Rock Star Supernova Leaves Phoenix Less Entertained

During Rock Star Supernova’s Saturday (2/24) show at Phoenix’s Cricket Pavilion, what Rossi lacked in vocal ability he made up for in showmanship. But it wasn’t enough. The material lacked solid consistency; hooks were absent, going against the grain of Lee, Newsted and Clarke’s previous and/or current projects. It just goes to show that an all-star team can’t always complete the plays. (On this tour, ex-Black Crowes and Train bassist Johnny Colt is filling in for an injured Newsted.)

The band kicked off its show on a relatively fine note with a rocked-out cover of Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer.” Colt and Rossi looked like bookends with their black-and-white-dyed hair.

“It’s All Love,” off Rock Star Supernova’s self-titled debut, was a perfect vehicle for Rossi’s inconsistent, smoky voice. Afterward, proud of the performance, Lee jumped out from behind his drum kit and saluted the audience. But the album opener, “It’s On,” the standout track of the release, came across weak in concert.

Rossi had a special dedication for “Headspin,” his self-penned song that debuted on “Rock Star Supernova.”

“This is the first video we did. I wrote this song for my mother. My mother is very ill right now. I’d like to dedicate it to her,” he said.

The crowd didn’t seem to mind the band’s inconsistency, however. Legions of female fans shrieked for Rossi, whose hair was fashioned into a mohawk. A Live Nation representative announced before Rock Star Supernova appeared on stage that the crowd in Phoenix was the biggest of the tour.

The strongest act of the night was Australia’s Juke Kartel, featuring Toby Rand, a runner-up from the “Rock Star Supernova” TV show. With his strong vocal ability and undeniable charisma, Rand clearly beat out Rossi. Rand performed covers of the Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House” and Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” as well as original material including “Throw It Away,” the song he performed on the television show.

Other openers included Dilana Robichaux and Magni Asgeirsson–both of “Rock Star Supernova”–performing together, with Asgeirsson on acoustic guitar. They dueted on Radiohead’s “Creep,” and Robichaux closed the set with a respectable cover of the Cranberries’ “Zombie”–until she broke into a Riverdance-like number.

The most surprising star of the night was former MTV VJ Steve Isaacs, who fronts Panic Channel. The former star of the touring production of “Tommy” proved to be a viable future star in his own right. Isaacs, sporting burgundy-striped hair, left his theater days behind him and brought his soaring vocals to “Teahouse of the Spirits” and “Blue Bruises” (the latter of which he dedicated to women in the audience who put up with men who are jerks).

Panic Channel guitarist Dave Navarro, who served as a host on “Rock Star Supernova,” put on a performance of a different sort. As the band played, Navarro laid on his stomach and made out with a female near the front row. (Soon afterward he pointed her out to a guitar tech.)

The set ended with Robichaux joining Panic Channel for a cover of “Highway to Hell.”

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