Glam Slam Metal Jam fans party like it’s 1989

August 2, 2001

By PHIL LUCIANO

Journal Star critic

PEORIA - If glam metal died in the early ’90s, Peoria forgot to read the obituary.

Though hair bands get little airplay anymore, more than 5,000 headbangers flocked to the Peoria Civic Center on Tuesday for the Glam Slam Metal Jam, headlined by Poison. The Pennsylvania quartet, still in fighting shape a decade after their last CD of new material, dashed onto the stage shortly before 10 p.m. and launched into their earliest hit, "Look What the Cat Dragged In." Twin flashpots burst on either side of a giant "Poison" backdrop as singer Bret Michaels, clad in his trademark white fur coat, galloped to the front of the stage.

Michaels (who quickly gave up his fur for a cooler, if simpler, ensemble of a red tank top and blue jeans), guitarist C.C. DeVille and bassist Bobby Dall rarely stayed in any place for too long, darting hither and yon to grab the attention of fans at every stage angle. As drummer Rikki Rockett pounded away and twirled his sticks, the band enthusiastically blasted through its litany of hits ("Unskinny Bop," "Fallen Angel," "Something to Believe In"), plus a few lesser gems for the die-hards ("I Want Action," "Ride the Wind," "Cry Tough") - and even a new tune, "Rock Star," which sounds somewhat flat on CD but came alive when fleshed out in concert.

Poison’s light, simple music isn’t by any stretch of the imagination in the league of a Springsteen or a Dylan. But the band’s mark of distinction always has been sincerity, and it delivered each tune Tuesday with the exuberance of a group of 20-somethings on tour for the first time.

Warrant, the Los Angeles quintet that preceded Poison onstage, also exuded high energy. Though the band sounded tight, frontman Jani Lane rushed though ballads like "I Saw Red" and "Heaven" as if glumly forced to play the tunes because of their popularity.

Lane - in good shape, though with thinner hair than in the band’s heyday - preferred to concentrate on heavier material, such as "Uncle Tom’s Cabin" and "Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich." Fans dutifully bopped their heads in time to the music, but spent most of the 45-minute set content to stay in their seats.

Not so for Quiet Riot, who had the crowd on its feet and pumping fists to old standards like "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)" and "Cum on Feel the Noize." A spirited take on "Slick Black Cadillac" made for a highlight, whereas the new "Feel the Pain" sounded like a rehash of "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)."

Kevin Dubrow, the wild-eyed leader of the California outfit, still knows how to work a crowd like a pro, twirling his striped mike stand with the skill of a drum majorette and cajoling the cheering audience with comments like, "I’m just going to go under the assumption that everyone here likes music from the 1980s - and I’m not talking about Flock of Seagulls!"

Chicago stalwarts Enuff Z’Nuff opened the night, hitting the stage just after 6 p.m. as many fans were still trickling into the Civic Center. The band boasted fine musicianship, though its Beatle-esque pop seemed out of place with the metal acts that followed.