Winger and Bullet Boys Live In Illinois

Rob Grabowski caught Winger and Bullet Boys In The Act during show at Arcada in St. Charles, Illinois . Check out Tom Antonson's review and Rob's great photos!

A rambunctious crowd of over 500 people packed the historic Arcada for the Winger and Bullet Boys shows last month. This was not Winger's first time at the Arcada as the veteran 80's hair metal group made a sold-out appearance last September. However, there was one key difference, which was the surprising lack of legendary guitarist Reb Beach. It was announced on social media about two hours before the show that guitarist Jake Faun would fill in while Reb is out on Whitesnake's final tour.

This was not the only surprise in store for fans as the band ripped into their hit song "Seventeen", which they absolutely killed, only two songs into the hour and a half set. Kip then immediately addressed the Reb Beach-sized hole on the right side of the stage. He then introduced the uber-talented Jake Faun, who filled Reb's immense shoes, which was no easy task. Faun nailed Reb's signature guitar work the entire show, which is impressive due to the sheer amount of diversity in Beach's playing style and material.

Faun split guitar duty with Winger's "secret weapon" John Roth. Each guitar player took the leads on some of rock's hardest guitar parts and even snuck a couple of crafty solos into the show. They were also joined by keyboard player and guitar player Paul Taylor. There were even moments in the show where Paul, John, Kip, and Jake formed a four-guitar formation, which was extremely entertaining. As if four guitars on stage at once were not enough, one cannot forget the legendary Rod Morgenstein, who was holding down the back part of the stage with his massive drum kit.

Overall, even with the lineup change, the band was dialed in and sounded amazing. Even though Kip confessed to messing up a few bass parts here and there, the seasoned 60-year-old was still sensational. Whether it was prancing around the stage with his beautiful black bass or belting out his signature 80's scream, Kip brought his A-game. The setlist checked all the boxes including material from their 1988 debut album with hits such as "Hungry", "Time to Surrender", "Madalaine" & more. They also brought hits like "Rainbow in the Rose", "Miles Away" & "Easy Come Easy Go" from their sophomore 1991 album, In the Heart of the Young. Material from albums such as Pull, Better Days Comin', and more also snuck into the setlist. The omission of "Junkyard Dog" was unfortunate as that song was one of the most memorable from previous Winger shows.

Even 30+ years later, Winger still has the energy and charisma they did in the late 1980's and they still demand the same energy from the crowd. Whether it's Kip's signature crowd work or the band's immense instrumental talent, they put on a show that will live on in your memory for quite some time.