Misael Ruiz
- Apr 24, 2022
- 3 min read

John 5 and The Haxans in Garden Grove, CA

Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 head out on his first tour in two years. With him, he's bringing The Haxans that features Rob Zombie bassist Piggy D. and Ash Costello of New Year's Day. John 5 recently released his tenth solo album titled Sinner in 2021. His solo music features only music and no vocals. He lets his guitar do all the talking. The Haxans would only participate on some of the tour dates so for those fortunate enough to see both bands, they'd be in for a spooky good time. One of the early stops on the tour was the Garden Amp in Garden Grove, California. Even before doors opened, a big line had already formed outside with fans eagerly awaiting to go inside and hear live music again.

The Haxans came out to a nicely packed venue and started their show with Lights Out, the first song from their one and only album so far, Party Monsters. Costello and Piggy D started off strong with flashy suits. Piggy D next asked the crowd if anyone owns a black cat and if they do, this next song was dedicated to them. That song was Black Cat Bone. The Haxans played many of their hits which included Slick Black Coffin, I Wear Black to the Beach and the song All the Roses from their upcoming new album. The Haxans finished up their show with Dirty Magic, then left the stage. A great start to the show and things were just getting warmed up.

The stage was already set for John 5 and it was nice and dark outside making for a perfect setting. The lights went out and the packed venue cheered with excitement as the members of the band came out. Naturally, John 5 was the last one to come out. He came out sporting one of his masks resembling his face paint. He's known for playing a variety of guitars during his performances. His first guitar of choice had a clear body with green liquid similar to that of a lava lamp. The first song played was Season of the Witch. Without needing a vocalist, John 5 was a perfect example how music by itself can be moving and awesome live. The second song was a song from the new album, Que Pasa. During the performance, the stage had four screens in the background that were playing clips from classic horror movies. Watching John 5 play his guitar is mesmerizing and is no doubt one of the most underrated guitarists and should be way more appreciated than he already is. John 5 would bring out different accessories to wear while playing. He played many of his hits including Six Hundred and Sixty Six Pickers in Hell, Ca, I Am John 5, Howdy and The Black Grass Plague. One of the highlights of the show was when they played a Queen cover of Crazy Little Thing Called Love. The crowd was singing along to this classic song. Nearing the end of the song, John 5 played a medley of covers. Some of those covers included Symphony of Destruction (Megadeth), Hot For Teacher (Van Halen), All My Life (Foo Fighters) and Killing in the Name (Rage Against the Machine). The show seemed to come to an end and the band left the stage. After a small break, John 5 spoke for a bit and called the show easily one of the best shows he's ever done. The rest of the band came back out for one more song. The final song of the night was Creepshow from the new album. John 5 thanked the audience once more and left the stage. Everyone could be seen with smiles after the show as they were happy to have witnessed such an amazing performance.