Bumblefoot At The Vault Music Hall And Pub

by Matman

A few weeks back I made my first pilgrimage to The Vault Music Hall and Pub in New Bedford, MA to see Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal and his one man show, Storytellers.  Since I have so much to talk about, this review will be covering a lot of stuff, from the show, to the venue, the burger I had and fun before and after the show. 

(The Show)
Until Bumblefoot became a part of the ASIA Royal Family tour, I didn't know Ron could sing!  Sure, his talents as a guitarist are obvious, but doing a show where it is just you, a guitar and a microphone requires a special talent... that Ron Thal has.  One of the things that really came across at this show is his magnetic personality, drawing the fans in with stories about smelly jackets, blizzard driving, the origins of his beard and so much more.  Playing a mix of original songs like Little Brother Is Watching, covers like Iron Maiden's Wasted Years and music from his old band, Guns N' Roses, Thal showed off his talents as a performer and up close, gave you a glimpse into his brilliance as a guitarist.  He also mid show, got so excited about something, he decided to have an impromptu guitar clinic, making it informative for the players in the audience and entertaining and funny for the non-players. 

(The Venue)
I have never been to The Vault Music Hall and Pub at Greasy Luck and as far as venues go, W-O-W! Despite the 90 minute ride I will be going to more shows there; Spread Eagle, UFO, Autograph to name a few.  The intimate hall has a good size stage, great vantage points from everywhere and the sound is very clear and presented in a way that is clear, loud and yet, not overpowering.  If you wanna get close to the stage, you can do that... but if you wanna sit and enjoy, you can do that too.  The entire staff were great, too. That is something you don't always hear about from rock clubs. 

(The Burger)
Despite Ron (pre-show) recommending the coley-flower pizza to me, I decided to go with a good old fashion cheese burger with bacon, fries and soda and (well done of course) and if I thought it would be a typical club/pub burger... I was way wrong!! This was amazingly delicious and was reasonably priced so, come for the concert but eat before the show.   
 
(Pre/Post Show)
When you walked into the venue, Ron was already out, meeting fans, taking about anything and everything and had for sale CD's and his line of hat sauces that of course I got right into. BUMBLICIOUS! is incredibly flavorful and goes great on a fat chicken and turkey sandwich as well as my sweet and spicy chili and BUMBLEF*****D! will just kill you, so be warned. Before and after show, Ron left every fan with a sense of friendship and gratitude for their support, talking about what they wanted and posing for a zillion pictures.   

If Ron's Storyteller show comes to your local venue, GO!!!!  It will be a fun 90 minutes you will wish happened every single day.