A Few Bugs In The System
Fuel Overcome Some Hiccups to Rock LA

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>> Fuel's Brett Scallions overcame a cold to rock LA. >>

>> Anaheim, CA, September 30, 2003 & Los Angeles, CA, October 1, 2003 >> You had to figure there would be some kinks to work out, a few glitches here and there.  A few items to consider: it was only the second night of the tour, Fuel hadn’t been on the road for nearly two years, and singer Bret Scallions sounded like he was fighting a cold.

Correction: Scallions had a cold.

The quartet seemed determined not to let any of those things hold them back, and Fuel put on a show that those in attendance won’t soon forget, attacking their set of hits with the power and intensity that fans have come not only to expect but respect as well.

“The Road to Voodoo” tour, with opening act Smile Empty Soul, has the band winding it’s way across America on their way to the Voodoo Music Experience, which takes place October 31st and November 1st and 2nd in New Orleans.

>> Guitarist/songwriter Carl Bell with one of his many Les Pauls. >>

Though the band has received almost no radio support with the release of their third full-length, Natural Selection, Fuel seems to be on a mission to reclaim their place as leaders in the heavy rock world.  Their past hits and intense live show were enough to nearly fill two nights in the LA area without benefit of any significant promotion.

Hitting the stage with his usual energy, Scallions natural charisma quickly brought the crowd to life, though the stress his voice was under was immediately apparent.  He was obviously straining as he sang, and when he spoke to the crowd, he sounded congested. 

It should be noted that a mere two days later, Fuel had to cancel two shows so Scallions could recover from the illness.

>>Scallions belted out the hits. >>

Looking trim, Scallions went back to the basics for his wardrobe: stylish vintage jeans and a black t-shirt.  This was a huge contrast from the last tour when Brett adorned himself with a boa and cowboy hat, with his stage antics including him pouring over the crowd, almost stalker-like, with manic intensity that was amplified in a small venue like Hollywood’s Roxy. 

The sheer size difference between the Roxy and the Hollywood House of Blues took away much of the intimacy factor, but the fans didn’t seem to notice.   A chorus of voices bellowed every word to songs about heartbreak and longing, but with so much energy that the crowd conveyed hope and aspiration, especially those in the front row who were occasionally adorned with Scallion’s sweat.

>> Bassist Jeff Abercrombie pumps up the crowd.>>

Delivering the same engaging post-grunge rock they’ve become known for, Fuel smartly looked back to pull hits from their prior releases, opening with “Last Time” from Something Like Human and “Jesus or a Gun,” from Sunburn rather than attempting to force feed all new material to the crowd.  “We have three albums to pull songs from now,” Scallions proclaimed.  They did tease the crowd, waiting 40 minutes for “Shimmer,” arguably the most anticipated song each evening.

One symbol of Fuel’s success was guitarist and principal songwriter Carl Bell’s unending string of Gibson Les Paul guitars.  It appeared that he almost had a different guitar for each song, with only one or two making repeat performances, including a Gold Top that he brought back out for the Anaheim encore, only to have a string break a few moments into the song.  This, after he and Scallions had to wait a minute or so for drummer Kevin Miller and bassist Jeff Abercrombie to finally make it back out on stage, prompting the singer to comment to the crowd, “What happened to our bass player and drummer?”

This appeared to just be a case of some kinks to overcome at the opening end of a tour.  Fuel easily displayed that, even with a few things to work out and a far less than 100% Brett Scallions, they’re still able to rock the crowd and show why they’re one of today’s top live bands.