Missing Persons, Josie Cotton, Diane & The Deductibles at The Canyon Montclair

Diane & The Deductibles

Missing Persons, Josie Cotton, Diane & The Deductibles, The Canyon Montclair, December 13, 2019

New wave 80’s icons Missing Persons and Josie Cotton were joined by rockers Diane & The Deductibles at The Canyon Montclair – and what a vibrant amalgamation of female fronted talent the audience would be presented with!

Diane & The Deductibles started the evening off with their absolutely inspired modern day vision of classic rock. Fronted by the passionate vocals of Diane Adams, Diane & The Deductibles opened with the dazzling refrains of Frontline, an instantly memorable selection from their TWO album that certainly captured the audience’s attention early on. The poignant reveries of Never Say Goodbye and Darkness left an indelible impression followed by the should-be hit single Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say. And then closing out the set was an inspiring new anthem entitled You’re A Winner. In addition to the dynamic performance of Diane Adams on lead vocals and guitar, Diane & The Deductibles possess a powerhouse lineup, including Robert Sarzo (Geoff Tate’s Queensryche, Hurricane, Idol X) on guitar, Keith Lynch (Bill Ward band) on guitar, Cliff Rehrig (Air Supply) on bass, and Ronnie Ciago (River Dogs, Brand X) on drums. Watch for the unveiling of their new album THREE sometime in 2020!

Josie Cotton

Josie Cotton and her band were up next, performing their own super infectious brand of new wave. Kicking off the set with the hit single He Could Be The One from the first album Convertible Music, Josie Cotton had the audience on their feet and singing along at the very start of the set. Josie looked absolutely fabulous, and the playful songs that followed were imaginative and stylish. There were even go-go dancers brought onstage at one point, adding to the fun atmosphere of the evening. Highlights of the set included Josie’s new single Ukrainian Cowboy, which added an ironic timely spin to the proceedings. Boulevard from Josie’s recently issued lost album Everything Is Oh Yeah was lush and romantic while License To Dance once again demonstrated why this song should have been an all-out massive hit single. After a rousing rendition of Let’s Do The Blackout, Josie and her band exploded into a vibrant rendition of the classic Johnny Are You Queer? – a song that has given Josie Cotton fame, admiration, and at times infamy. And just a side note, Josie Cotton bassist Cherish Alexander is an impressive artist who has a wonderful new album called Meet Me Where You Are that is well worth seeking out.

Missing Persons

Missing Persons took to the stage for their headlining set, opening the show with a spiraling performance of Mental Hopscotch, still wickedly effective and impactful after all of these years. One notices right away the warm and gracious stage presence of the legendary Dale Bozzio, whose trademark vocals send the classic songs soaring into the stratosphere. Also joining within the current ranks of Missing Persons is Prescott Niles of The Knack, whose superb bass work gives the songs such a tremendous low end. Among the crowd favorites performed were Words, Destination Unknown, and Walking In L.A. Just watching Dale and her band rock out together was pure inspiration, demonstrating the intriguing timelessness of Missing Persons and how massively talented this current lineup is!

Be sure to catch Missing Persons and Diane & The Deductibles at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano on February 1st! Discount tickets available at www.dianeandthedeductibles.com.

(Review by Ken Morton – Photos by Ben Cottman)

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