Singer Jim Crean, who along with drummer Carmine Appice and bassist Tony Franklin, were supposed to preform with guitarist Vinnie Vincent on Feburuary 8th and 9th, 2019 in Nashville, TN, discusses why he thinks the shows never materialized.
“I can’t speak on Vinnie Vincent’s behalf,” Crean told The Metal Voice in a new interview. “I never met him but I have my ideas … and so does Carmine and Tony. There’s a lot of heavy shredding that went into Vinnie’s songs. … I dissected every part of these songs, even with the guitar. When Vinnie did that KISS cruise … he didn’t really play any leads or anything like that; he just kind of came out and he looked a little nervous, like he was kind of unsure.”
He recalled that Vincent’s agent said to him, “I think Vinnie’s gonna be a little standoffish at first, but then once he sees and he hears you guys … he is gonna be so into it.”’
“I think that would have happened,” Crean noted. “I really think that Vinnie would have came out and it would have really been a good good career move for him … but I do think that maybe he had a little doubt.”
Crean insisted he, Appice and Franklin were well-rehearsed and ready to “be super-tight and deliver it for Vinnie.” “If Vinnie came out and he wasn’t exactly like he was 30 years ago, I think the fans would have still accepted him for just coming out onstage,” he said. “I truly do think that because his fans are very loyal to him and they just want to see him play.”
He said at one point the set list included “a lot of Vincent songs and a few KISS songs,” like Lick It Up, Unholy, A Million to Oneand Exciter. However, he explained that after they recorded three demo songs without the guitarist, Vincent made the decision to “go out there and shred” during the shows.
“After that, Vinnie decided that he just wanted … a shred show where he just goes out there and they just jam,” Crean recalled. “So basically Tony and Carmine just kind of keep a beat and Vinnie just plays. I guess a little later he decided that he just didn’t want to do that either.”
Drummer Carmine Appice, who spoke about the canceled shows, stated, “Something happened between Vinnie and the promoter. I know there was something going on. I talked to Vinnie a few times, and him and the promoter were not seeing eye to eye on a lot of stuff. But I always thought that if Vinnie messed this up, or whoever messed it up, I don’t know if there’ll be another chance. ‘Cause this is his comeback. He already canceled it once [before]. And if gets canceled again, nobody’s gonna care anymore. [They’ll say] ‘I’m not gonna go even buy a ticket. He’s not gonna show up. Or something’s gonna happen.’ But I was looking forward to it, because me and Tony Franklin — I love playing with Tony, and we were gonna play the Vinnie KISS songs, which would have been fun.”
additional source: Ultimate Classic Rock
[Dana’s note: Thank you, to Robert Davenport, for passing this along to me.]
2 Responses
After watching him in Atlanta pick up the acoustic guitar and hearing him play and sing I thought something was off , and when he announced plans for a comeback show – I was skeptical that he could pull it off – So I am not surprised at all reading this story – It’s pretty obvious Vinnie is dealing with emotional issues – he never once got in a room with these guys and played anything – that is a huge red flag – that says loud clear he felt he wasn’t ready , how do you then schedule shows and sell tickets ???? I think carmine is right – his chance is now gone-
So many decades have passed, and the expectations are so high, that anything less than a blazing spectacle would be a let down for many (not all). I think if he just did the best he could, and had a good time appreciating the fans, many would be totally happy with just hearing/seeing him play those songs. (and he certainly had a world class band to back him up). That first show back is the hardest to get over.