Kings of Chaos, a band featuring a rotating lineup of rock stars helmed by former Guns N’ Roses drummer and Palm Springs resident Matt Sorum, will perform their next concert in the Coachella Valley.
Every show features Sorum on the drums, a who’s-who of music legends, and a setlist filled with rockin’ renditions of hit songs associated with each of the performers. You can catch Kings of Chaos at 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 1, at Agua Caliente Rancho Mirage.
During a recent phone interview, Sorum detailed who will be joining him onstage.
“We’re gonna rock with Glenn Hughes again, who did the big show with me for my charity at the Plaza Theatre, from Deep Purple,” Sorum said. “He’s a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, and still one of my favorite singers in rock ’n’ roll. Deep Purple was one of my favorite bands growing up, so it’s a bucket list (item) for me.”
“I’ve got Steve Stevens of Billy Idol on lead guitar, and then Phil X on the second guitar, who’s now with Bon Jovi, and they’re playing Madison Square Garden (throughout July). I’ve got Jack Blades, the lead singer of Night Ranger and a bassist, so we’re going to be doing a set of Night Ranger. And then Kevin Cronin, (formerly the) lead singer of REO Speedwagon.”
Sorum’s Kings of Chaos project is similar to the all-star cast he performed with at the Plaza Theatre to honor Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath) and Paul Rodgers (Bad Company), which included Hughes, Stevens, Phil X, Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme), Robert DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots), Charlie Starr (Blackberry Smoke), Stevie Salas (Mick Jagger), Tanya O’Callaghan (Whitesnake) and Mike Mangan (The Cult).
“Kings of Chaos is me,” Sorum said. “It’s my band, and then I primarily put it all together.”
The lineup for the upcoming Kings of Chaos show is already stacked, but Sorum is inviting one special guest to make the evening even more special.
“I really wanted to blow it out at The Show at the Agua Caliente, so I’ve got four singers coming up,” he said. “The way we roll it out is we do about four or five songs from each singer, and it’ll be a good hour and a half show, and then Kevin Cronin will come up and do a set of REO Speedwagon songs—and then I got Richie Sambora to come, which is very rare, (because he has not) been out playing much.
“That’s going to be pretty special. After leaving Bon Jovi, he’s done some solo stuff, but hasn’t been in a band formation that much. I’m really excited to have Richie, and of course we’re going to be doing songs he co-wrote with Jon Bon Jovi, and all the greats—‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ and ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’—so it’s really a set filled with hits. We’re going to play the best of Deep Purple, the best of Night Ranger, the best of REO Speedwagon, the best of Bon Jovi, and then probably finish up with a couple of cool encores.”
Sorum is extending the rock ’n’ roll vibes beyond the musicians onstage.
“I’ve got a great crew on this, and amazing lighting and visuals,” he said. “They got a new LED wall at The Show, so I’m going to have a visual projectionist. I’ve got Metallica’s lighting guy coming out, and Journey’s sound guy. It’s going to be all the best of rock in every equation. We’re going to get the band sounding tight and get them to come out to the desert. It’s Aug. 1, so we’ve got to get people coming to a nice, air-conditioned indoor venue.”
“We’re not just going to roll through there. It’s not just another gig along the trail. This is a special one. This particular lineup in this configuration will probably never happen again.”
Matt Sorum
Are some of these rockers past their prime? Sorum said definitely not.
“All these guys are in top form, like Glenn Hughes,” Sorum said. “I think his voice is better than ever. People say guys have issues with their voice when they get older, but that’s not Glenn’s case at all. He can still sing like the best of them.”
Even though the participating musicians represent varied spheres and sounds in rock, the musicians all get along, having been intertwined with each other’s careers for years.
“We’re all having a blast trying to show off to each other, because we’re all peers,” Sorum said. “We’ve all done well on our own and in different groups, but this is like a get-together. It’s almost like a family get-together. … We all know each other from doing different tours, playing festivals, and we’re fans of each other.”
The band even shreds and solos through potential awkward situations. For example, Phil X and Richie Sambora will share a stage 13 years after X took Sambora’s place as lead guitarist of Bon Jovi.
“We did one show for the firefighters after the big fires in L.A., and that was the first time Richie and Phil had ever met, and it was nice,” Sorum said. “It’s interesting, because we all come through different situations, and then you meet the guy that replaced you or something. It’s like how I met the drummer a while back who replaced me in Guns N’ Roses, and he’s like, ‘Hey, man, how’s it going out there?’ It’s an interesting life we’ve led, being guys coming in and out of bands.”
Sorum said his hometown show with Kings of Chaos may be the best the supergroup has ever done.
“Everyone’s very professional, so it’s going to be a kick-ass rock ’n’ roll show,” he said. “We’re not just going to roll through there. It’s not just another gig along the trail. This is a special one. This particular lineup in this configuration will probably never happen again. The guys have had the set list for months now, and when we get into rehearsal, we don’t rehearse—we play the songs. It’s not about learning. I always say this to young musicians: Don’t come to rehearsal to learn the songs; come to rehearsal to rehearse the songs. Everybody is prepared and ready to play the music. We all know we have to do our homework and show up and be pro. Once we get onstage, the crowd brings that extra level of energy that we feed off of.”
Kings of Chaos will perform at 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 1, at The Show at Agua Caliente Rancho Mirage, at 32250 Bob Hope Drive. Tickets start at $97.40. For tickets and more information, visit www.aguacalientecasinos.com.
Edited to correct a name misspelling.
