The 69 Eyes, D-A-D, Cowpunks & Glampires Tour 2026
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Live Club, Trezzo sull’Adda (near Milan), Italy
“Boring title — at least something to tag.”
Times are changing — like a few times in recent months, I set out on this adventure completely alone, a lone crusader for the rights of heavier sounds.
This time, on the outskirts of Milan, a little treat was waiting for me, called Cowpunks & Glampires. Both coined terms capture the early chapters of both bands’ careers — Danish D-A-D and Finnish The 69 Eyes — since the latter quickly drifted away from glam sounds, while the former haven’t had much punk to show for a long time now.
The 69 Eyes were a complete unknown to me, so on the way there I ran through the announced setlist twice. What I heard didn’t ruin my life, and I started thinking I might actually survive the first part of the show without camping out at the bar. What was pouring out of the speakers was a blend of a lighter version of The Sisters of Mercy, The Cult, Billy Idol and Danzig. When I glanced at the stage a bit later, I could add Mötley Crüe visuals from the Shout at the Devil era.
Live Club holds roughly twice the capacity of Cvetličarna, and it was about half full. The Finns kicked off with Devils, immediately pulling the crowd into the dark depths of Jyrki‘s (69) bass-baritone, which he controls with astonishing ease even live. Mid-tempo and medium-paced tracks followed one after another without much crowd interaction. But when it did happen, the frontman showed a healthy dose of dry humor and an exaggerated Finnish accent. Entertaining. I have to single out drummer Jussi 69, who probably spends at least two hours a day studying Tommy Lee video footage. The style, gestures, and not least the physical presence veer a bit too close to Tommy for comfort, but they fill out what would otherwise be a pretty static stage picture. As the show went on, it became clear no one in the audience would need earplugs — if nothing else, the sound was crystal clear. Among tracks like Betty Blue, If You Love Me the Morning After and I Love the Darkness in You, the spirit of fellow Finns HIM quietly but unmistakably attached itself to the above-mentioned quartet of bands that so obviously shape The 69 Eyes‘ sound.
Personally, I enjoyed the slightly faster-paced stuff the most (the latest single I Survive, Drive, Lost Boys), because mid-tempo gets dull pretty quickly. I’m no fashion guru, but the band’s all-black image genuinely looks great on stage. Important note: guitars must hang at family-jewel height, otherwise it’s just not R’n’R! As far as I could tell, the band uses backing tracks only for keyboard nuances that flesh out the choruses — nothing worth condemning. A good show, an excellent warm-up for the headliners. Maybe I’ll spin the Finnish night owls in the car sometime — why not? Check out the setlist HERE.
After a truly too-long gap since 2009, this was my second D-A-D show in just over a year — I last saw them at Legend Club, also in Milan, at the end of November 2024 (ROCKLINE REPORT). They’re still promoting the latest album Speed of Darkness (ROCKLINE REVIEW), but only play 3 songs from it. How could you possibly squeeze any more of them in among the eternal classics?
This time too they opened with the immortal, pile-driving classic Jihad from the third album No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims, released in 1989. The wild energy didn’t let up until the eighth track, Something Good from the album Everything Glows (2000), when vocalist Jesper walked out into the crowd and sang those sweet-yet-morbid verses about growing up and searching for a father figure right along with us. Inspiring! That same Jesper also showed — and proved — to his Finnish colleagues exactly where a guitar is supposed to hang, namely BELOW the jewels. Check the gallery.
The second half of the show brought more chances for crowd interaction and singing along to choruses, as somewhat more restrained material took the stage (not necessarily ballads!). The closing trio of the main set (Monster Philosophy, Everything Glows with a breathtaking drum solo by Laust, and Bad Craziness) finished us off completely, and we were left in a happy daze waiting for the encore.
Laugh’n’ a 1/2, after all these years, is still a ballad that brings tears to your eyes as you sing along to Stig‘s bittersweet lyrics. Then Sleeping My Day Away, then Disneyland After Dark, and the magic was over. Check out the setlist HERE.
Of course, no D-A-D show report would be complete without a mention of bassist Stig Pedersen. With each passing year he looks more and more like a tired transvestite, but with his getup, energy, and constant swapping of unique twin-neck basses he provides the undisputed highlight of the stage show. This time he changed basses, believe it or not, ten times!
I got to meet a bunch of genuinely lovely Italian fans, with whom we swapped plenty of gig stories and fought over picks. This time, channeling the spirit of Rockline’s founder, I managed to claim Jesper‘s pick — thrown from the stage and scooped up off the floor (which apparently is the only thing that counts as a proper trophy). Go me!
Two veteran bands, each with their own blood-soaked story of rising to the stars and crashing into the hottest depths of hell, showed us what it means to believe in no-frills, raw, whiskey-soaked rock’n’roll. “Sweat, noise, and booze — the one true R’n’R diet!”
Words and photos: Igorac
