Westworld
February 24, 2001 - Voodoo Lounge- Bayside, NY
Report and photographs by Henry Bocanegra

Anticipation grew large as the crowd gathered in NYC's Voodoo Lounge. After all, this was vocalist Tony Harnell's return home, his first U.S. performance in years! As lead vocalist for the mighty metal band TNT, Harnell had strictly performed in Europe and Japan for the past few years. As I mingled and talked with fellow TNT fans, most were thrilled to not only see Tony perform, but to see Westworld, a supergroup featuring Harnell, Mark Reale from Riot, Bruno Ravel from Danger Danger, and John O' Reilly from Rainbow and Blue Oyster Cult. Their sophomore effort, Skin, came out in Japan late last year, and even though it hasn't come out in the U.S. yet (it will very soon), everyone there seemed familiar with the material.

There was no shortage of Riot fans either (vinyl copies of Fire Down Below in hand), and D2 fans made their presence felt as well. I also ran into fellow journalist Stephanie Kushner, who was reviewing the show for Detritus (www.detritusweb.com), and we killed time sharing "war" stories. Stephanie is a great writer, so make sure to go and check out her work. I had a beer or two, watched a few snaps of the XFL on a muted TV, and finally, after getting fired up by a killer set by the Rob Balducci (www.robbalducci.com) band, we were all ready for Westworld!

Tony Harnell belts it out

After a small wait, the lights dimmed, and Westworld took the stage. Listening to the opening lines of "Illusions," we all realized that we were in for a treat. Tony Harnell has not lost a step, as a matter of fact, he's gotten better with time. The crowd proved to really be into the music as many sang along and all danced along. All of a sudden, the chorus hits us, and guess what? Four part harmonies, Tony, Bruno, Mark, and keyboardist/backing vocalist Josh Pincus (from Magna Carta prog recording artists Ice Age) blew us away with mint harmonies.

The headbangin' set continued with "I Belong," "Skin," and "Uneasy" which was a real highlight. Mark Reale's guitar playing is really phenomenal, especially live and I think being in Westworld has brought out the best in him as he is playing better than ever. At this point, someone yells out "10,000 Lovers" and Tony, aiming to please, broke out into a few opening bars of it, sending the crowd into a sing-along frenzy. It was very refreshing to see the chemistry between the guys in this band, with Bruno Ravel leading the way with his imitations. For a special treat, just ask him if he's ever seen a cow. (Grin)

"Black Shadow Symphony" continued the set and this one featured drummer John O'Reilly who played his heart out. Tony described him as the reincarnation of John Bonham, and believe me, he wasn't far from the truth. I later learned that O'Reilly had just lost his best friend, but still decided to play the show, a testament to his devotion and commitment to this band. John is definitely a class act, and one hell of a drummer. Reale was also all over "Symphony" shredding like a madman.

Mark Wood

At this point, Tony decided to call in violinist Mark Wood for a heavier, yet spine-tingling rendition of Alanis Morrissette's "Uninvited" that pretty much left everyone mesmerized. Tony's vocals were coming straight from his soul, and that's not an easy song to sing, even though he made it look like it was. Mark Wood's performance was brief, but incredible as he played more notes than you can count on that violin. The rest of the set featured more rockers, as well as an a capella rendition of TNT's "Northern Lights" which was also loudly requested by the fans.

Here is the full setlist:
Illusions
I Belong
Skin
Uneasy
Black Shadow Symphony
Uninvited
Get A Life
Ivory Towers
Shame
Elastic
Suicide
Bring the Water To Me
---- Encore ----
Intuition (TNT Song)
Outlaw (Riot Song)

After all was said and done, the capacity crowd was pleased and went home happy. Tony Harnell's performance was totally phenomenal, he basically shredded away anybody who has ever picked up a microphone, and I've seen may acts in my day, but no singer has ever impressed me as much as Tony. After the set, the guys were very accessible, signed autographs, posed for pictures, goofed around and mingled with the fans. It was definitely a memorable night for all involved.

For more information on Westworld, check out the Official Westworld website (www.westworld-web.com)

Harnell kicking ass	Mark Reale	Harnell fires up the crowd

Reale shreds	Tony Harnell and drummer John O'Reilly	Bruno Ravel