Page 50 - ION Indie Magazine SeptOct 2019 Issue

What made SWEET stand out was their vocal harmonies. And tonight, the harmonies
still ruled. Unfortunately, things happen. Only in their early 50’s, singer Brian and
drummer Mick have both passed on. Andy Scott continued with The Sweet in the UK
and Europe while Steve Priest reincarnated SWEET in the US and Canada. Tonight, it
was Steve Priest’s SWEET in Tucson…and sweet it was!

SWEET's current lineup is founding member Steve Priest on bass and vocals,
drummer Richie Onori, Stevie Stewart on keyboards and vocals, guitar virtuoso Mitch
Perry, and lead singer Paulie Z. I did some research on Paulie and it turns out he’s a
very talented artist/performer…and super polite and nice guy from Brooklyn. Check him
out when you get a chance.

Alright, here’s my review. The ENERGY! Amazingly entertaining! Besides Paulie Z, this
band is in their 60’s to 70’s and the sheer energy of this band just excited me even more.
I can only imagine what the original band might have sounded like. And of course, they
played all my favorite radio tunes. But when they played “ACDC” and “No You Don’t,”
that was the kicker for me! Guitarist Mitch Perry yielded that guitar like a shredder,
enhancing every song with his own magic. Ritchie Onori played the drum parts like he
wrote them. Ritchie and Mitch were always smiling, and Stevie Stewart donned a kilt and
wore it well.

The sad part that hit me was that Steve Priest was up in age and he played his bass
sitting on a piano stool. But the flip side was…he still played it like he was 21. SWEET
pumped out a good 50-minute set ending with an encore with the band never leaving
the stage. Paulie Z made a joke that by the time they helped Steve Priest off the stage
and then back on, “It’ll be next Thursday.” Such a great sense of humor! The night ended
with “Ballroom Blitz.” By then, the building was beyond loving every moment. In the end,
we got a chance to talk to Paulie Z and take pictures with him. Such a fun night it was,
as iconic and memorable as the band itself.

Website: https://thesweetband.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SPSweetBand
“Ballroom Blitz” https://youtu.be/ewFBuYHldeY
“Love Is Like Oxygen” https://youtu.be/tXJ4TZSXtzc