Vanilla Fudge ROCKS the Night on the First Gig of Their 2021 Tour!

by: Rick Landers

Carmine Appice – Photo (c) Rick Landers 2021

Vanilla Fudge still rocks. Three of the four original members sound as good as they did back in the late ’60s. And not because I saw some Youtube video of them back in the day. I was up against the old Grande Ballroom stage in Detroit when I was a teen watching them and The Cream, when they shared top billing.

And they rocked the Grande with an earsplitting show with an amazing series of pop song covers; drenched in heavy metal riffs by Vinnie Martell, Carmine Appice on drums, Mark Stein belting out huge vocals while pummeling the keys on his Hammond organ, with its Leslie speaker flying around and Tim Bogert laying down heavy basslines.

Last night at Leesburg, Virginia’s Tally Ho venue, Carmine, Vinnie and Mark continued the Fudge tradition with bassist, Pete Bremy holding down the fort on bass. Unlike some elder statesmen of rock, Vanilla Fudge’s set launched into songs that not only still sounded fresh, but kept the crowd hanging on for more! (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself with that reference to their mega-hit, “You Keep Me Hanging On.”

Let’s cut to the chase, so you can all grab tickets to their current tour – you will not regret it!

Check out their VF Tour Dates HERE!

The group’s set included songs like, Curtis Mayfields’ “Pe0ple Get Ready,” The Supremes “You Keep Me Hanging On,” Donovan’s “Season of the Witch,” even a crafty rendition of The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer” that was unexpected, but rocked with Stein punching it out on lead vocal and the others shapeshifting the backup vocals – too cool these guys.

Here are some shots from their Leesburg gig and the first show of their Winter 2021 Tour!

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