Lillian Axe Concert Review

Lillian Axe, Mars To Mercury, Brian Heubner

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Primetime, Burnsville, MN

Having missed Lillian Axe the last time they came through St. Paul a couple years ago, I was really excited at the chance to finally see this band live. Back in the early nineties, when melodic hard rock bands like Extreme and Mr. Big reigned, it was really a shame that the excellent Psychoschizophrenia album didn’t break Lillian Axe into the mainstream. Armed with new album Sad Day On Planet Earth, the second with vocalist Derrick LeFevre, Lillian Axe opened their 2009 tour in this south Minneapolis suburb.

I arrived just as locals Mars To Mercury were finishing their set and didn’t have to wait too long for Lillian Axe to take the stage. Opening with “Crucified” from Psychoschizophrenia, Lillian Axe took the audience through a selection of songs from most their catalog during their 90+ minute show. A third of the set came from Sad Day On Planet Earth interspersed throughout the set. Highlights from the new album included “Nocturnal Symphony” and “The Grand Scale of Finality”. Surprisingly, another third of the set came from the band’s first two albums, and “Misery Loves Company” and “Dream of a Lifetime” had the crowd excited. Selections from Poetic Justice (“True Believer”), Psychoschrizophrenia (Deepfreeze), and Waters Rising (“Waters Rising” and “Antarctica”) rounded out the set. The band got an especially enthusiastic response for the back-to-back acoustic numbers “The Day That I Met You” and “Nobody Knows”. “Show A Little Love” from Love And War closed the show on a high note.

Despite the sparse attendance of about 100 people, the band showed no signs of being discouraged and looked like they were having fun on stage. Derrick LeFevre did a fantastic job of singing numbers from the entire Lillian Axe catalog, and songs from recent albums worked well alongside the classics. The real star of the show was original guitarist Steve Blaze, who displayed both an aggressive, technical flair along with the band’s quieter, melodic side. The entire band was polite and happy to meet with fans after the show. All in all, Lillian Axe proved that they are still a credible force to be reckoned with, and are well worth catching live as they continue touring behind Sad Day On Planet Earth.