Just a quiet night in New Haven, right? Wrong. On their Claus and Paws Holiday Party tour, Steel Panther wrapped up their tour at the legendary Toads Place on Sunday, Dec. 4.

With new member Spyder on the bass replacing Lexxii Foxx, metal and holiday cheer were in the air.

Before Steel Panther hit the stage for their hour-and-a-half set, the opening act, Small Town Titans warmed up the crowd with a five-song set that included a cover of the popular Christmas song, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”

After Small Town Titans finished their set and the house lights went down, Van Halen’s “Unchained” blasted through the speakers and the Steel Panther banner hung behind the drum kit.

With burning heavy metal in their veins on a chilly New Haven night, Steel Panther opened the set with “Goin’ in the Backdoor.”

The crowd was on their feet (there were no seats) for the entire 90-minute set. Despite there being no seats, the crowd was jumping for joy and screaming for the Los Angeles natives.

The band was so interactive with the crowd and truly appreciates their fans. For their fifth song, a cover of Van Halen’s “Panama” they invited a young fan from the crowd to play. The lead guitarist, Satchel, gave him his guitar and the kid brought the house down playing the song note for note.

Following their cover of “Panama,” five songs later, they brought up a young lady named Simone from the crowd to be serenaded by the band as she sat in the middle of the stage.

Finally during their song, “17 Girls in a Row,” they invited all the ladies to join the band on stage. Their holiday wish was granted as ladies of all different ages jumped the barricade and danced on stage with the band.

Overall, Steel Panther was a very enjoyable show to watch. One of my favorite parts of the show was when they did a cover of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train,” and the lead singer, Michael Starr came out from backstage dressed up as the Prince Of Darkness himself.

For 15 songs that spanned over an hour, the band provided heavy metal and rock and roll music for the masses that came out to see the band.

Going into the show, I wasn’t really aware of a lot of their music and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Prior to the show, I only knew one or two of their songs but never saw them live or never did a deep dive into their discography so there were a lot of unknowns going into the show.

Now, after seeing the band, I would definitely see them again if they ever were in the area and I am very much looking forward to their new record titled “On the Prowl,” which is coming out on February 24, 2023.

I really enjoyed this concert and it definitely exceed my expectations for this show. Overall, Steel Panther was very fun and enjoyable to watch and photograph on stage. Steel Panther was definitely one of the more exciting shows I’ve covered in recent months.