George Thorogood and The Destroyers Rock the Palace: An Authentic Blues Rock Experience

Words and Photography by Evan Lauber.

ALBANY, N.Y. – September 16, 2025 – I’ve always liked George Thorogood’s rocking blues songs – “Bad to the Bone,” “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer,” etc. – and after years of taking photos mostly for CD Covers, backstage and in the studio for radio stations, I thought it would be nice to capture the show from the audience’s perspective for RadioRadiox & Xperience Monthly. I am doing my best to recall the show, as a drunk guy tripped and fell into me, crashing into my camera, which hit my head and gave me a bad headache during the opening act. Wondering if I and my camera would be ok, I took a break from taking photos while a great new trio from Boston, Canyon Lights, continued. Canyon Lights is fronted by Pat Faherty on lead guitar and vocals and Tim Carman on drums, previous members of the Billboard-charting blues band, GA-20. They blended classic rock with blues and sounded great, so much so that you should stop reading this article and check out their video of the James Gang cover, “Walk Away.” So I did walk away right after they played “Walk Away,” a little dazed and confused for the last few songs.

George Thorogood is an American blues-rock guitarist, singer-songwriter, and true living legend, born in 1950 in Delaware. Thorogood formed the Delaware Destroyers in 1973 after briefly being a minor league baseball player. Now just the Destroyers, the band’s core sound draws from Chicago blues and early rock ‘n’ roll. Known for his high-energy “boogie-blues” style, he rose to fame in the ’70s and ’80s with hits like “Bad to the Bone,” “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer,” and covers of classics such as “Move It on Over” and “Who Do You Love?” Thorogood and the Destroyers have sold over 15 million albums worldwide, including two platinum albums, and have been rocking for over 50 years. Most fans are hopeful that they will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame soon.

Thorogood and the Destroyers brought their Baddest Show on Earth tour to Albany’s historic Palace Theatre on Tuesday night. With a recording of “The Eve of Destruction” playing before he took the stage, he then delivered “Rock Party” and Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love?” followed by a high-energy set of blues-rock staples including all the ones mentioned above, plus “Get A Haircut,” “Come On Everybody,” “Talk to Your Daughter,” and “Gloria” to a nearly sold out enthusiastic crowd of over 2,000. George immediately bonded with the audience, and the band wasted no time diving into classics that set the tone for the night: heavy on slide guitar, with a chrome cylinder on his pinky playing slide and hitting his guitar with just his right hand more than anyone I have seen, with driving rhythms. At 75 years young, Thorogood proved he’s still got the grit and guitar chops, and still had fans asking to take selfies during the show, including one pointing back and forth while he was playing “Bad to the Bone.” Some of his lyrics boast about how the ladies are astonished, and he even added a line about the ones in Albany. His reputation as a legend still shines. George didn’t miss a beat, playing fast and strutting across the stage with a black Epiphone Gibson and later with his “White Fang” guitar.

It may have been after “I Drink Alone” where he had a shot of who knows what? It was funny because he gasped and nearly choked like it was very strong, but ironically, it was his disappointment that made him gasp. Or was it? Yelling: “That’s tea! I can’t handle my tea very well.”  The mid-set highlight was undoubtedly “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer,” (also covered by John Lee Hooker), a staple that’s one of his main hits, with a boozy blues vibe. The crowd was singing along word-for-word, and George stuck his mic out to a lucky guy in the front row. Thorogood was impressed and mentioned that the crowd must know this story, asking if they wanted to hear it again, and then making sure everyone did not drive if they were drinking, doing his best to keep everyone safe with his public service announcement. Besides the music, one of the highlights was George’s introductions of his band. George mentioned his drummer (Jeff Simon) being an original member, dating back to the Delaware Destroyers in 1973. George referred to Simon as “a man’s fight and women’s delight.” His intro for bassist Billy Blough was “bass in your face.” Blough joined in 1976, just before the band’s self-titled debut album (1977), and has been a cornerstone for nearly 50 years and has played on every major release since, including hits like “Bad to the Bone.” His style has been referred to as the rhythmic glue behind Thorogood’s slide guitar and Jeff Simon’s drums.

George also gave a nice intro as the “Duke of Dallas,” James Suhler, on shotgun guitar, due to his Texas roots and powerhouse blues-rock style, and Dallas’s legendary music scene. Suhler has been a core member of the band since 1999, contributing to their high-octane live shows and albums with his Fender Stratocaster-driven riffs and solos. He called his saxophone player, Buddy Leach, “the Cincinnati Kid.”

Thorogood’s guitar work shone on “Bad to the Bone,” the anthem that helps define his career. Under pulsing lights, he prowled the stage, bending notes with intensity. The set leaned heavily on famous covers and early hits, including Hank Williams’ “Move It on Over,” and a raucous “Rock Party.” They closed strong with “Gloria” (Van Morrison’s garage rock gem), and during “Get a Haircut,” George yelled, “How does it feel to be 17 years old again?” epitomizing the show, as George and his band (mostly all original and from the ’70s) still had all their energy and drive. They even covered “Cocaine Blues” (made famous by Johnny Cash and others), and soon after asked if everyone wanted to hear some rock and roll.

They wrapped with one encore (with Pat Faherty joining), and left the house lights down and much of the audience wanting more. A final bow amid cheers, coming back for a surprise second time during the National Anthem, clearly showed George loves the USA, which was nice to see.

The show was a rare treat, almost like going through a time capsule fifty years in the future … and seeing a real original blues band! Oh wait, this is real, it just happened!!!

Thorogood has over 8,000 shows worldwide behind him. He says in his “Get A Haircut” lyrics, “I’m gonna keep on rockin’, just you wait and see … No, I ain’t gonna stop, ’til I’m six feet deep.” In a 2024 Guitar World piece, George said, “I’m gonna play this guitar ’til I can’t no more.” This show drives home that he’s bad in the good sense, will play until the day he dies, and shows no signs of slowing down.

Read an interview with George Thorogood here …