Hells Belles Concert Review

Hells Belles – The Shakedown 04/22/22

I’ve never been an aficionado of cover bands so it might seem odd that this was my third time seeing the most praised and revered AC/DC cover band ever. As a life-long AC/DC fan, Hells Belles blew me away when I saw them play Portland’s Crystal Ballroom 20 years ago. They were in their prime with an incredible vocalist, a solid rhythm guitarist, bassist, drummer, and of course, lead guitarist Adrian Conner. What can I say about them 20 years later? The good news: Hells Belles can still deliver a fun and rousing set, interspersing it with the expected crowd-pleasing hits along with more obscure numbers for a die-hard like myself. I was happy to hear ‘If You Want Blood, You’ve Got It’, a track even AC/DC rarely play live. What’s more, they have maintained a cohesive rhythm section with most of the original members - no mean feat after two decades. Adrian, in her ‘Angus’ outfit, complete with tie, skirt, and sneakers, still does a mean striptease and can pull-off guitar solos so convincingly you would think it was Angus playing. She does not seem to age either. The not-so-good news: It was a minor disappointment not to hear a single track from Powerage, my favorite AC/DC album. Current vocalist (number 3) Lauren Piston fits the band nicely with her ‘let’s party’ attitude and working-class posture, but her vocals are just too clean for my ears to do these songs justice. It reminds me of the time Shania Twain covered ‘You Shook Me All Night Long.’ While it is certainly a novel approach to emulating late singer Bon Scott or long-time front man Brian Johnson, that essential conviction is lost without the trademark raspy texture. Overall, Hells Belles in 2022 comes off like a really good live cover band… but not the amazing cover band they once were. That said, go see them while you still can. When Adrian inevitably retires from this rock and roll train, they will likely pack it up and call it a day. - Aaron Garland