Rock and Roll will never die. It’s a mantra that each generation since the ’50s fights hard to defend and declares with youthful joy. While the hair metal of the ’80s has taken a beating from a generation after it, the music lives on in the hearts of many. Such was the celebration on what would’ve been a mega-bill back in 1989, when most of these bands sold records, tickets, t-shirts and memories in arena-full proportions. They also ruled a format called MTV.
While I have respect for Bret Michaels (Poison’s frontman), Warrant, Firehouse, Great White and Ratt, I’m not sure I would have ventured out to a hockey arena on a Sunday night to see ’em if a certain melodic metal band called Steelheart was not on the bill. And, I’ll be honest, I went to experience one song. The band’s biggest hit has always stirred my soul with its stratospheric vocals and pleasant melodies — “Never Let You Go” never let me go.
The lights went down at 5:30 p.m. and the two-thirds full arena let out a collective roar. A bassist and a guitarist came running out from opposites ends of the stage and proceeded to fill the air with churning riffage while the drummer started laying down a beat. They ran in big circles around each part of the stage, swirling past their soon-to-be stationary positions by their mic stands and then up the catwalk and back to their counterpart’s spot on the opposite side. It was as if they were claiming the land to be theirs — if but for only 30 to 40 minutes. After three songs that showed their mettle muscle, they broke into it with a little guitar prelude. When it came time to hit those big high notes, Miljenko Matijevic spaced them apart by a breath here and there, and nailed them like a shooting star. Killer song. Really good performance. I was fulfilled.
Someone introduced the next act with a question: “Are you ready for the real thing?” This is incredibly ironic and brazen, of course, because the band Great White (like Queensryche and a few other bands from yesterdecade) is actually split up into two bands — warring parties that have taken to litigation to resolve their differences. One party will tour as Great White and the other must use the moniker Jack Russell’s Great White to legally specify the difference to who owns the legally copyrighted name. Sigh. Anyway, the founding frontman, Jack Russell, was on the losing end of that court battle, but he has the voice that launched the band’s career, so getting introduced that way was a coy way of fighting back, I suppose. All that aside, Russell is a rock ‘n’ roll warrior, battling lots to keep his feet on stage. He might look a little worse for the wear, but he’s stoked to be out there and the energy translates well to an appreciative audience. His voice holds up well in the Great White hits, like “Rock Me” and “Once Bitten, Twice Shy.” He showed he still had a good set of pipes when he and the band throttled through the 1970 Led Zeppelin classic, “Immigrant Song,” complete with all those powerful high notes.
FireHouse came out and had its guitarist and bassist do similar theatrical exercises all over the stage to get things going. They settled down midset to play some of the band’s big power ballads, like “When I Look Into Your Eyes” and “Love of a Lifetime.” They sounded good, but the energy was slightly bridled by the fact that frontman C.J. Snare had to stand behind his keyboard stand at the rear of the stage by the drum riser. It zapped some of that live energy that an edge-of-the-stage experience gives an audience — especially those up front. The band turned the energy up a few notches after these power ballads with a rousing rendition of the Edgar Winter classic, “Free Ride.”
Warrant got in on the covers vibe, too, kicking out the opening blasts of “Love Gun” at the tail end of one of their tunes. They saved their best for last, though, and invited an old friend up on stage to play guitar. They rollicked through the heavy opening riffs of “Heaven and Hell” for a few bars before launching into their anticipated hit, “Cherry Pie.” Yes, they played “Down Boys” and “Heaven” as well. They all sounded good, despite Robert Mason energetically filling in for the departed Jani Lane. It’s hard to fill the shoes of a frontman, but if it was possible to make up for it with physical energy and stage moves, Mason does just that. He looks like Les Carlsen with his blonde mane chasing him violently wherever he moves.
Ratt seemed to up the ante with replacement members, as their frontman and vocalist wasn’t the frame or sonic equivalent of Stephen Pearcy. New frontman Josh Alan, who looks more like Extol’s Peter Espevoll. I wonder if anyone in the band had there wherewithal to call up Whitecross frontman Scott Wenzel for this gig? He would’ve have certainly sounded the part. Nevertheless, Alan sounded pretty good during the Ratt hits “Lay It Down” and “Round and Round.”
Bret Michaels had the biggest hurdle to jump over, in this writer’s opinion, after setting up his stage with giant 6 to 8 feet tall banners with his image across all the amps on either side of the drum riser. It was kind of ridiculous. I’m sure most in the room had to scratch their head slightly at the sight. Oh well, if he’s going to put himself in a hole, maybe he can dig himself out of it. With 5 parts charm and 4 parts energy, the former Poison frontman made it clear from the outset that he was appreciative of his audience and that this was a good, old-fashioned party with no stress and no rushing through the set. “We’ve got all the time in the world,” he smiled, settling into the role of entertainer and ring leader. He explained almost each song before performing it, but his vocals were on and the energy never let up. After the obligatory third song for all the pit photographers, he had ’em all get up on stage and line the backline so that they could photograph the crowd. Then he had us all come out on the catwalk with him to capture the real heroes of this night — the rockin’ audience. I’ve gotta hand it to him, that was a good party move. Old Poison tunes, like “Look What the Cat Dragged In,” “Talk Dirty To Me” and “Nothin’ But a Good Time” all got the crowd on its feet. He played a few covers as well, including “Sweet Home Alabama,” complete with its altered verses about Texas, and “Your Mama Don’t Dance.” He held off the big ballad, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” til near set’s end, but he kept his promise of making sure everyone had fun, and he went out of his way to talk about his non-profit foundation, giving back locally and honoring veterans. I guess he can keep his mug on all those banners up there if he wants to. He can even wear his own Bret Michaels Band t-shirt onstage. Just keep the energy high and the focus on the music. He did alright.
Let’s face it: with all the words about departing and replacement members, this tour could very well have been called the Personnel Drama Tour, but all that aside, it was hard rockin’ show put on by musicians who still deliver the riffs, the notes, the entertainment and the energy. It wasn’t the knockout punch that all six of these bands used to bring on their own, but no one part let any of the others down.
—Photos and review by Doug Van Pelt
Comments