty Honey took the stage. From behind the drums Corey Coverstone kicks into Gypsy. Justin Smolian (bass) holds his hands above his head, clapping to hype up the crowd while John Notto (guitar), chugs his way into the intro. Last to take stage is singer Marc Labelle, the crowd cheering loudly as he holds out his microphone stand before taking center stage. His soaring vocals filling the room, grabbing the audience’s attention immediately.

Moving swiftly into Break You, Labelle already has the enthusiastic crowd in the palm of his hand as he grooves along to Smolian’s prominent bassline. Notto than kicks in with the guitar, bringing the song to life. Captivating the audience with his brilliant guitar chops, Notto adds an extended solo to the song to give it extra flavour that did not disappoint.

“We got any women in the house? Let me hear you” Labelle cheekily says as cheers are heard throughout the venue. “This one’s for y’all” he adds before the band go into their hit Heartbreaker, a fan favorite. Dirty Honey keep the crowd at high energy throughout the entire set, their stage presence not wavering for a moment. California Dreaming, Let’s Go Crazy(Prince cover) and their latest single Another Last Time having the entire room singing along. Ending their set on the oh so sexy Rolling 7s, Labelle hops off the stage to the barricade. Staying as close as he can to the crowd, he takes a fans iPhone, filming himself and the crowd to make for a special moment and one happy fan! The band take a final bow to the cheers of a very impressed crowd, before making their way off stage as the house lights reilluminate.

Dirty Honey Setlist

1. Gypsy
2. Break You
3. Heartbreaker
4. The Wire
5. Take My Hand
6. Tied Up
7. Down the Road
8. California Dreamin’
9. Let’s Go Crazy (Prince Cover)
10. Another Last Time
11. Bass Solo
12. Drum Solo
13. Guitar Solo
14. When I’m Gone
15. Rolling 7s

Up next is Mammoth VWH. The stage lights glowing an intense purple, the band start off with the track Mammoth. “Let’s goToronto” Wolfgang Van Halen yells into the mic as bassist Ronnie Ficarro energetically jumps around his side of the stage. Garrett Whitlock sits behind the drums, locking into Ficarro’sbasslines. On Van Halen’s right is Jon Jourdan who takes on the rhythm guitar role, as well as delivering top notch backing vocals. Keeping the melodic tones present, they transition into Mr. Ed. Early Van-Halen-esque guitar tones are played by leading man Wolfgang Van Halen, before the band kick in backing him up.

After playing a few more songs off their debut album, Van Halen takes a moment to speak to the crowd. “You guys having a good time?” he asks to an already cheering audience. “Thank you, guys. You guys are really fucking cool” he adds before announcing that they’ll be playing a new song titled I Don’t Know It All. A chugging guitar starts off the new track as the crowd claps along to the drumbeat. A catchy chorus and upbeat tempo have the entire venue already hooked on the unreleased song.

The smile Van Halen wears fades as the song ends. “This was my dad’s favourite” he speaks softly into the microphone, before starting Think It Over. An emotional wave flowing over the crowd.

“We’re going to do a song we like now” Van Halen announces before they jump into a cover of an Alice in Chains classic Them Bones. Taking the song, a step down, putting their own spin on it to match Van Halen’s melodic vocal style. Finishing up the set on an up-beat rock n roll note, Van Halen must step away from the mic to take in the roar of the crowd chanting “Wolfie”. Outpouring love shown for the vocalist/guitarist. Taking each other’s hands, the band take a bow before saying their goodbyes and ending a phenomenal night of pure rock n roll magic.

Mammoth WVH Setlist

1. Mammoth
2. Mr. Ed
3. Epiphany
4. Horribly Right
5. You’ll Be the One
6. Stone
7. I Don’t Know at All
8. Think It Over
9. You’re to Blame
10. Distance
11. Them Bones (Alice in Chains Cover)
12. Don’t Back Down