Joel Hoekstra and Brandon Gibbs have reputations for being pretty loud. Hoekstra, perhaps the busiest man in music, is currently the guitarist in both Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Whitesnake, as well as his own project, Joel Hoekstra’s 13. Gibbs has a long association with Poison and has joined that band’s drummer Rikki Rocket in Devil City Angels and Rocket Mafia, in addition to his solo work. When the two come together, it creates a unique night of acoustic versions of their respective music, storytelling, and a lot of fun.
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As soon as Joel Hoekstra and Brandon Gibbs take the stage, the stories begin…and that’s a good thing! Gibbs does most of the talking as he explains what the audience can expect for the night, and his sincere, lighthearted humor immediately comes across. The first two songs of the night, “No Angels” and “Boneyard”, were featured on the lone record from Devil City Angels, which featured Gibbs, along with Rikki Rocket, Tracii Guns, and Eric Brittingham. This led to Hoekstra teeing up the story of how Gibbs became involved with Poison. This was the first of a few inspirational stories the pair shared with the crowd and led into Poison megahit “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn”.
Hoekstra is an imposing figure on stage but seldom addresses the crowd when playing with his other bands, so it is great to get a deeper peek into his personality as he does a spot-on David Coverdale impression leading into the first Whitesnake song of the night, “Love Ain’t No Stranger”. Joel Hoekstra is widely considered one of the best guitarists in the business, but it was great to watch Gibbs take an extended solo and show what a fantastic guitarist he is as well. Not to be outdone, Hoekstra also had a pretty stunning extended solo that saw him do things on an acoustic guitar that few others have the ability to try. The middle portion of the set not only featured selections from each musician’s solo work but also covers from AC/DC and Led Zeppelin that allowed Hoekstra his time at the mic on lead vocals.
The crowd at the beautiful venue was fairly sparse, but it was loud and appreciative, with a good portion of the crowd having seen the duo perform before. It was great to hear both tell the stories behind their solo songs. Shows like this provide a rare insight into the creative process that most fans don’t usually get to see. From heartwarming stories about Gibbs family, to Hoekstra writing about forgiving those who harmed you, to learning that the classic Whitesnake track “Is This Love” was originally written for Tina Turner, the stories were as big a part of the night as the music.
The night ended with two huge songs, Poison’s “Something To Believe In” and Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again” that saw the duo encouraging the crowd to sing along. Shows like this not only allow musicians to connect with fans in a more intimate setting, but they allow fans to really get to know their musical heroes. Joel Hoekstra and Brandon Gibbs both love what they do. With all of their other projects and time they spend on the road, neither needs to do these duo shows, but they allow two friends to go back to the love of music that got them where they are. In an environment like this, these aren’t two stadium-level rock stars, they are two guys playing music and telling stories with a bunch of friends on a Saturday night.
