Bad Marriage at the Arcada Theater (2/10/2024)

“Love and marriage, love and marriage. Go together like a horse and carriage. This I tell ya, brother. Ya can’t have one without the other.” Our first concert review and photo set of 2024 finds us back at the good ol’ Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois, where an absolutely stacked hard rockin’ bill was in store: Glenn Hughes, Enuff Z’Nuff, and Bad Marriage. Now Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Hughes and power pop powerhouse Enuff Z’Nuff are no strangers to this webzine and its readership, hence why today’s review highlights the boisterous half hour set that kicked the evening off, courtesy of Bad Marriage.

Formed in 2016, Bad Marriage hail from Boston, Massachusetts and play honest to goodness hard rock, reminiscent of AC/DC, Humble Pie, and fellow Bostonians, Aerosmith (before they got sober and hooked up with Desmond Child). Whereas most contemporary hard rock bands wallow in the post-grunge muck of corporate rock radio circa Y2K, completely devoid of style and soul, Bad Marriage are bound to get any party started with their no frills attitude, undeniable swagger, and a healthy dose of hedonistic sleaze.

At 8:00 PM sharp, the band took to the stage and asked the crowd one question: “Who’s Ready to Rock?” If you weren’t, you had no business being at this show. Their energetic brand of hard rock channeled the finest qualities of the genre’s ’70s and ’80s heyday, with new fans singing along and air guitaring by the second or third chorus of these songs. To say the band’s lyrics are simple and straightforward would be an understatement, but that’s fine by me. What these dudes lack in sophistication, they make up for in charm.

Consisting of six tried and true rock n’ roll rebels, Bad Marriage is fronted by Jon Paquin, whose stage approach lies somewhere between Mick Jagger and Bon Scott. He gave off some serious “too cool for school” vibes, decked out in a groovy pink suit and an always reliable pair of aviators. The thunderous rhythm section of drummer Michael Delaney and bassist Todd Boisvert kept the pocket locked in from beginning to end, never trying to overshadow the music with pointless outbursts of technicality. If there’s any credence to the argument “less is more”, these two are it.

Most impressive, however, is the three-headed guitar monster of Mike Fitz, Ian Haggerty, and newest member Tommy Skeoch. Yes, THEE Tommy Skeoch of Tesla fame. After years out of the spotlight, hard rockers of all ages were thrilled to see this absolute legend back onstage where he should be, tearing up the six-string like it was old times. The trio dominated on power chord driven romps like “Second Hand Smoke” and “Match Made in Hell”, bringing it all together for a rampaging cover of Tesla’s classic “Little Suzi” (which itself was a cover, but I digress) to close things out. Don’t get it twisted folks: Bad Marriage plays GOOD rock n’ roll! Be sure to catch them the next time they tear through your town!