Sunday night, the Bossanova Ballroom hosted one of the greatest living guitarists on the planet. John 5, of Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, and now Motley Crue fame brought his Strung Out tour to Portland for it’s final stop. Opening for the evening, Hideous Monster, and Turning Jane got the crowd at the intimate Bossanova started.
John 5’s entire set was a masterclass on guitar virtuosity. Not only did he play his iconic Fender Telecasters, but John 5 also played through a selection of bass guitars, mandolins and other stringed pieces throughout his set. From outright shredding, two handed fret tapping, killswitch pounding and his signature southern-fried “chicken-pickin”, you would rarely see him looking at his hands. His head, swinging rhythmically as he blasted through favorites “Que Pasa”, “Crank It”, and “I Am John 5” clearly demonstrating that the guitar is an extension of his body.
Typically when John 5 comes through town, the gig is with his band “The Creatures”, but this performance was unique in that it was just John 5 and his drummer Alejandro Mercado. John 5 didn’t do a lot of talking, instead investing nearly all of his stage time in playing guitar for all of us. He did share the sentiment that he was grateful for all of us to come out just to watch him stand on stage playing guitar. He also shared that during the planning for this tour they originally intended to end in Seattle. Portland was added because John 5 said that he wasn’t doing this if they couldn’t end it in Portland. He went on to talk about how much he loves Portland and that we embrace “the weird”.
Closing out his set, John 5’s Motley Crue guitar tech grabbed a bass guitar and joined him on stage for a medley of Motley Crue’s classics. John 5 will getting a short break before hitting the road again with Motley Crue for a handful of dates through mid-October.
