ANGEL’S PUNKY MEADOWS RETURNS IN WHISKY SHOW
And yes, at 67 Meadows is still a glam god
LOS ANGELES — Thirty-seven years later, the guitarist often thought of as the world’s coolest-looking rock star returned to Los Angeles — and god damn it, Punky Meadows still looks darn good.
It was 1980 when Angel was last heard from in Southern California, headlining Long Beach Arena. The glam band that also featured the great keyboardist Gregg Giuffria broke up soon after, and Meadows and his sucked-in smile vanished with the same sort of trickery that used to see Angel “magicially” appear on stage every night.
Well, there Mr. Meadows was Friday night at the Whisky on the Sunset Strip in his grand pomp return in support of a new solo album appropriately titled “Fallen Angel.”
“It feels great to be back,” Meadows said a few moments before going on stage. “I lived here for 15 years and had a great time. Coming back to the neighborhood is exciting. I used to hang around the Rainbow all the time. That was the place to be, you know, and of course the Roxy and the Whisky. That’s where we all were, back in the day.”
Meadows, 67, has an all-new band led by co-guitarist Danny Farrow-Anniello and singer Chandler Mogel.
Some of the new songs were catchy, but the crowd came for the Angel selections, and Meadows and his new friends opened with “Rock and Rollers” and also played “Can You Feel It,” “Don’t Leave Me Lonely” (sounded awesome) and a couple of others including the closing “Tower.”
“I love it. These Angel songs are even more fun to play now for some reason,” Meadows said. “It’s been a few years, and the fans, they really appreciate it. The Angel songs really get the crowd going.”
It was hard to tell who was having more fun — the spectators delirious on nostalgia or Meadows himself.
“Doing this, of course I’m enjoying myself. I always enjoy myself,” he said.
Angel singer Frank DiMino has also made a comeback, and Metal Sludge documented it all HERE. A couple of nights earlier, DiMino even jumped on stage with Punky in Las Vegas.
Angel bassist Felix Robinson played on Meadows’ record, though he is not part of the touring band. But what if Giuffria became interested again, along with drummer Barry Brandt? Who knows? An Angel reunion might be possible one day.
Meantime, this Whisky event was more than merely a baby step. Meadows has a buzz, and so we will continue to follow this story.
Gerry Gittelson can be reached at gerryg123@hotmail.com
Photos by Joe Schaeffer
