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It
is hard to believe that it has been 20 years since Tipper Gore
and the PMRC were labeling our music and restricting the speech of our
favorite bands. It is even harder to believe that the bands we grew up
listening to in the late eighties and early nineties are performed last
night at a sit down dinner theater. Hard to believe, but very true…
Firehouse, Great White, and Warrant are one of several line-ups to
perform this Spring at the Pepsi Roadhouse in Burgettstown, PA, known
for it bountiful meals and country shows. With close to one thousand in
attendance at the sold out show, bringing rock to the Roadhouse appears
to be an excellent choice. While ticket prices were steep, fans didn’t
seem to complain about filling up on ribs and chicken and then feasting
on a few hours of heavy favorites, including one from every hard rock
fans’ “filthy fifteen,” the Great White classic love song “On Your
Knees.”
The
evening kicked of with an opening performance by Firehouse, who perfo rmed
a few selections from their latest release Prime Time (including the
NASCAR-themed track "Door to Door"), as well as crowd
pleasers like “Don’t Treat Me Bad” and “Love of a Lifetime” that left
many with the opinion that the opening act stole the show.
They
were followed by the latest version of Great White, led by founding
members Jack Russell and Mark Kendall. It is obviously a tremendous
feat in itself for a band that has been through so much tragedy and
anguish to simply play on…but this evening it seemed that playing would
prove even more difficult since their frontman sprained an ankle and
tore a ligament in the days prior to the show.
 They
did however “Face the Day” with great energy and momentum for live show
favorites like “Can’t Shake It” and “Rolling Stoned,” but kept the set
list to a minimum providing plenty of room for bluesy jam sessions and
spotlight time for guitarist Mark Kendall, who performed “Kill that Red
Rooster” from his solo release Two Point Zero (Big Fin) in addition to
shredding things up a bit. The surprise encore featured the beloved
b-side anthem “Wasted Rock Ranger” that was all too fitting for the
country venue and their signature hit “Once Bitten, Twice Shy.”
The
evening concluded with a lengthy performance by Warrant that offered up
an unexpected set list including the b-side “Thin Disguise”, Black N
Blue's "Hold On To 18" and other
rarities as well as their trademark cuts like “Down Boys.” The band
now features all original members with the exception of singer Jani
Lane, who has been replaced with former Black N Blue Vocalist Jamie St.
James.
Visit
www.firehousemusic.com,
www.mistabone.com and
www.warrantweb.com for more information about upcoming
performances. Also be sure to check out our latest interview with Great
White vocalist Jack Russell and check back soon for coverage of Mark
Kendall’s new release Two Point Zero. |
