VIXEN
Wolf Den
Mohegan Sun Casino
Uncasville, Connecticut
January 15, 2022
Photos & Review by Dan Wenc
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Outside was the bitter cold of a New England winter with temperatures in the single digits, inside the heart of Mohegan Sun Casino was the warmth of the Wolf Den as it was hosting 80s era rockers, Vixen. For about an hour and a half, they warmed the hearts and souls of all in attendance with the timeless sounds of Vixen rock classics. This would be the first show of 2022 for Vixen. A perfect place to spend a Saturday night with a free show at the Wolf Den.
The last time Vixen performed at Mohegan Sun was 2019. It was great to see them back in New England once again. The Wolf Den crowd was a little smaller than usual for a show like this, but hat didn’t stop the band or fans from having a good time. The lights went down, “Fox On The Run” by Sweet came on. The band took their spots on stage, the lights went up and Roxy Petrucci hit the snare starting off “Rev It Up,”
Vixen is Roxy Pettrucci (drums), Share Ross (bass), Britt Lightning (guitar), Lorraine Lewis (vocals) and at stage left, wearing the Britt Lightning t-shirt was Tyson Leslie on keyboards. Lewis was the singer of Femme Fatale during the later part of the 80s. Lewis took the spot of Janet Gardner who departed from the band in 2019. Gardner’s last performance with Vixen was November 11, 2018 at the Wolf Den.
Next in the set was the 1988 Femme Fatale hit “Waiting For The Big One,” then it was back into the Vixen catalog with “How Much Love.” The best part of the Mohegan Sun Wolf Den are these smaller intimate shows where you can watch up close in the Den or from the casino area. It was all smiles on the stage that night. The band had an obvious glow about them, having having a great time together with great stage chemistry, Vixen looked glad to be back out on the road again.
The night continued on with “Crusin’”, “Cryin”, “I Want You To Rock Me” and “Streets in Paradise.” Lorraine Lewis left the stage while Share Ross took over with some vocals, calling for the audience to just go with it. Next up was the cover, “I Don’t Need No Doctor”, as song that has been covered many times by other artists, and is usually included in a Vixen show set list. Share Ross kept the crowd going with singing along, and a long interlude of various melodies a guest singer came on stage from the crowd, Haydee Irizarry of a band called Carnivora, who had played with Britt Lightning recently. According to the Carnivora Bandcamp page, they are based out of Salem, Massachusetts.
Lewis returned to the stage and continued the night rolling with the high energy show, keeping the crowd going, working the stage, continuing with “Fallin’ In and Out of Love”, “You Ought to Know by Now” and “Love Made Me.”
Closing out the night was the song that every Vixen and 80s fan had waiting to hear, the 1988 classic “Edge of a Broken Heart”. That would conclude the night. It was a night of great music, a great band and a great atmosphere. The band met with fans along the edge of the stage, saying hi and taking photos before departing for the night.
VIXEN photo gallery
Look for Vixen at a venue near you in 2022 and beyond, visit https://vixenofficial.com
*Side note: Vixen keyboardist, Tyson Leslie just release a sinlge in December 2021 called Tyson Leslie’s Mercenaries, “Burning Time”, featuring Todd LaTorre on vocals, Billy Sheehan on bass, Jimi Bell on guitar and Jimi Bell on guitar. Check it out, its good! Tyson Leslie Facebook Page