As the lone remaining original member of a band pigeonholed for one huge MTV hit back in the day, Chip Z'Nuff gladly continues to ride the wave of "Fly High Michelle" 20 albums and 30 years later. And although Enuff Z’Nuff’s legacy technically spans 14 original studio albums and a pair of live efforts (the rest being greatest hits and covers), that’s still an archive of material more vast than the average Enuff Z’Nuff fan who only knows the band by way of that tune is likely aware of.
So as Enuff Z’Nuff headlined Fitzgerald’s on Saturday night for what was billed as a 30th anniversary tour, at least one aficionado was hopeful Chip Z’Nuff would run the gamut of the group’s incredibly underrated albums — especially after demonstrating appreciation for his music during a 2011 interview (watch here).
But Enuff Z’Nuff is also touring behind the 2018 release of Diamond Boy. So the bassist, who also took over lead-vocal duties when co-founding cohort and exceptional singer Donnie Vie left in 2013 to clean up his addictions, spotlighted three tracks from the latest effort, and of course a bulk from the first three records, as part of a 90-minute set.
Hitting the ground running with “The World is a Gutter,” a song that had the majority of the crowd frozen but is one of the standouts on 1991 second album Strength, Enuff Z’Nuff showcased a sliver of the Beatles, Cheap Trick and Jane’s Addiction-influenced music that had shock jock Howard Stern singing its praises 25 years before he became a judge of talent.
But if “Fly High Michelle” — ATM Facebook Live footage here with new track “We’re All the Same” and “Dog On a Bone” — put the band on “Letterman,” as Chip Z’Nuff revealed to me in 2016 (listen here), “Baby Loves You” (watch here) and closer “New Thing” weren’t too far behind as MTV staples.
And speaking of influenced . . .
Chip Z’Nuff mentioned one of his previous visits being with Ace Frehley (coverage here) and that while the KISS icon and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler have been sober for many years, he “could look every one of them in the face and go, ‘I am higher than fuck right now!’ ” Z’Nuff promptly described the turnout as a “sausage fest” and said “the trim has slim pickings” (ATM footage below).
As lasers from The Bilo Effect meshed with Z’Nuff’s multi-colored bass strings, one of which he broke and handed to a fan, Z’Nuff demonstrated he has fun no matter how high he may be. He hid behind Tory Stoffregen, playing the lead guitarist’s instrument bass style while Stoffregen enjoyed a brew with his left hand and wrapped his right hand behind his back strumming Z’Nuff’s bass. And as demonstrated in the clip below, Z’Nuff shared the spotlight with his national support act, Thomas Weeks & Force Of Nature, during a jam session that included some recognizable cover riffs.
Rhythm guitarist Alex Kane pulled double duty in Z’Nuff’s and Weeks’ respective bands, but unbeknownst to just about everyone, Kane was Enuff Z’Nuff’s lead guitarist in 1987-88 just prior to the self-titled debut album’s 1989 release. He reunited with Z’Nuff last year.
Considering that Z’Nuff has also played in front of roughly 40 people at the former Tequila Rock Bar next to Backstage Live/Alamo City Music Hall, the singer/bassist nevertheless was appreciative of the enthusiastic humans perhaps tripling that inside Fitzgerald’s. He met with them afterward, kissing females and signing autographs — though he was taken aback by the same slew of 11 Enuff Z’Nuff CDs he was shown by yours truly in the aforementioned interview eight years earlier. Z’Nuff held off on signing them for several minutes, acknowledging he would get to them later, then quickly autographed the covers as patrons were being kicked out for closing time. He then sarcastically added his John Hancock to a flyer for good measure, sliding it in my direction without looking up at arguably the only fan on hand who sang every song and undoubtedly the only one who recognized when he teased with his bass intro riff to “Stoned” and suggested he play the entire thing, to no avail.
Enuff Z’Nuff, in one humbled opinion, is one of those bands that should’ve been bigger than they became. A group that has at least 50 songs better — such as “These Daze,” “Master of Pain,” “I Could Never Be Without You,” “Catholic Girls,” “Ain’t It Funny,” “Believe In Love,” “Holly Wood Ya,” “In Crowd,” “Innocence,” “Goodbye,” “It’s No Good,” “Top of the Hill,” “Rollaway” and on and on — than the one that gave it stardom. But it’s because of that one tune that Enuff Z’Nuff has carried on and toured even without its original voice. Which is why Saturday’s show, originally scheduled for Quatemain’s Pub in Live Oak, occurred in the first place.
The only question on this night was who flew higher indeed: Michelle or the “higher-than-fuck” Z’Nuff.
SETLIST: The World is a Gutter, Heaven or Hell, Metalheart, Baby Loves You, Kiss the Clown, Diamond Boy, In the Groove, guitar solo, The Love Train, medley jam, Wheels, Fly High Michelle, We’re All the Same, Dog On a Bone, New Thing
