Photos and writing by TourBusLive.com
BOB COBURN IS FAMILY. Period. So when the 36-year veteran KLOS DJ (yes, I said 36 years at KLOS!) and host of ROCKLINE announced that he was beginning chemo treatments for stage 4 cancer, the KLOS team rallied the troops and gathered the masses and threw one hell of a fundraiser to benefit the AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY. And that’s BOB right there in a nutshell: He could have kept the funds himself, but instead, he insisted that the benefit go to others fighting this relentless disease.
Saddling up early and leading the BIKE RUN to the CANYON CLUB in Agoura Hills were KLOS on-air jocks and riders themselves – Saturday night’s STEW HERRERA (Horns Up!), the infamous STEVE JONES (Jonesy’s Jukebox), and morning show master FRANK KRAMER (Heidi-less for this event). They were joined at the event by much of the KLOS DJ staff – including GARY MOORE, MELISSA MAXX, FRANKIE DIVITA, KEN ANTHONY, FRAZER SMITH, MARK “SHOVEL” (from Jonesy’s Jukebox), ERIK SMITH and ROB FRAZIER (from the Heidi & Frank show), PETER TILDEN (from KLOS sister station 790 KABC-AM), and KLOS’s Breakfast With the Beatles’ own CHRIS CARTER.
Everyone who rode in or drove in had a chance to learn more about cancer and cancer prevention and screening from the various programs offered by the American Cancer Society who had tables set up outside in the shade, including Relay for Life, Race to the Cure, and even Bark for Life – a division devoted to pet cancer. And once the masses got inside the Canyon Club (seriously – the place was PACKED to the gills), the KLOS merch booth had Ride for Bob t-shirts for sale and raffle tickets to win some special signed items – all of which also went to the cause. And both the weary riders and the local enthusiasts who joined in were treated to a barbeque lunch while getting to watch the guest musicians warm up for their later performance.
The KLOS team drew raffle winners and kept everyone entertained during the earlier part of the event, while the man of honor himself, Bob Coburn, took the stage to say a few words at the later part of the day – where he was presented with a guitar signed by everyone who performed and given a riding vest – made especially for Bob, with the event design on the back.
Finally, hitting the Canyon Club stage was local favorite CHEVY METAL, the 70s (and some 80s) cover band side project with drummer TAYLOR HAWKINS of the FOO FIGHTERS, his fellow FOO FIGHTER guitarist CHRIS SHIFLETT, and his long-time buddy, band-mate, and AMAZING vocalist/bassist WILEY HODGDEN.
Playing all the songs you already know ALL the lyrics to, this band is nothing but FUN…well, fun AND talent. And, on this day, they weren’t alone for long on that stage. ALSO coming out to support KLOS and the American Cancer Society were guests ACHIM DANGERFIELD (original Chevy Metal guitarist), singer MARQ TORIEN of BulletBoys (who knocked out a PERFECT Van Halen set and a badass DLR mid-air kick!), the beautifully tattooed JOSH TODD, singer of Buckcherry (whose bandmate Kelly LeMieux is also currently battling cancer), guitarist and singer (and rider) GILBY CLARKE (Guns N’ Roses), STEPHEN PERKINS of Jane’s Addiction (who took over on drums when Taylor decided to step out from behind the kit), NATE MENDEL of the Foo Fighters (giving Wiley a break on bass), STEVE JONES of the Sex Pistols (and of course KLOS), BUSTER AKREY of Steely Dan (and the fun carnival Conejo Valley Days) on the Hammond organ, and Twisted Sister’s DEE SNIDER, sounding AND looking as good as ever – who capped off the show with what can only be called the most in-your-face performance of the day- knocking us out with his band’s biggest hit “We’re Not Gonna Take It” – the no-nonsense teenage-angst spitfire of a song, which became this event’s personal anthem when Snider got the ENTIRE audience to sing along with the last verse – middle fingers raised high above to say FUCK CANCER! And just when we thought we were done – Snider quickly reminded us all that “Twisted Sister was not a one-hit-wonder, but a two-hit wonder” – as the band then broke into that second hit – “I Wanna Rock” – and damnit, we did!
And as the last note loomed, he said, “I’m Dee Snider and I still want to fucking rock. Fuck yeah – and FUCK CANCER!” – to which Taylor Hawkins himself jumped off the drum riser, went directly to the microphone, and said, , “Can’t get better than that – goodnight.”
And, with that, the encore was forfeited on account of the PERFECT ENDING.
SPOTTED IN THE CROWD: Edgar Winter bassist KOKO POWELL, Ozzy bassist BLASKO (who I found in line waiting to grub on some BBQ!), a Dave Grohl look-a-like (who confused a few hopeful Foo Fighter fans), and Bill Murray?
CHEVY METAL SET LIST (actual, not as listed on their paper set list):
BITCH (The Rolling Stones) CM (Hawkins, Shiflett, Hodgden)
MY SHARONA (The Knack) CM
JAILBREAK (Thin Lizzy) CM with Achim Dangerfield
THE WIZZARD (Black Sabbath) CM with Dangerfield
PANAMA (Van Halen) CM with Marq Torien
EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!! (Van Halen) CM with Marq Torien
LOOKS THAT KILL (Mötley Crüe) CM with Shifty’s Flying V
LIVE WIRE (Mötley Crüe) CM (and more Flying V)
MISSISSIPPI QUEEN (Mountain) CM with Josh Todd
MISS YOU (The Rolling Stones) CM + Josh Todd , Gilby Clarke & Nate Mendel
TIE YOUR MOTHER DOWN (Queen) CM + Stephen Perkins, Gilby Clarke, and Nate Mendel
ZIGGY STARDUST (David Bowie) CM with Stephen Perkins and Steve Jones
STAY WITH ME (Faces) CM with Stephen Perkins and Steve Jones + Buster Akrey
ALL THE YOUNG DUDES (Bowie/Mott the Hoople ) CM with Steve Jones
WE’RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT (Twisted Sister) CM with Dee Snider
I WANNA ROCK (Twisted Sister) CM with Dee Snider
****THANKS to all the SPONSORS: California Harley-Davidson, Riverside Harley-Davidson, Glendale Harley-Davidson, Top Rocker Harley-Davidson, Huntington Beach Harley-Davidson, Hoffy Hot Dogs, and Smart & Final****
To further donate to the American Cancer Society, click HERE
TO WATCH THE ENTIRE LIVE FEED: You can watch the entire live feed (recorded in two parts) on our facebook here:
If you are interested in seeing CHEVY METAL play live – they are TOURING!! Check out their facebook page HERE
