Poison, Cinderella fans keep 20-year-old rock ’n’ roll alive
BY AMY
BUGNO
STAFF WRITER
07/26/2006
Before MySpace, before P. Diddy, even before Zach Morris, there was hair-band rock ’n’ roll — a genre that has faded, but, according to 6,000 devoted fans gathered at Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain on Tuesday night, will never die.
Fans
young and old were jolted back 20 years to the days of ripped jeans, shag perms
and hard, loud rock in the presence of metal giants Poison and Cinderella.
Cinderella took the stage first around 8 p.m. Lead singer Tom Keifer kicked off
the set with “Falling Apart at the Seams” and “Push Push,” two of the band’s
better-known hits.
Throughout the night, he and his band mates rocked the pavilion with frequent
crowd interaction and sparkling pyrotechnic displays, graciously thanking the
home-state audience for enjoying the past 20 years with them.
“Y’all are from Scranton and we’re out of Philadelphia, so that makes us
related, doesn’t it?” Mr. Keifer asked. “I can’t think of a better place to
celebrate our 20th anniversary than right here in Pennsylvania.”
Perhaps the highlight of the evening was the minute-long, instrument-free scream
the crowd shared with Mr. Keifer during the 1986 mega-hit, “Nobody’s Fool.”
The audience clearly loved Cinderella, but Poison brought out an even higher
level of crowd energy. Taking the stage at 9:40 p.m., amidst sprays of
pyrotechnics, Bret Michaels and company quickly launched into “Look What the Cat
Dragged In,” from their first album.
Dressed in black T-shirts and jeans rather than the spandex from days of old,
Poison proved that talent doesn’t fade with age.
Like Mr. Keifer, Mr. Michaels was quick to pay homage to his Pennsylvanian
background.
“It is good to be back in my home state!” he said, “Let me get right to it — I
want to thank you all for 20 years.”
Poison’s set was a litany of its radio hits as well as lesser-known tunes, from
raucous versions of “I Want Action” and “Fallen Angel,” to “Ride the Wind,”
featuring electrifying guitar riffs by C.C. DeVille.
And of course, no Poison show would be complete without power ballads “Every
Rose Has Its Thorn,” “Something to Believe In” and “I Won’t Forget You.”
All in all, the trip back in time was a success. At least for one night, the
’80s came back to life.
Contact the writer: abugno@timesshamrock.com.