REVIEW: Jackyl at Penn’s Peak—PHOTO GALLERY

Review & photos by Jay Rubenstein

Tired of the cold weather and you’re ready for things to heat up? Well, I got a head start by heading out to see Jackyl kick off their 2019 tour at Penn’s Peak in the Poconos on March 7.

Heavy-metal/Southern rock hybrids, Jackyl is one of my favorite bands to see live—but they don’t come here to the Northeast all that much, so I was happy to get the opportunity to cover them.

Jackyl reminds me of an early 70’s muscle car thundering loudly down a back road in the countryside. Jesse James Dupree and band members Jeff Worley (Guitar), Chris Worley (Drums), Roman Glick (Bass) are exactly what Rock & Roll should be—a no BS Rock & Roll band out celebrating 25 years of kicking ass. Jesse’s stage presence, talent and humor round out this well seasoned band and are enough of a reason to see Jackyl live.

A packed house was raring to go, with the crowd vocalizing their appreciation when Jackyl hit the stage. Even though it was their first show of the tour, these seasoned veterans never skipped a beat. It is apparent that these guys have fun up on stage and played classic hits like “When Will It Rain”, “I Stand Alone”, “Down On Me” and “The Lumberjack”. Speaking of playing, bass player Roman Glick kicked off the tour in an auspicious manor with a little less skin/minus a finger nail on his right middle finger. After getting stitched up from his “tomato incident”, you would never have guessed he was injured. Each show typically concludes with Jesse wielding a chainsaw as a musical instrument into a machine of destruction as he saws through a wood stool showering the fans up front with wood chips and sawdust.

This show was made even more special as a young boy was brought on stage for this event , for his birthday, and assisted Jesse with his chainsaw and shotgun conclusion….truly a night he will remember.