When thinking of Jesus Christ, one would tend to think gentle, holy, soft spoken and even reserved. But this past Saturday evening I saw Jesus Christ in a whole new light. He took on the form of a very tall blonde, blessed with great looks and a wale that could make your blood curdle.

Bad boy Sebastian Bach, former frontman for the enormously successful group Skid Row, is Jesus Christ. At least on stage he is.

Sebastian Bach is currently starring as Jesus Christ in the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Yes.....I said SEBASTIAN BACH is starring as Jesus Christ. The same Sebastian Bach that rocked your ass off as the front man for Skid Row and still continues to do so as a solo artist. The same Sebastian Bach that hosted a show called FOREVER WILD on VH1. And the same Sebastian Bach that you’ve heard many a story about over the years of altercations with the law.

Well you can set those preconceived notions of what Sebastian Bach, the person, is like. Bad boy or not, as Jesus Christ he shines. Last Friday night he began the 9 month run of the McCoy-Rigby production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the La Mirada Performing Arts Center in La Mirada, California.

It was a stroke of luck that I attended that performance Saturday night. While rocking out at a Rush concert about a month ago, it happened that I was sitting right next to Walter, a promoter for Jesus Christ Superstar. As the conversation ensued, the subject of KNAC.COM came up, but Jesus Christ Superstar never did. About two weeks passed when I was shocked and delighted to read an emailed invitation to interview Sebastian Bach about this current production. Hell YES I’ll interview Sebastian I replied. Then came an invitation to the show as a member of the media.

I had seen Jesus Christ Superstar, the movie, as a child but never the stage production. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Could Sebastian really pull off playing Jesus Christ? Oh yes he can.

A modern day Jesus Christ walked onstage wearing jeans, tennis shoes and a white linen shirt. It was hard not to imagine Sebastian breaking out into Youth Gone Wild at that point. But what he did belt out was absolutely fabulous. Sebastian Bach has always had a strong unique voice. One of the best in rock n roll. But in Jesus Christ Superstar I experienced an audible rainbow of feelings and emotions coming from Sebastian’s pipes.

I know the story of the life of Jesus Christ well. I’ve been surrounded my entire life by stories of the bible. Sebastian’s portrayal of Christ angered at vendors for using the temple as a marketplace, or the fear he showed in Gethsemane as he was praying to his father about his impending fate, captured my complete and undivided attention. His vocal range reached from raging screams to soft whisper-like tones. I was into it.

The company of players that were on that stage with Sebastian did not go unnoticed either. Carl Anderson, the original Judas Iscariot in the motion picture version of Jesus Christ Superstar, revived his role on the stage. A true talent in a craft he has honed over the years is obvious.

Natalie Toro, who portrayed Mary Magdalene in the musical, added a deep emotion to the performance and it was difficult not to feel the magnitude of the love she felt for Christ.

Powerful scenes filled this performance, especially towards the end of the show. It definitely left and impression and had me not only thinking about the performance, but the story, long after the actors took their final bows.

Casting a man like Sebastian Bach in the story of the life of Jesus Christ can only be good. Although Jesus Christ Superstar originated in the 70’s, this company of actors with Sebastian Bach at the helm has the potential to bring a whole new generation into the theatre.

If the name Sebastian Bach isn’t enough to bring metal heads and rockers alike to see the show, maybe a few words about the music will. Being a woman who has always appreciated a good guitar riff I was pleasantly surprised to hear some great guitar work and some heavy hitting sounds coming from the pit. (Not the mosh pit. The orchestra pit.) There are some definite rock n roll elements present.

If you’ve only seen Sebastian Bach on a concert stage, you just may be cheating yourself. He’s proven he is a multi-dimensional artist. Skid who? There’s alot more to him than that.

Speaking to Sebastian after the show showed he’s the same Sebastian you would imagine he is. Easy to talk to and definitely living in the moment. He was in his element. But our conversation consisted mostly of what was going on in the world of rock n roll. So don’t be intimidated if you should happen to speak to Sebastian after a performance of Jesus Christ Superstar. He’s probably not going to bless you and I’m sure he doesn’t want to hear your confession. Just give him a high five and ask him about his solo stuff.

I mentioned earlier that it was a stroke of luck that I attended the performance of Jesus Christ Superstar last Saturday......or was it? The more I think about it.......I think it was divine intervention.

Sebastian Bach will be portraying Jesus Christ for 8 performances a week for the next 41 weeks at the following theatres:

November 9-17, 2002 La Mirada Performing Arts Center, La Mirada, CA
November 26-December 1, 2002 The Alladin, Las Vegas, NV
December 3-8, 2002 The Civic, San Diego, CA
December 17-22, 2002 The Majestic, San Antonio, TX
December 25, 2002-January 5, 2003 The Broward County Theatre, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
January 7-12, 2003 The Peace Center, Greenville, SC
January 14-19, 2003 Bob Carr, Orlando, FL
January 21-26, 2003 The Palace, Louisville, KY
January 28-February 2, 2003 The Orpheum, Minneapolis, MN
February 5-9, 2003 The Miller Theatre, Kalamazoo, MI
February 11-16, 2003 Shea’s, Buffalo, NY
February 18-March 2, 2003 The Aronoff, Cincinnati, OH
March 4-9, 2003 Clowe’s, Indianapolis, IN
March 11-16, 2003 The Saenger, New Orleans, LA
March 18-23, 2003 The Merriam, Philadelphia, PA
March 25-30, 2003 The Palace, Columbus, OH
April 1-6, 2003 The Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
April 8-13, 2003 The Mechanic, Baltimore, MD
April 15-20, 2003 The Wang Theatre, Boston, MA
April 22-27, 2003 Ovens, Charlotte, NC
April 29-May4, 2003 Carpenter Theatre, Richmond, VA
May 6-11, 2003 PPAC, Providence, RI
May 13-18, 2003 Chrysler Hall, Norfolk, VA
May 27- June 1, 2003 Q.E., Vancouver, BC
June 3-8, 2003 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA
June 10-15, 2003 Keller, Portland, OR
June 24-29, 2003 Starlight, Kansas City
July 2-6, 2003 Wolftrapp, Vienna, VA
July 8-13, 2003 Fox Cities, Appleton, WI
July 15-20, 2003 MPAC, Milwaukee, WI
July 22-27, 2003 Bass, Fort Worth, TX
July 29-August 3 Kansas City
August 5-10, 2003 Wolftrapp, Vienna, VA
(Please note dates subject to change)

Also check out www.sebastianbach.com for the latest tour dates and information on Sebastian Bach.

Keep the Faith and God Bless!!!!!

jeffd - 4/24/2003 11:04:46 AM
Just to let you people who think that sebastian bach was not good as Jesus, Your idiots. He put ted neely away who was in the movie version. I was one of the lucky ones to see him in Columbus ohio Opening night and he blew the roof of with his performance. Recieved a standing ovation.

DeaconSpike - 4/23/2003 9:07:23 AM
RE: Natureboi - Salvation / JCSS. Dear Mr. Natureboi, Having read your rant, I feel it only fair to point out that JCSS is not intented to depict Christ as the Son Of God - it hints at it, but the play is actually concerned with Judas Iscariot and his view of Christ - a sort of Gospel according to Judas if you will. As the Judas of JCSS does not believe that Christ is the Son of God "... no talk of God then we called you a man..." - it would not be in keeping to depict the resurrection. Indeed, the play itself works by highlighting the pain and suffering that Christ went through and is far more evocative and thought provoking for it. When Lloyd Webber and Rice wrote the play - they did not set ut to write a piece that confirmed Christ as the Son Of God, they merely set out to write something which would leave the watcher with their own questions to ask - if you can appreciate the play in that light - then I think you'll find it's true purpose.

pasmoof - 4/8/2003 12:11:14 PM
For those of you who don't know Sabo is not in JCS. Here is a quote from his website www.sebastianbach.com I am quoting without permission so here it is "after 8 shows a week for 6 months, around 160 shows total, I am no longer in Jesus Christ Superstar due to personal & creative differences . My best wishes to the crew & cast, most of whom I shall miss dearly. I would love to come back to the play & honour the commitment made with the producers to tour until august but at the moment it does not look like this will happen . Ticket refunds are handled on an individual basis & you are entitled to ask for your money back although the producers have informed me that they will make the final decision on ticket refunds. If I am asked to resume the tour & there is a change in the situation I will post all the details right here . it was nice but , now it's gone ......... "

dimitrov - 4/5/2003 6:43:39 PM
I just got from the JCSS show in atlanta, GA. And there was the shock for me!!!No S Bach. I have never been a skid Row fan, but I have read all the reviews and I am a big JCSS fan. I was prepared to hear Bach as the best JC after the original recording with HM Ian Gillan from Deep Purple. Overall, the show was great, but there was no Jesus!!!Bach's understudy was mediocre at best, with no stage presence whatsoever and a very choral-sounding voice. They should have called it Judas Superstar as Carl Anderson easily stole the show. I am disappointed that Bach didn't show up, otherwise, I am sure the show would have been spectacular. I jus read Bach's explanation on his web site. All I have to say is that for the faithful audience, the two parties have to find a compromise, and come back to Atlanta and the other cities where they have performed without Bach-music fans deserve that!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a good show, but I am soo disappointed-i expected Bach and a show that would never forget...

Tanita - 3/29/2003 10:59:13 AM
Sebastian, I wish I could tell you that your show and your performance like Jesus was great...........BUT!!!!! you didn't show up!!! I'm really upset, because yesterday march 28, 2003 I went to see "Jesus Christ Supersar" to Palace Theatre Columbus OH, and I got the ticket just to see you and YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP!!!!. The big problem is that my friend and I, we took the day off and we rented a car and we traveled 4 hours and half from MICHIGAN just to see you and another 4 hours and half to come back and we saw another guy playing like Jesus ...... c'mon!!!!!! we wanted to see YOU!!! that was the idea! I Know that you are coming soon to Michigan .......BUT!!!!! I'm livin' in 3weeks to my country, I'm from Chile I 've been in this country for one year and finally right when I was ready to leave you had one show close to my city, so I was so exiting BUT!!!!!!!!!!!...... WHY!!!!! I'm still like I can't believe it!!! and they just told us that you couldn't play and..... that's it!!! what about any reason or just one "sorry" what about "your money back"..... nothing!!!! I hope that you could give me a reason..... please I really need it!!! Tania Matamala tanny_ta@hotmail.com

aj2003 - 3/19/2003 7:42:02 PM
hello sebastian,high 5 goes out to you and the whole cast of jcss.me and my boyfriend attended the play saturday night in new orleans,and all i can say is EXCELLENT.my first time seeing jcss.and i was certainly not disappointed.i have seen sebastian on his solo tour,and have also been a fan of skid row since they started in 89.so i certainly know sebastians vocal range and was very excited to hear him and how he was going to portray jesus in this play.excellent sebastian,i was very impressed with the mellowness of your voice,because i know that is really not much your style.one thing i will say,when you let lose those screams and high notes,i was smiling from ear to ear,wondering what the audience was thinking,the people who had no idea who you were.not that it maters to me what others think about you or your music.your voice is excellent,and yes,i have read these reviews that have dissed you on here,but hey,everyone is entitled to their own opinion,as thats why i had to put mine down here.keep up the excellent performance sebastian.i am looking forward to a new solo cd,and tour.best wishes to you,your band and famiy.take care.and to all the sebastian bach fans out there,"keep it real". aj

robinsings - 3/17/2003 12:30:42 PM
Hey Sebastian, Have you tried to get Geoff Tate of Queensryche into this?? You guys would do great together on Broadway !! Cant wait to see the show in Portland Or.. Queenryche is touring with Chris Degarmo again.. Ck out a show.Keep rockin, on and off ther stage.~Robinsings

natureboi - 3/16/2003 12:59:25 PM
My quarrel is with the play itself, not just this particular production. "Jesus Christ Superstar" works as entertainment, but not art. Art has to leave us uplifted. By chooosing not to mention even the possibility of Jesus's resurrection, the audience is subjected to displays of suffering and death which, in the end, seem pointless. The audience is depressed at the conclusion of the evening's entertainment, and the actors seemed to realize this; they were especially ebullient during the curtain call, as though they were trying to compensate for the play's grim nature. This is the story of man's redemption as told to us by a pair of playwrights who just don't get it. "Jesus Christ Superstar" could have been profound and inspirational if it incorporated the theme of salvation; instead it's a play which gained renown only for being quirky, irreverent, and controversial.

yatman - 3/14/2003 12:36:18 AM
I must a gree with several of the responders to this "rant room". I saw Sabastian Bach in JCSS in New Orleans this week and to put it mildly his performance was poor. On several occasions his phrasing was choppy and off tempo. The "orchestra" was constantly scrambling to accomodate his lack of timing. It was almost as if he was ill prepared to perform the songs and on several occasions even sounded as if he had to read the words. I must say, that this was the most physically demanding role of any of the JCSS I have seen in the past and Sabastian did a fine job with the physically demanding side of the character. However overall his performance was weak. On the other hand, Carl Anderson's performance as Judas Iscariot was excellent. Impeccable timing and range. Smooth transitions (which is the key to much of the JCSS music)and a "cool" characterization of Judas. The overall experience was good. It was my kids (12,14,16) first time to see JCSS and they all enjoyed the event.

luvbas0424 - 3/12/2003 2:16:26 PM
I am a huge Sebastian Bach fan. I can't wait to see him in JCSS. He has the most incredible voice in the business. How I would love to meet him.

pahines - 3/10/2003 4:44:28 PM
Bach rocks as Jesus!! I've seen jcs x 10 and i loved his take on jc so much i went back a second time in Indy. Bach breathes new life in to a 30 yr. old play. Rock on Bas!!

colonpal9 - 3/8/2003 2:52:34 PM
At the risk of blasphemy, Jesus was horrible. No charisma, no range, no respect for tempo (the poor orchestra had to scurry to accomodate his ridiculous sustained notes). The only place people would follow this seething mess would be to court ordered vocal training. Quit the tour, pal!

freezeframe - 2/19/2003 5:45:38 PM
Sebastian Bach should study his character a little more before his next performance. Does he think Jesus only screams? His was the worst singing in the group. No real control at all and certainly no emotion that paralled the words he sang. Blech!

bnyjimmyo - 2/16/2003 9:36:58 PM
Sebastian only came alive for the curtain call,and hogged Carl Anderson's standing "o" with juvenile antics.He desperately needs acting and couthe lessons!

Jacy - 1/28/2003 10:45:36 PM
*You can now win a formal meet and greet with Sebastian Bach! The grand prizewinner and three friends or family members will be picked weekly. First place prize is a Jesus Christ Superstar poster autographed by Bach and the members of the JCS cast! For more contest information: http://www.bazmania.com http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/bazmaniacs For upcoming show dates/locations: http://www.sebastianbach.com http://www.bazmania.com/

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