Jack Russell didn’t just embrace the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle, he embodied it. So much so that the longtime frontman came close to adding his name to the tragically long list of rock ’n’ roll cautionary tales. It took two comas and a stern warning from his doctor—“If you drink again, you will die”—for Russell to slam the brakes on his excessive ways and begin traveling the road to recovery. Now more than four years sober, Russell is making the most of his second lease on life by doing what he’s always done best: entertaining fans with the powerhouse voice he honed as lead singer of Great White, the band he co-founded in the late 1970s.
A 2011 legal settlement resulted in the group splintering into two versions, with Russell carrying on as Jack Russell’s Great White, a five-piece unit that tours the nation performing such bluesy, fist-raising anthems as “Once Bitten, Twice Shy.” While each concert offers Great White fans the opportunity to sing along to the soundtrack of their youth, they offer Russell something much more profound: the chance to bask in the preciousness of life, one high note at a time.
Golden Nugget, 8 p.m. Jan. 3, starting at $29 plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
