Ugly Kid Joe
Copenhell - 2022
Text: Tobias Nilsson Photo: Lunah Lauridsen
Coming off a highly entertaining show with Suicidal Tendencies, we hurried on over to the Hades Stage for another fun American band - Ugly Kid Joe.
Now, even though I didn’t see Ugly Kid Joe back in their heyday, it’s still quite some time since the last time we saw the band. Almost 10 years, to be precise, so it was exciting to see what they were up to now.
“Copenhagen, let me hear you people scream!”
- Whitfield Crane (vocals)
The band was quick to kick things off, quickly going through the Menace To Sobriety Intro, before really getting into gear with Neighbor. They clearly knew how to grab the audience, and they were rewarded with enthusiastic applause and shouts of appreciation.
While the whole band looked to have a lot of fun on stage, it was clearly Whitfield Crane who was leading the party, and the designated crowd pleaser. From the beginning of the show, he grabbed hold of the crowd, and expertly led them into activities with the band, keeping everyone engaged and entertained. He warmed us up with some rhythmic applause for Panhandlin’ Prince, but soon turned up the dial on the expectancy dial. There was the scream challenge between the crowd in front of the stage and those chilling on the hill in the back, there was the jumping session for I’m Alright, and in the Goddamn Devil, he had everyone imitating the guitar in an odd sort of duet - and this is just naming a few of the things he thought up.
Knowing this was a shorter midday gig, Ugly Kid Joe had wisely stitched together a setlist leaning fairly heavily on their known hits. The original two albums, pre-break up and reunion, were well visited, and when it came to the newer era, their EP Stairway To Hell was a popular rest stop with no less than four tracks being lifted from it. Yes, I say four, as the Cat’s In The Cradle version they played was the calmer acoustic version they recorded for this album. Well, ok, they did kick it into a higher gear towards the end of the song, but still.
The concert was rounded off with the super hit Everything About You, which had all the crowd in a rage, and then a surefire audience pleaser in Motörhead’s famous Ace Of Spades, which, despite being far from a favourite of mine, the band did a good job of.
If anything is to be remarked on, I’d say I missed one of my personal favourites, So Damn Cool, but I can live with that.
An interesting note is that the setlist for today was damned near identical to the one they played nine years ago, right down to the order of the songs played.
Ugly Kid Joe did a good job of entertaining the Copenhell fans. They didn’t blow me away, but did deliver a perfectly well produced show that I don’t think disappointed anyone watching, and I’m good with that.
Setlist:
Intro
Neighbor
Panhandlin’ Prince
Jesus Rode A Harley
No One Survives
Devil’s Paradise
Cat’s In The Cradle (Harry Chapin cover)
I’m Alright
Milkman’s Son
Goddamn Devil
Funky Fresh Country Club
Everything About You
Ace Of Spades (Motörhead cover)
Now, even though I didn’t see Ugly Kid Joe back in their heyday, it’s still quite some time since the last time we saw the band. Almost 10 years, to be precise, so it was exciting to see what they were up to now.
“Copenhagen, let me hear you people scream!”
- Whitfield Crane (vocals)
The band was quick to kick things off, quickly going through the Menace To Sobriety Intro, before really getting into gear with Neighbor. They clearly knew how to grab the audience, and they were rewarded with enthusiastic applause and shouts of appreciation.
While the whole band looked to have a lot of fun on stage, it was clearly Whitfield Crane who was leading the party, and the designated crowd pleaser. From the beginning of the show, he grabbed hold of the crowd, and expertly led them into activities with the band, keeping everyone engaged and entertained. He warmed us up with some rhythmic applause for Panhandlin’ Prince, but soon turned up the dial on the expectancy dial. There was the scream challenge between the crowd in front of the stage and those chilling on the hill in the back, there was the jumping session for I’m Alright, and in the Goddamn Devil, he had everyone imitating the guitar in an odd sort of duet - and this is just naming a few of the things he thought up.
Knowing this was a shorter midday gig, Ugly Kid Joe had wisely stitched together a setlist leaning fairly heavily on their known hits. The original two albums, pre-break up and reunion, were well visited, and when it came to the newer era, their EP Stairway To Hell was a popular rest stop with no less than four tracks being lifted from it. Yes, I say four, as the Cat’s In The Cradle version they played was the calmer acoustic version they recorded for this album. Well, ok, they did kick it into a higher gear towards the end of the song, but still.
The concert was rounded off with the super hit Everything About You, which had all the crowd in a rage, and then a surefire audience pleaser in Motörhead’s famous Ace Of Spades, which, despite being far from a favourite of mine, the band did a good job of.
If anything is to be remarked on, I’d say I missed one of my personal favourites, So Damn Cool, but I can live with that.
An interesting note is that the setlist for today was damned near identical to the one they played nine years ago, right down to the order of the songs played.
Ugly Kid Joe did a good job of entertaining the Copenhell fans. They didn’t blow me away, but did deliver a perfectly well produced show that I don’t think disappointed anyone watching, and I’m good with that.
Setlist:
Intro
Neighbor
Panhandlin’ Prince
Jesus Rode A Harley
No One Survives
Devil’s Paradise
Cat’s In The Cradle (Harry Chapin cover)
I’m Alright
Milkman’s Son
Goddamn Devil
Funky Fresh Country Club
Everything About You
Ace Of Spades (Motörhead cover)
Ugly Kid Joe
