NITA STRAUSS - Live at Encore in Tucson, AZ

November 16, 2021 - Encore / Tucson, AZ

With Red Bulls in hand for the 3+ hours of road time, I hopped into my truck to begin my journey west. Normally heading west as the sun is setting is not a great experience, but once the sun set behind the mountains, my eyes were treated to some beautiful colors in the sky. For me, it was a sign of all the amazing visuals and music I would witness that night. The destination was the Encore in Tucson, AZ. It was there NITA STRAUSS brought her Winter Wasteland Tour with supporting acts BLACK SATELLITE and ABBY K.

The first to take the stage was ABBY K from Nashville, TN. From the first song, Abby K (vocals/bass), pulls you in with her amazing voice and smile. The groovy bass lines she was throwing down with her 5-string bass, got the crowd up and moving. It was obvious how passionate she is about her music and the performance she gives. I can see why Nita herself is a big fan and supporter. On top of all that, there was Diego Vargas (guitars) shredding like a madman. I believe he is only 20 years old, but you can tell there is an old soul in that young man. With the knowledge and skill he brings to what I believe to be a band that is just getting on their feet, this will be a band that will rise quickly and have much success.

Next up was BLACK SATELLITE from NYC comprised of Larissa Vale and Kyle Hawken. They just recently wrapped up recording their sophomore album titled “Aftermath” which was mixed by veteran producer Ben Grosse. As the lights dimmed and Black Satellite emerged, I could tell I was about to be teleported somewhere else. The black leather, spiked jacket, colored hair, face paint...soon followed by Larissa’s intense vocals, melodic guitars, and some pounding rhythm of the bass and drums instantly grabbed my attention. This alt-rock band with a hint of darkness takes you on a great journey both musically and visually. One moment that stood out for me, was their impressive cover of Rammstein’s - ‘Sonne’, which they have available for listening and viewing on their website. Black Satellite seems to be on the right path for great success, so be sure to keep an eye out for them.

Now for the main event, the Hurricane, NITA STRAUSS! From the moment she took the stage, she was a force to be reckoned with. Opening with the amazing classic hard-hitting ‘Power Rangers’ theme song was a great way to get the crowd charged up. Next up was ‘Mariana Trench’, which featured more of Nita’s out-of-this-world fret work, but also some amazing drum blasts from Josh Villalta. She continued to build up the force of the hurricane, showering the crowd with a flurry of arpeggios during ‘Alegria’, before moving on to ‘Lion Among Wolves’, ‘The Stillness at the End’, and ‘Summer Storm’. The next highlight of the evening came when Nita brought out Black Satellite’s Larissa to sing on Alice Cooper’s - ‘Frankenstein’. The chemistry was amazing between Larissa, Nita, and her band. More than halfway through the set now, the next song up was ‘The Quest’ which featured a drum solo by Josh. He is an absolute beast on the drums. Normally, that might be a hard moment to follow, but earlier in the day, Nita had met a gentleman by the name of Zac. During their conversation, Nita had learned about what he had been going through. It was obvious he made a lasting impression on Nita, because before she started the next song, ‘The Show Must Go On’, she looked for him in the crowd. After spotting him, she told him this song was dedicated to him, then proceeded to point to the beautiful Ibanez hanging around her neck and told him when she was done playing it on this song, it was his! As if Nita’s guitar skills and performance weren’t impressive enough, her kind caring soul was extremely impressive. Riding that wave of kindness and energy after handing Zac his new guitar, she moved on to the fiery guitar riffs and thunderous drumming of ‘Pandemonium’. Nita would normally go straight into the next song, but she took a moment after ‘Pandemonium’ to introduce the next song, which has been blowing up the radio, especially on SiriusXM. It is a song that features David Draiman of Disturbed called, ‘Dead Inside’. Sadly, he was not in attendance to sing it live, but they did have a recorded track of him singing and it still sounded incredible. To close out the night, Nita performed ‘Our Most Desperate Hour’. This song is so catchy and was mind-blowing to see it performed live. Easy to see why that song/video has over 1.3 million views on YouTube.