On January 24, 2026 I headed to the Hopmonk Novato in Novato, California. The show du jour was John 5 supported by Avi Vinocur put on by KC Turner presents. Unfortunately, KC couldn’t be there that night because he was living it up in New Orleans, Louisiana. This sold out show was amazing!
First up was Avi Vinocur from the band Goodnight, Texas. It was a little different than what was expected, but he killed it. He started with “I Ain’t Gonna Work on Maggie’s Farm Forever”, accompanied by him, his guitar, and a harmonica. He hit all the right notes as he jammed out the set.
The fact that he played Goodnight Texas songs for his set was moot, since most of the crowd apparently didn’t know them, but as he played, they got into him. He changed guitars often and eventually busted out a banjo, saying it might not be the only one we saw that night. For “Shine On”, he brought out the mandolin, and everyone seemed stoked on the fact.
After a few more songs, he brought out his electric guitar for the last one, “I’m on to the Next”, and with that, he said John 5 was up next, and he was gone.
When John 5 hit the stage, he was awesome. A true guitar virtuoso, his shredding had everyone blown away. Starting with “First Victim”, the crowd was focused on what he was doing the entire time. Featuring the newly acquired drummer, Joey , he didn’t need people in the band anymore. The drummer, however, kicked so much butt that he was more than enough.
Cranking through the set, John 5 didn’t miss a beat as he played his guitar like a madman, not missing any part of it. When I say he didn’t miss any part of it, I mean it with all honesty. He played the entire guitar, including the space above the truss rod cover, which gave an interesting sound to the song. He put the mask on at that point and shredded on the guitar before pulling the mask off and revealing a skull underneath. The skull was wickedly intense as he continued playing. He also played several cover songs, including “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “Mr Sandman”.
About that time, a guy came out in a John 5 bobble head mask and was rocking out as John 5 played. Total rock out time. When he played the LED guitar, he had them turn the lights down really low; it was almost pitch black except for the glowing guitar, which was fantastic. I will say, it also made for some amazing photo opportunities.
When they got to a point in the show where Ace Frehley was brought up. A legend in its own right, John 5 said he listens to Kiss, but he really can’t play them because he breaks out in tears. It was an emotional part of the show, where he played some twisted jazz while his guitar tech passed out RIP Ace Frehley guitar picks. It was very special indeed.
For the next song, he started on the guitar, then switched to the banjo. He can play anything. He finished up the set with an insane Motley Crue medley. He had everyone singing, especially on “Home Sweet Home,” which he asked everyone to sing. He also had his guitar tech, David, play bass on those songs, and it was special. And with that, he said goodnight, and he would see us all next year. I can’t wait.
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