February 27,1991

Poison/Slaughter at Stabler Arena, Bethlehem, PA

This is the article that ran before this concert. For the newspaper review click here. For my own list of highlights click here.

Poison has something more to believe in than just good times

by Gary Graff - KNT Newswire

The song opens with the singer railing about a cheating, swindling TV evangelist and, before its end, deals with Vietnam veterans, the substance abuse death of a close friend and the plight of the homeless. The search - and the title of the song - is for "Something to Believe In". This melancholy lament is one of the latest hits from the hard-rock band Poison. But can something so forlorn really have come from a group who's personal anthem is the raucous "Nothin' but a Good Time"?

"There are a few things we wrote about that we care about on this record that aren't necessarily upbeat or positive or happy," says bassist Bobby Dall, who will lead Poison into Stabler Arena in Bethlehem on Wednesday night. "Like the second verse was about a very good friend of ours - he was our security guy for, like, four years, and he died... We believe it was a drug overdose... Then Bret wrote about some other subjects that bothered him as well.

"We're growing up a little, getting older. Maybe 5 years ago we played 45 minutes, then went and had sex. Life gets more complicated. You don't have to force everything to be wild and crazy and happy."

For Dall, Michaels and their band mates - guitarist CC DeVille, and drummer Rikki Rockett - writing songs like "Something to Believe In" reflects artistic growth, a progression they feel runs throughout their third album, "Flesh and Blood." Whether it's Deville's Cajun-picking on "Swampjuice (Soul-O)" or the weighty topics - something other than girls and partying - of songs like "Valley of Lost Souls" and "Life Loves a Tragedy," the members of Poison think they're making strides. And like so many others playing their particular teen-oriented corner of rock 'n' roll, the expected result is respect.

Kind of.

" With our third record out, and us being so successful all along, I think the people who didn't like us realize we're not gonna go... away," says Dall. "So what's the best thing to do? You jump on the bandwagon."

Poison has unquestionably been on a fast roll since the 1986 release of "Look What The Cat Dragged In." The quartet, which hails from Harrisburg, formed in 1983 and emigrated to Los Angeles shortly thereafter, joining the mass of hard-rock bands reclaiming the cities' nightclubs from their new-wave counterparts. Poison had it's own twist - a glitter, mousse, and make-up look straight from the costume file of Kiss, one of Poison's acknowledged influences.

Critics and competitors laughed, and so did Poison - all the way to the top of the charts. Thanks to MTV support, "Look What the Cat Dragged In" - a low budget affair recorded in a scant 12 days - sold more than 3 million copies. "Open Up and Say... Ahh!," released in 1988, sold eight million copies and launched 4 top ten singles, including the chart topping lost love anthem "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."

And "Flesh and Blood" buoyed by "Something to Believe In" and the sexy first single "Unskinny Bop," is living up to its predecessors' standards, with about 3 million copies already sold. Poison's current tour is doing sellout business, and a live album has already been recorded and is scheduled for release next fall.

What critical respect the band has received, however, has been grudging. Michaels laughs as he ticks off the various magazine polls that have named Poison the best and worst band. And in 1989 the critics and readers in Rolling Stone were united in selecting Poison as the worst band of the year.

"I would settle for some grudging respect," Michaels says. "But when you think about it, maybe it's not so bad. As many people as there are who hate us, there seem to be just as many who like us. If everyone likes you they also hate you that quick, too. Maybe this is the best if we want to be around a long time."

Dall, meanwhile, says a little bit of scorn is "good creative fuel. It keeps the fire burning."