June 23, 1987

Poison/Ratt at the Allentown Fairgrounds

I was not allowed to go to this one. That was torture having them perform so close to my house and not be able to go!! I'm almost positive I read somewhere that parts of the video for "I Wont Forget You" were shot at this show.

Here's the article that ran a couple days before the event. Check out how they spelled Bobby's and Rikki's names in the picture.

For the review click here.

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MAKEUP AND METAL

RATT AND POISON BANG HEADS GLAMOROUSLY AND PROVOCATIVELY

ENTERTAINMENT

by CARRIE STETLER, The Morning Call

Except for a sultry brunette named Bobby Dall, the members of Poison are all boisterous bleached blonde sexpots who, on the cover of their best-selling Enigma/Capitol debut LP, ''Look What The Cat Dragged In,'' wear thick Day-Glo eye-shadow, and whose hit singles ''Talk Dirty to Me'' and ''I Want Action'' have made them this summer's pop-metal sensation.

This Tuesday at the Allentown Fairgrounds Poison will be open for Ratt, those brooding heavy-metal veterans who since 1983 have released three million-selling LPs and entrapped fans from all over the world. Ratt's latest Atlantic album, ''Dancing Undercover,'' has spawned the top-forty singles ''Dance'' and ''BodyTalk.''

The contrast between the two bands is apparent not only in the way they look - the members of Ratt, save two, are sultry brunettes and their music is harsh and sophisticated compared to Poison's bright, simple tunes - and sound, but in the way they conduct telephone interviews.

''We're like the Club Med of Rock 'n' Roll,'' claims Poison's extroverted lead singer, Bret Michaels. ''We're a getaway and we're escapism . . . If I had to describe our band (which he did at great length throughout the interview), I'd say we're the most kick-a-- rock n' roll band out right now and we just happen to have a very glamorous image to go with it. We're dressed to kill.''

''Sexy, sinister fun - that's what Ratt is all about,'' says Robbin Crosby, 27, the close-mouthed guitarist of Ratt.

When pressed to comment further on Ratt's provocative image, he says only: ''We're all basically fun-loving types, not delinquents, just fun-loving . . . I don't think we portray anything to be ashamed of, unless you're really against getting laid or something . . . ''

Michaels, on the other hand, is quick to take umbrage when asked about his band's outlandish appearance. ''You know what, how come people from Pennsylvania ask us the most questions about our make-up? I'm just curious,'' he wondered.

Michaels, who grow up in Harrisburg, bridles at the suggestion that he and his band mates look feminine on the cover of ''Look What The Cat Dragged In.''

''I don't think we look like girls, I think we look like guys who look cool. I mean, you don't want to go out with a guy who looks like s---, you know what I'm saying? I'm sure I wouldn't . . . Of course people made fun of us when we were back in Harrisburg, but look where we are now, you know what I'm saying?''

Michaels, 23, and drummer Rikki Rockett founded Poison in 1983. That same year they moved to Los Angeles, figuring ''If we were going to have no money, no food and have to sleep on the streets, at least we could pick a warm climate.''

Shortly after relocating they met future Poison members C.C. Deville (guitar) and Bobby Dall (bass).

Apart from their rowdy songs and flamboyant good looks, Michaels attributes Poison's success to their lack of inhibition.

''People want to see you go full-tilt and that's what Poison does . . . Some bands are so nervous about people making fun of them that they put on a lousy show.

''Rock 'n' roll should never have any limitations. That's why Elvis took the guitar and not only did he play it, but he swayed his hips with it and he sang cool songs and he did choreography. When you start holding yourself back, then you lose the meaning of rock 'n' roll.''

The members of Ratt - Steve Piercy (lead singer), Warren Di Martini (lead guitar), Juan Crocier (bass), and Bobby Blotzer (drums) and Crosby - formed the band during the early '80s while they were living in San Diego.

Shortly afterward, they moved to Los Angeles, where they all lived in a garage. Together, they starved and overworked themselves. Both factors, says Crosby, inspired their music. ''It came from being young, frustrated, hard- working punk rockers and not having any food or beers or any money or anyone trying to get in our pants.''

Both Ratt and Poison believe that they are important figures in the new wave of hard-rock which has lately been referred to as ''glam metal.''

Says Michaels: ''We're one of the first bands that came out and said you can look any way you want and sound any way you want and you don't have to look like Poison.''

Says Crosby: ''What's going on now is a result of what Motley Crue and ourselves did in 1983 and they (newer bands like Poison) have taken it a step further . . . At that time, it was different from what was going on in rock 'n' roll, which was basically studs and leather . . . We like to feel responsible for the whole glam movement even thought we don't consider ourselves a part of it because there's nothing new about it as far as we're concerned.''

Both bands also believe that their live shows are a lot of fun. ''It's an outlet for having a good time and enjoying yourself with no repression,'' Crosby says of a typical Ratt concert.

Michaels describes Poison's live show more explicitly. ''We have a big stage, I mean a BIG stage and big props and big stairs on the sides of the drums and then the drums are in the middle of this huge riser and the riser moves out in front and it has a big Poison sign underneath with moving lights, like neon things that glow, and the railings shine and there's lights shining on that. It's big, it's huge, it's nice. And there's a big cut-out of a nude girl holding a Poison sign that just barely covers her chest.''