GALLERY: The Winery Dogs
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL | MARCH 25, 2023 | BY RAYNA LEIGH
For the first time in 7 years, South Florida welcomed back rock supergroup The Winery Dogs with eager enthusiasm. The crowd was packed shoulder to shoulder at Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to see the legendary trio in action on their 202III World Tour.
The night started with opening act Off Orbit, a three-piece band from the South Florida area. With Marc Oz’s groove-laden guitar solos, smooth lead vocals from his brother Mo and steady backbeats from Angel Merk on drums, they were an enjoyable psych-funk precursor to the heavier headliners.
The Winery Dogs came out blazing, starting the set with the newly-released Gaslight, and powered through a nearly two-hour mix of songs spanning all three of their studio albums.
Songs like Stars and The Other Side truly put lead guitarist and singer Richie Kotzen’s guitar technicality on display. Extended shredding solos kept the crowd engaged through the night, nodding their heads with every note. Beyond his guitar prowess, which puts Kotzen among modern legends, it’s his vocals that help make The Winery Dogs such a unique musical experience. Resonant and soulful, but effortlessly sliding into near choir-like falsetto, the range in his repertoire is a true showcase of rock n’ roll beyond image alone.
In between the billowing fog machines, Mike Portnoy performed the whole show with a smile on his face, interacting with the crowd from behind his transparent drum kit. Though Portnoy did not take extended drum solos, as the others did with lead and bass guitar, his energy behind the kit made him one of the most entertaining sights of the show.
And to round out the supergroup, Billy Sheehan makes a bass guitar talk like no other. With bluesy breakdowns, finger-picking and two-hand tapping wizardry, Sheehan matches Kotzen’s soul and Portnoy’s progressive sounds with a musically sophisticated aura. Another highlight of the show was Sheehan’s multi-minute bass solo, which left the audience mesmerized. Sheehan recently celebrated his 70th birthday on the road with The Winery Dogs, but make no mistake: he still carries the energy that has made him a decade-spanning musical icon.
For the band’s encore, the lights dimmed to a moody blue for Regret, a mournful ballad which featured Kotzen on keyboard; a change of pace from their steady rock setlist. To close the night, they took the energy to its peak with their aptly named Elevate, from their eponymous 2013 debut album.
In all, while The Winery Dogs are not the kind of band to run across the stage in bombastic showmanship, it’s their commanding musicianship that makes them a powerhouse of rock n’ roll music. For fans of progressive, groovy and bluesy rock, this is a show worth seeing; and for those who simply want to witness a triad of musical icons, there are few better groups to see.
