Tag: poison

Arena rock legends come to Morrow County

Mount Gilead, Ohio. It’s a small village in rural Morrow County. At the last census, Mt. Gilead only had a population of 3,500. However, in 2022, a group called Finley’s Entertainment organized an event at the Morrow County Fairgrounds called Freedom Fest Ohio. Apparently, the event was so successful that its second incarnation was held this past weekend at the same venue. This is big news for Morrow County. We don’t get concerts like this. When an evening of rock acts were announced for this year’s four day event, I knew that I couldn’t miss an event like this that was virtually in my back yard (Go Cardington-Lincoln Pirates!).

The event serves as an entertainment option for our rural county but also is a major fundraiser for the United States Law Enforment Foundation (USLEF) where a dollar of every ticket sold was donated to that organization. Friday night headliner, Poison’s Bret Michaels and his band announced that they would also match the donation made to the charity.

When I say that this a huge opportunity for my county, I can’t overstate that. We don’t have concerts here. We don’t see many celebrities roll through our towns. To say that I was nervous of the impression we would make on these rock heroes is an understatement. Boy, was I wrong. The organizers of this event did it right. This was a truly professional concert. A real, and professionally built stage was there for the acts, complete with professional sound and lights. Like other major festivals in the area, there was plenty of food truck options as well as restrooms. The crowd was big and appropriate size for these acts. Being from such a rural area, I had reservations on whether our community would support the concert. They turned up in a big way, even with a less than ideal weather forecast. I was proud to be there, and proud of my fellow Morrow County community for turning up.

San Francisco’s Jefferson Starship kicked things off at 6:00 and really surprised me. I’d seen the two acts that followed them many times, but I wasn’t sure what to expect from Starship. I thought they did an admirable job of mixing in the appropriate amount of Jefferson Airplane songs into their set list. Jefferson Airplane, who were one of the leaders of the psychedelic rock movement of the mid to late 1960’s, would later face turbulence in the group before forming Jefferson Starship in 1974. Their show was good, particularly with their vocalists Cathy Richardson and original member David Freiberg. I thought the highlights of their performance were the Airplane classics “Somebody To Love” and “White Rabbit”.

After a short break, 1980’s rock radio staples Night Ranger took the stage. This marked my third time seeing these guys after previous concerts in Mansfield and Marion, and as usual they were excellent. I know that this tour is celebrating the 40th anniversary of their sophomore album, Midnight Madness, which features several of their biggest hits, including the iconic “Sister Christian”. With that said, “Eddie’s Comin’ Out Tonight” from their debut record needs to permanently be in the set list! Although, this was my first time seeing them in a support role, so I’d imagine putting a set list together when you are used to being the headliner must be a daunting task. I enjoyed that they mixed up their set a bit and that they include the Damn Yankees two biggest songs as well, a nice nod to bassist and vocalist Jack Blades time in that super group as well. Their performance certainly made it known that the headlining act was going to have to be on their top performance to earn that title.

Night Ranger Set List Mount Gilead, OH

  • 1. You Can Still (Rock In America)
  • 2. Four In The Morning
  • 3. Sing Me Away
  • 4. Coming Of Age (Damn Yankees cover)
  • 5. The Secret Of My Success
  • 6. Night Ranger
  • 7. *Drum Solo*
  • 8. High Enough (Damn Yankees cover)
  • 9. When You Close Your Eyes
  • 10. Don’t Tell Me You Love Me
  • 11. Sister Christian

Moments after Night Ranger left the stage, the skies opened and the heavens fell down in the form of monsoon conditions for about 15 minutes. The Morrow County faithful stayed strong, and settled in, after all this agricultural community isn’t afraid of playing in the mud. Quite literally, there were folks that made an impromptu slip-n-slide out of a tarp and were having a great time. The rest of us sat in the pouring rain and drank beer. Besides, this rain was nothing compared to the literal monsoon that I was in for a Poison/Def Leppard/Cheap Trick concert at Blossom Music Center some 14 years ago or the Iron Maiden/Alice Cooper show in Indianapolis of 2012. It was a good, solid summer rain though, and I didn’t see a soul heading for the exits.

The headliner on this tour, dubbed “Parti Gras 2023”, is of course the Bret Michaels band. He’s most well known as the lead vocalist for the 1980’s hair band Poison. Bret takes a lot of flak from every direction. Certain bass players, from other certain hair bands that possibly don’t even play live and like to pretend that they weren’t also a hair band, (cough, Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue) have taken shots at Poison. The former reality TV show “Rock Of Love” also made Bret an easy target for criticism. Here is what I’ll say about all of it: The dude was and is still one of the best entertainers in the industry, and he was willing to bring that to little, ole Mount Gilead, Ohio. Sure, I know the ladies love Bret Michaels, but I’m a fan of his songs. He has played them on the biggest stages in the world. Just last summer, he played with Poison in the Cleveland Browns football stadium, and here he was on Friday night at the Morrow County Fairgrounds. Say what you want about hair metal, or the eyeliner, or any of it; but the guy is a genuine and down to earth rock star. I’ve seen his solo band once before and Poison a handful of times and he has always made sure to acknowledge who the real heroes in this country are, without making it a political thing. Because guess what, patriotism is not something that is supposed to be political, and he hasn’t forgotten that. On this night it was heroes of law enforcement that were brought on to the stage for some recognition, just as I can recall him bringing out cameras to send love to troops overseas during Poison concerts during the height of the War on Terror. That’s not being political. That’s being a stand up dude that has perspective. I’ve always appreciated that about Bret and his live shows. He’s there to party (or Parti?) and there is no mistaking that, but the freedom to live the life he lives and do the job he does came at a price, and he takes the time to acknowledge that. Every time.

Again, like Night Ranger before him, we’ve got to find a way to get “Fallen Angel” and “Cry Tough” back into the set, but I digress. The vocalist has put a solid band around him while he worked through a set list of mostly Poison classics. The crowd ate up every moment of it. The thing that gave me hope was a teenage couple, whom I assume was from out of town (he wore a Bishop Watterson football shirt), who were belting out every word to every song a few feet away from my wife and I. I wasn’t even born when Jefferson Starship and Night Ranger had their biggest success and I was an infant when Poison burst onto the scene. To see kids, who weren’t even born when I saw Poison on their 20th anniversary tour in 2006, being the next generation to keep classic rock music alive is a heartwarming thing. I hope the folks at Freedom Fest Ohio will continue to bring rock acts like this to our community and that hopefully the festival is here to stay.

Bret Michaels Band set list Mount Gilead, Ohio

  1. Talk Dirty To Me (Poison cover)
  2. Look What The Cat Dragged In (Poison cover)
  3. Ride The Wind (Poison cover)
  4. *Bret Michaels harmonica solo*
  5. Your Mama Don’t Dance (Loggins and Messina cover)
  6. Something To Believe In (Poison cover)
  7. Give It Away (Red Hot Chili Peppers cover)
  8. Unskinny Bop (Poison cover)
  9. *Drum solo*
  10. Every Rose Has Its Thorn (Poison cover)
  11. Nothin’ But A Good Time (Poison cover)
  12. *Encore* Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd cover with members of Jefferson Starship)
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Ranking: Poison

To celebrate the upcoming Bret Michaels band and Night Ranger concert appearance with special guests Jefferson Starship at Freedom Fest Ohio in tiny Mount Gilead, Ohio tomorrow night; lets take a stab at ranking the most essential songs from Bret’s main band Poison. Those classic, hair metal anthems are sure to be peppered throughout the set list and it’s high time we rate the best of the best!

Poison performing their traditional opening song; “Look What The Cat Dragged In” in St. Louis, Missouri

The following are my rankings of the 15 Greatest Poison tracks! Agree? Disagree? Vote at the end of the article!

There are still tickets available and can be purchased here! Having seen Poison five times or so and the Bret Michaels band once before, Mount Gilead, Ohio ought to be ready to party. While Poison, and hair metal in general gets a lot of grief for being cheesy, Michaels always puts in a genuine performance that will have you singing along and leaving with a smile on your face. You can check out my review of Poison’s Cleveland performance last summer right here. Also while there, make sure to visit our friends at Legend Records at their downtown shop for all of your music needs until 4pm on Friday and also at the festival. Hit up King’s Krossing Food Truck for your hunger needs during the concert as well! Lastly, make sure to vote below for what YOU think is the greatest Poison song of all-time!

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Two years in the making; Stadium Tour hits Cleveland

The Stadium Tour, having been scrapped each of the past two years due to COVID concerns, finally made its way to Cleveland, Ohio on Thursday. The concert was hosted by First Energy Stadium, which is home of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, and welcomed what seemed to be at least 50,000 headbangers for the long-anticipated event.

I was unsure if I was going to make the trek to Cleveland for the show, however, the night before my 15-year-old daughter asked me if I’d take her. As I grow more nostalgic as I age, her asking me that reminded me of the teenage version of myself asking my Dad to take me to see KISS and Aerosmith nearly twenty years ago. He obliged me that evening and I felt compelled to take her and enjoy some time with her, while also being treated to a killer soundtrack throughout the night.

Unfortunately, due to downtown Cleveland’s awful infrastructure for traffic during large events as is, combined with the Tribe having a home game on the same evening; we missed both Classless Act and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts even though we had made it to The 216 in plenty of time. Thankfully, her and I had just recently seen Classless Act during their spring tour supporting Dorothy. My eldest niece and I had seen Joan Jett at the Sonic Temple Music Festival a few years ago with the Foo Fighters. She had put on a great show that night, so it was somewhat disappointing to miss their performance in Cleveland due to gridlock traffic.

Poison came on shortly after we reached our seats. Somehow, some way, we were able to score great 12th row stadium seats on the left side of the stage and had a great view for the entirety of the event. It was cool seeing my kid so awestruck at the size and energy of the crowd. She couldn’t believe how many people were there and seeing a smile on her face throughout the event made it all worth it. A lot of times, Poison gets shit on by the macho guys in the metal and hard rock community. I say, no more! First and foremost, the backing band is solid. C.C. Deville is a criminally underrated guitar player. Say what you want about Bret Michaels and his quest for companionship through reality television, but the dude is a great entertainer and at every live show he convinces you that you’re old buddies. I’ve seen this band probably a half dozen times or so and they’ve never disappointed. They are by far the most down to earth and relatable band for the common man on this tour.

I think they get most of the ridicule due to the absolutely awful look they went with for the “Look What The Cat Dragged In” album cover. In 1986. The year of my birth. But you know what? Concerts are supposed to be fun, first and foremost; and there has never been a time that I left a Poison concert in anything less than a stellar mood. Unfortunately, with such a loaded lineup, the band only had about a 55 minute set. They got to as many of their party anthems as possible and were as good as I’ve ever seen them. There are few bands that I root harder for to be successful than this one.

Poison Set List Cleveland

  1. Look What The Cat Dragged In (1986)
  2. Ride The Wind (1990)
  3. Talk Dirty To Me (1987)
  4. Your Mama Don’t Dance (Loggins & Messina cover) (1988)
  5. C.C. Deville guitar solo (including Eruption by Van Halen)
  6. Fallen Angel (1988)
  7. Rikki Rockett drum solo
  8. Every Rose Has Its Thorn (1988)
  9. Nothin’ But a Good Time (1988)

A half hour after Poison left the stage, the rock brigade Def Leppard stormed out and were the highlight of the night. I maintain that they should be the every night headliner on this tour, but they are alternating nights with Motley Crue and the Cleveland stop was a Motley headline night. While I felt Def Lep should be the headliner, I was admittedly apprehensive about how their performance would be. I’d seen them a few times before and each time left thinking that their opener (Journey, Poison) was the better performer on those evenings. Particularly on the Journey tour, I thought they blew Def Leppard off the stage that night. Lep was playing a bunch of covers on that tour and vocalist Joe Elliott was seeming to struggle with his range, but that was probably at least 15 years ago.

I’m glad to admit that my apprehension was undeserved. This was far and away the best that I’ve heard Def Leppard sound. Even with a new record out, which usually means beer/restroom break for their aging fans, the new songs sounded like classic Def Leppard and were spaced appropriately throughout the set. They came out and plowed through a 17-song performance that highlighted their 40+ year careers to this point. While they didn’t play my two favorites of theirs, “Women” or “Too Late For Love“, they did include their iconic jam “Switch 625” as an extension of “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak“; which was the crown jewel of their performance.

Elliott and the boys came out and performed like headliners. They were professionals up on that stage and the gig felt as if they were a band that belonged in a stadium setting as they churned through 80’s anthem after anthem. Leppard came around in England at a time when the New Wave of British Heavy Metal was emerging as well. While they were heavier early in their careers, they simply went a more straight ahead hard rock route while the Iron Maiden’s and Saxon’s of the scene went the metal route. The musicianship of Rick Allen (drums), Rick Savage (bass, and underrated backing vocals), as well as the guitar duo of well-known players Vivian Campbell and Phil Collen shouldn’t be forgotten. Just because there are other bands that should also be in there, this band certainly earned their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which coincidentally sits in the shadows of the stadium that this concert was performed in.

Def Leppard Set List Cleveland

  1. Take What You Want (2022)
  2. Let It Go (1981)
  3. Animal (1987)
  4. Foolin’ (1983)
  5. Armageddon It (1987)
  6. Kick (2022)
  7. Love Bites (1988)
  8. Promises (1999)
  9. This Guitar (2022)
  10. Two Steps Behind (1993)
  11. Rocket (1987)
  12. Bringin’ on the Heartbreak (1981)
  13. Switch 625 (1981)
  14. Hysteria (1987)
  15. Pour Some Sugar On Me (1987)
  16. Rock Of Ages (1983)
  17. Photograph (1983)

Let me preface my review of Motley Crue by stressing that they are fine. I enjoy their music. My issues with them mainly stem from Nikki Sixx taking his band much more seriously than they should be. His past comments, putting Crue on some different level than the other hair bands (namely Poison) that they take on tour each cycle have always rubbed me the wrong way. The people that listen to Motley Crue, also listen to Poison. And Dokken. And RATT. Each of those bands from the same scene as you. Like Def Leppard, Motley Crue was certainly heavier and faster in the early eighties. They don’t play many of those songs live anymore, though, and their big hits are all in that same realm with the bands that he likes to dis. That is all. Motley Crue makes music for strippers. That’s ok. Embrace it. I’d rather the ladies dance to “Looks That Kill” than modern dance music! Just embrace who you are and don’t try to pretend like you are on some elite level of heavy metal. You are who you are. There are fewer bands that I root against, than Motley Crue, because they are who they are.

Now, that that is out of the way. Motley was great Thursday night. Vince Neil’s vocal struggles in recent years is not news, but I thought that after the opening track, his singing got better as the night went on. They played a set that included most of their hits and their latest release that coincided with their recent Netflix biopic. Mick Mars, as a quiet guy, kind of gets lost in the larger-than-life personalities that make up the rest of the band. His guitar work is underrated, and I think it’s fair to say that it gets underappreciated, simply due to the nature of Motley Crue. Sixx had his share of interactions with the crowd and held down the bottom end on his bass. Ignoring Tommy Lee’s personality for just a moment, his drumming has been and really continues to be the driving force of their live performances. Now, non-musically speaking, he also was able to coax women in the crowd to flash the band which is his typical schtick. Neil’s vocal struggles aside, those become less important when you can point the mic to the crowd and 50,000 metal heads are screaming back every lyric at you. For as much negative press as his performances have gotten lately, I felt he exceeded my expectations and was on par with both of the previous times I had seen Motley Crue. Like the two bands that played prior, they were fun. Concerts are supposed to be fun. I had fun. My kid had fun. With the lost years of 2020 and 2021 hopefully behind us forever, I hope that this tour rejuvenates each of these bands and gives them a new lease on their rock & roll lives and carries them through yet another decade of nothin’ but a good time.

Motley Crue Set List Cleveland

  1. Wild Side (1987)
  2. Shout at the Devil (1983)
  3. Too Fast For Love (1981)
  4. Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away) (1990)
  5. Saints of Los Angeles (2008)
  6. Live Wire (1982)
  7. Looks That Kill (1984)
  8. The Dirt (2019)
  9. Medley of Rock and Roll Part 2 (Gary Glitter)/Smokin’ in the Boys Room (Brownsville Station)/White Punks on Dope (The Tubes)/Helter Skelter (The Beatles)/Anarchy in the UK (Sex Pistols)
  10. Home Sweet Home (1985)
  11. Dr. Feelgood (1989)
  12. Same Ol’ Situation (1990)
  13. Girls, Girls, Girls (1987)
  14. Primal Scream (1991)
  15. Kickstart My Heart (1989)

All in all it was a great show with some of the most iconic bands that came about during the eighties pop-metal era. Getting to spend that time with my kid, at a time in her life where your offspring typically want nothing to do with you; made it that much better.

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