JACKYL – Live At The Full Throttle Saloon

Jackyl entered the music scene in 1992 with an unusually “pure” approach to Raunch ‘n’ Roll Heavy Rock music. Although Metal was on the verge of losing its “en vogue” status at that time in history, Jackyl was successful in endearing themselves to Rock fans everywhere with their straightforward Sex, Drugs (well maybe just booze), and Rock ‘n’ Roll musical message. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Jackyl has always focused on the obnoxiously fun aspects of Rock ‘n’ Roll … and hand-in-hand with their repugnancy is, of course, their emphasis on the “physical” aspects of interpersonal relationships.

Sturgis, South Dakota, USA’s Harley Davidson Motorcycle annual rally in 2003 was the site for this Jackyl concert – an outdoor venue called The Full Throttle Saloon – self-proclaimed as the largest biker bar in the world. Geez, with the ability to hold 15,000 … are there really bars of any sort bigger than this anywhere?

The concert starts out with a midget (Donald) coming out on a midget Harley perched on a wood slab, revving the throttle in excess, as if someone told him 10,000 rpm’s would add 5 centimeters to his stature. The professional wrestler Goldberg then comes on stage on a conventional Harley, picks up the midget and puts him on his shoulder, then introduces the band to the screaming audience. Definitely a memorable beginning – actually, as a Sturgis rally attendee, what more could you want besides Goldberg, a midget, Harleys, and the hard-driving Southern Rock/Metal sounds of Jackyl?

Jackyl hits each of their albums during this show, and Jesse James Dupree spends quite a bit of time interacting and talking to the audience. Clearly, he and the band are completely in their element with this crowd. The show, however, is essentially “no frills.” There’s really no stage or light show to speak of; rather, just the band dressed in basic t-shirts and jeans, jamming out the tunes and firing up on the audience’s energy. Check that — Dupree, co-guitarist Jeff Worley, and bassist Roman Glick were most times conventionally clothed, but drummer Chris Worley wore nothing but silk jockey undershorts for most of the show. If anything, you can’t say that you see drummers everyday that are one pair of briefs away from being totally disrobed during a concert!

Performance-wise, Chris Worley (who looks a lot like Nikki Sixx with short hair) shines above all others. His musicianship was incredibly tight during this performance, and he definitely kept the band rolling along as a cohesive unit. The one thing quickly noticeable during this show was the fact that the sound of the songs was nearly identical to what you’d hear when listening to one of Jackyl’s studio albums. This speaks to 3 facts – first, the sound engineers at the show did an excellent job replicating the band’s studio persona; second, Jackyl indeed hasn’t toyed much at all with their “natural” sound when recording in the studio; and third, Jackyl’s music is really not that complex. Regardless, the sound on this night was pure Jackyl, and it was delivered to perfection.

One of the highlights of the show was during “Dirty Little Mind.” Dupree sheds his shirt (letting his love handles hang out) and eventually points out a handful of girls in the audience to come up on stage and to join him in provocative dance. After bringing in a few more girls from backstage to join these amateurs, Jesse proceeds to completely drop trough to his ankles, and to “bunny hop” across stage – sorry female Jackyl fans – the camera angle used during this escapade refrains from fully exposing the prodigiousness of Dupree’s manhood!

Another highlight would have to be the final song, “The Lumberjack,” when Dupree unveils his half-guitar/half-chainsaw concoction. To be sure, it’s both hilarious and apropos for this event! No doubt, Dupree is definitely successful in adding his brand of energy to its unveiling and during the chainsaw solo.

Overall, Live At The Full Throttle Saloon is a “fun” concert featuring an energetic Jackyl playing at the top of their game. From a pure at-home spectator perspective, however, the energy undoubtedly felt while being present live at this event is hard to replicate in a recording. The lack of stage show or other novelty that would help spur motivation to watch this show repetitively is its biggest weakness. Also, the periodic cuts to showing the band riding Harley’s and hanging out in and around the bar at various points within this DVD are equally non-eventful. Fans of Jackyl’s music and their sonic style will certainly enjoy this DVD because Jackyl’s sound is remarkably preserved during this performance … but persons looking for a memorable visual concert experience (to revert back to often) probably won’t find what they’re looking for here.