Posted on 08/31/2006 7:37:56 PM PDT by RockinRight
Monday, August 21, 2006
Any concert tour called 20 Years of Rock And Roll promises an enthusiastic celebration of the music of yesterday.
In the case of the Poison/Cinderella double bill that played its laser show-loving heart out at Sound Advice Amphitheatre on Sunday night, that meant plenty of loudly shredding guitars, hair that was sprayed to the heavens and all manner of questionable but era-appropriate mesh.
But there was, in the crowd of 30 and 40-somethings reliving their late '80s rock dreams in this Gap khaki age, at least one symbol that proved there was still a genuine mood of happily obnoxious rebellion — every time either of the bands swung into a power ballad, the signal for fans to hold up their cellphones for light, there could be seen a couple of honest-to-God lighters swinging in the air, the beams reflecting off the big "No Smoking" sign.
Take that, hazy sweet nostalgia!
Cinderella, led by raspy-voiced multi-instrumentalist Tom Keifer, set the mood with Falling Apart at the Seams, one of those beautifully straight-forward metal tunes that simultaneously laments and celebrates being a big 'ol mess.
Keifer, a talented showman whose pale, thin, scarf-clad appearance suggests an Aerosmith-worshipping Keebler elf, earnestly apologized for vocal problems which thinned out his passionate rock shriek. That was nice, but the audience didn't seem to notice. He still competently rocked out on big hit Nobody's Fool and, in lowering Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone) and doing it acoustic MTV Unplugged style, it became something of a southern rock throwback. Impressive.
Poison further explored the obvious talents of its four members, which are easier to see 20 years later, now that everybody's gotten their acts cleaned up. Formerly zonked-out guitarist C.C. Deville, who once infamously played an MTV appearance without his instrument plugged in, was particularly on-point. His solos on hits like Fallen Angel and I Want Action proved his classical training without sacrificing the rock.
Taking the stage to Look What The Cat Dragged In, the title track from their 1986 debut, Poison just barreled through the hits — and it's shocking to hear them spun out live and realize how many there were.
Lead singer Bret Michaels wasn't in incredibly strong voice Sunday, but then his wavery vocal gifts were never as strong as his confident swagger and catchy, if simple, songwriting.
From the naughtiness of I Hate Every Bone In Your Body But Mine and I Want Action, to the surprisingly poignant power balladry of Something To Believe In and Every Rose Has Its Thorn, the band was impressively tight, so much that Deville's solos, or those of drummer Rikki Rockett, came off more joyous than indulgent. And the playing and the vibe was good enough that what could have been just an exercise in nostalgia was more like an actual concert.
Flick your Bic for that.
Big Hair and Spandex Ping!
Ping!
These guys are single-handedly responsible for the hole in the ozone layer:-)
LOL!!!
I'll tell you though...they rocked the house down. It was the best concert I've seen in a long while.
I love that song!
I'm surprised that
a) They're still alive.
b) They could get time off from Qwiky-Mart to give the concert.
LOL!
Actually, both bands have made a nice living in recent years off of touring.
Why not? There's worse ways pay the bills.
OK here's one...name, in your opinion, five most UNDERRATED 80s metal bands.
Keel
Dokken
Britny Fox
Leatherwolf
EZO
Here's something obscure...I forgot how hard this song rocked:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98WkT2048go
Favorite Poison song: Flesh and Blood
Favorite Cinderella song: Shelter Me
Love Poison's 20 years of rock CD.
Gosh I feel old..
Shelter Me is a great song! I love the line "Tipper led the war against the record industry, said she saw the Devil on her M-T-V..."
Even the "nu-metal" crap that passes for hard rock today sucks wind...long live the 80s!
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