He’s bad to the bone, plays a mean guitar and loves the blues and rock ‘n’ roll. George Thorogood has been playing music with his band the Destroyers for more than 40 years. They’ve performed more than 8,000 live shows, sold 15 million albums, and have had six gold and two platinum discs during for their hard-hitting rock and roll music career.
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
March 10 | 9 p.m.
Grand Sierra Resort | Reno, Nev.
When asked if he ever burns out playing his hit songs over and over, Thorogood said, “We cater to the fans and what turns them on and keeps them coming back.” He likened it to a restaurant that serves good food and is the reason people come back to dine. He lives to play.
Thorogood and his family went to the Desert Trip rock concert this past fall. They saw the greats like Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Paul McCartney and The Who perform. Thorogood marveled at the artists that have been performing for longer than he has. “The one thing they all had in common was they were enjoying themselves.” Thorogood himself is one of those long-time artists who still enjoys what he’s doing.
The one thing the veteran rocker has learned about himself, he says, “I’ve learned to endure.”
He acknowledges that the lives of his peers haven’t always been easy. They’ve all seen rough times. Whether it’s members of bands that have died or lives that haven’t been easy, many of these rockers are still delivering. They have endured.\
“Finding obscure material that’s never heard and no contemporary blues or rock bands were playing, like Josephine and Bourbon, Scotch and Beer was something I’ve done from day one.” – George Thorogood
“When we are young and inexperienced we think we can endure anything. Being in showbiz or a rock band, there’s a lot of punches you take and you learn to endure,” he says.
For Thorogood, he continually excels to perform at the highest level for his audience. He balances his work life so he can spend time with his wife and 19-year-old daughter, Rio.
“The easy part of the job is when I am onstage. It’s when you’re offstage you have to hang in there,” says Thorogood, who explains that when he’s offstage he’s running a full-time business, 24-7, 365 days a year. “It’s work to keep the whole thing going,” he adds.
Thorogood has been asked many questions during his career but there are always the ones he thinks, why didn’t they ask this? Recently talking to a group of kids, they wanted to know if his guitars have names. They do in fact; they are named Black Tooth and White Fang, both named for his love of comedian and actor Soupy Sales. Family is another question that isn’t often asked about.
Thorogood has always loved playing and delving into more obscure material from day one.
“Finding obscure material that’s never heard and no contemporary blues or rock bands were playing, like Josephine and Bourbon, Scotch and Beer was something I’ve done from day one,” Thorogood says about the playing the music he is passionate about.
Thorogood is about to release his first solo album on Rounder Records, which is the company the band first recorded with back in the 70s.
“Most artists do an acoustic solo album before they go electric,” he explains. “I started out playing acoustic,” he explains. The yet-titled album is almost finished and he says that he’s excited about its upcoming release.
The band is currently touring and the 2017 “Rock the Party” will make its way to the Grand Sierra Resort on March 10. When asked if he’ll be performing some of his hit songs, Thorogood replied, “All of them. You never know what else will happen, you make a plan but it’s not stamped.”
Expect nothing less than pure Thorogood for his upcoming show in Reno. The tour benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. | grandsierraresort.com
