Co-written by Tracy Heck and Cheryl Frishman
Photos by Cheryl Frishman
Started in 1989 in Helsinki, The 69 Eyes quickly established themselves as a music force with their mix of rock n' roll , glam metal and gothic rock, which eventually involved into their unique brand of goth n' roll.
Last year, the Finnish band released their 13th studio album Death of Darkness and they recently released a brand new single "Fade to Grey" a soulful ballad with music and lyrics by multiple Oscar-nominated songwriter Diane Warren.
Out on a month-long U.S. tour, The 69 Eyes rocked the stage at the World Famous Machine Shop in Flint on Friday, March 29.
The Machine Shop has hosted both rock legends and some of rock's rising stars over its many years and The 69 Eyes fit right in with their loud, dark vibe.
This time out, they brought a pair of L.A. rock bands to open the show.
Budderside kicked things off with a highly effective set that had the crowd rocking along.
Up next was The Bites, whose mix of humor and good time rock kept the energy flowing.
As the lights lowered and Elvis crooned about the "Heartbreak Hotel," The 69 Eyes exploded onto the stage with their classic "Devils."
Moving through their 16 song set, they mixed some newer tracks like "Drive" and "Burn Witch Burn" with popular tracks like "Feel Berlin" and "Wasting the Dawn."
Set highlights included a electric take on "Death of Darkness" and a exuberant performance of "Never Say Die."
The whole evening was filled with a positive vibe and a high level of excitement from the packed crowd.
The band was on fire and the sound was on point as vocalist Jyrki 69 's wickedly deep vocals and soothing tone kept things rolling.
Drummer Jussi 69 thrilled as he thrashed, jumped and pounded away, standing a number of times to cheer along with the crowd.
Guitarists Bazie and Timo-Timo sounded tight alongside bassist Archzie.
After exiting with "Brandon Lee," they returned to the stage for an encore of "Framed In Blood" and the crowd favorite "Lost Boys," the perfect way to wrap things up.