Leesburg, Virginia – Marty Friedman returns to the US to tour in support of his 2024 album “Drama” with support from Nikki Stringfield of the Iron Maidens and Heaven Below and Patrick Kennison of Lita Ford and Heaven Below.
A massive snowstorm hit Northern Virginia on my way to the venue and as a result added two hours to my commute from Virginia Beach. I arrived at the parking garage next to Tally Ho Theater just as Marty Friedman started his set, missing Nikki Stringfield and Patrick Kennision completely.
Despite the atrocious weather there was a good sized crowd for the show. One thing was readily apparent and that was Naoki Morioka, Marty’s guitarist was missing, and after three songs Marty explained his absence. The initial version of the story is that Naoki was found in his hotel room with four women after the Philadelphia show, which got a rise out of the audience. Then Marty explained that Naoki got a bad case of the flu and they chose to play without him. This required some changes to the setlist and that some of the songs Marty would play with backing tracks as opposed to a full band.
This is my third time seeing Marty Friedman perform live since since 2015, and he always kicks ass live. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see him live, do so. You will not be disappointed.
The Live Drama 2025 tour runs through February 22nd with the last stop at the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles.
Show Date: February 11, 2025
