Located approximately 30 miles east of Atlanta in the heart of Loganville, Georgia, Atmosphere Sports Bar and Nightclub hosted the penultimate stop on legendary guitarist George Lynch’s Rise of the Decades Tour. A longstanding local establishment, Atmosphere functions as a sports bar, nightclub, and intimate live-music venue all in one, featuring an industrial-chic interior that blends table seating with open bar space, and depending on the event configuration, can accommodate a posted capacity of up to 750 patrons.
Kicking off the sold-out evening shortly after 8:30 p.m. was Birmingham, Alabama-based AON (All or Nothing). An original band fronted by (almost) 29-year-old vocal phenomenon Brett Carlisle (of Great White), AON delivered a healthy dose of their current-ara heavy metal sound (along with some legacy covers) throughout their nearly 45-minute set, amping up the early crowd.
Originals like “One Big Party” and “Benjamin Franklin” resonated with me, but it was the unexpected mid-set inclusion of locally based guest drummer Rob Hammersmith (of Skid Row) for a cover of “Monkey Business” that really stirred up the crowd. While I haven’t yet caught Carlisle fronting Great White, I did previously see him jump onstage with Bret Michaels last June in Birmingham for a cover of Poison’s “Nothin’ but a Good Time.” He is an impressive young talent, with a singing style that sits at the intersection of classic 1980s hard rock swagger and modern heavy metal power, making him sound both familiar and contemporary at the same time. Given his infectious stage persona, there is no doubt AON gained some new fans on Saturday night.
AON
Brett Carlisle – Lead vocals
Zach Renzi – Guitar, backing vocals
Skylar McCain – Drums, backing vocals
Tristan McNay – Bass, backing vocals
Setlist:
1.) Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC cover)
2.) The Big Deal
3.) One Big Party
4.) Escape
5.) Becoming One Like Rain
6.) Cowboys From Hell (Pantera cover)
7.) Mauled By Jackalopes
8.) Benjamin Franklin
Following a quick 15-minute equipment turn, Terry Ilous took the stage with Jason Gulino on bass, Sam Bean on guitar, and Skylar McCain on drums, who was doing double duty after coming off his AON set. Best known as the founder and lead vocalist of the hard rock band XYZ, the nearly 60-year-old Ilous sounded as distinctive as ever as the band launched into “Don’t Say No” from XYZ’s second studio album, Hungry (1991), to open their set. Of note, the only other selection from Hungry during the roughly 40-minute performance was the popular banger “Face Down in a Gutter.”
While visibly frustrated as he battled in-ear monitor and sound issues throughout the performance, Ilous joked with the capacity crowd that it was “at least obvious the show was live and without backing tracks.” That said, Ilous remained ever the professional, and the band delivered an impressive showcase of familiar XYZ tunes, including six tracks from their 1989 self-titled debut (produced by Don Dokken), with highlights from the MTV video era such as “What Keeps Me Loving You” and “Inside Out.” Having missed the opportunity back in the day to catch XYZ live, all you had to do on Saturday night was close your eyes, and Ilous immediately transported you back to the late 1980s when you were cruising around with your Camaro car radio on full blast.
XYZ
Terry Ilous – Vocals
Jaron Gulino – Bass
Sam Bean – Guitar
Skylar McCain – Drums
Setlist:
1.) Don’t Say No
2.) Come On n’ Love Me
3.) Take What You Can
4.) What Keeps Me Loving You
5.) Maggy
6.) Souvenirs
7.) Face Down In A Gutter
8.) Inside Out
With the clock closing in on 10:30 p.m., iconic guitar virtuoso George Lynch appeared to the chants of “George! George! George!” Supported by Gulino on bass, the hard-hitting Brian Tichy on drums, and Gabriel Colón on vocals, Lynch got right down to business, delighting the adoring crowd with his chosen setlist opener, “Paris Is Burning,” drawn from the earliest days of Dokken.
While Lynch is coming off the recent release of his ninth full-length Lynch Mob studio album, Dancing with the Devil (November 2025), the Rise of the Decades Tour is largely positioned as a celebration of his Dokken legacy. With rotating — and sometimes shared — vocal duties handled by Colón, Ilous, and Carlisle, Lynch delivered a two-hour performance that primarily highlighted three classic Dokken albums, including Tooth and Nail (1984), Under Lock and Key (1985), and Back for the Attack (1987).
As influential as Lynch has been to decades of aspiring guitarists, seeing him live is simply a masterclass in precision, power, and personality. He combined razor-sharp technique with a raw, blues-infused aggression that felt both meticulously crafted and completely spontaneous. Lynch’s playing effortlessly shifted between fluid, melodic leads and crushing, percussive riffs, with each note articulated with clarity and intent. Even during the most technically demanding passages found in classic Dokken material, Lynch remained loose and animated, clearly feeding off the energy of the Atlanta crowd.
Perhaps to the disappointment of a few guitar-nerd fans, Lynch did not bust out his recognizable instrumental “Mr. Scary,” but I was delighted to hear live renditions of songs like “Unchain the Night,” “It’s Not Love,” “The Hunter,” and “Into the Fire.” Given the runtime of the show, there was no encore, but the band did punctuate their night by performing the fan favorite title track “Wicked Sensation” from Lynch Mob’s 1990 debut album.
This Rise of the Decades Tour run wrapped up on Saturday, January 11, at Songbirds in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but Lynch will be back on the road with Lynch Mob starting Tuesday, February 24, at Nikki Lopez in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Band
George Lynch – Guitars, vocals
Brian Tichy – Drums, vocals
Jaron Gulino – Bass, vocals
Gabriel Colón – Vocals
Brett Carlisle – Vocals
Terry Ilous – Vocals
Setlist:
1.) Paris is Burning (Dokken cover)
2.) When Heaven Comes Down (Dokken cover)
3.) Unchain the Night (Dokken cover)
4.) Dream Warriors (Dokken cover)
5.) Tooth and Nail (Dokken cover)
6.) Kiss of Death (Dokken cover)
7.) Lightning Strikes Again (Dokken cover)
8.) It’s Not Love (Dokken cover)
9.) Breaking the Chains (Dokken cover)
10.) The Hunter (Dokken cover)
11.) Just Got Lucky (Dokken cover)
12.) Alone Again (Dokken cover)
13.) In My Dreams (Dokken cover)
14.) Into the Fire (Dokken cover)
15.) Wicked Sensation (Lynch Mob)
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Follow AON (All Or Nothing) Online
Elliott is a music photographer covering shows in Atlanta, Georgia, and the surrounding area. The highlight of his photography career was back in the early ’90s, when he sold Neil Diamond the rights to his negatives from a show and then purchased a set of tires for his 1979 280ZX during college with the money.