It's true that Poison stands as the quintessential '80s glam-metal band. But now it's 2001, and if lead singer Bret Michaels must deal with the kind of oppressive humidity Riverbend experienced Tuesday night, he'll only wear his three-quarter-length white fur coat for one song.

        Whereas the old Poison was a half-and-half mix of women's fashion and pop metal, the band today is free of its once self-imposed sartorial constraints, free to concentrate on recreating all those hits and fan favorites from its glory years.

        And that's what Poison did in the 75-minute headlining set of the Glam Slam Metal Jam bill, which also included Warrant, Quiet Riot, and Enuff Z'nuff.

        It's now a yearly occurence — Poison brings along a few '80s metal bands happy to be drawing breath much less touring, and then the headliners close out the show with a performance that blows away those lesser bands. And as each year passes, Poison seems like less of a joke and more like a classic rock band with a reason for hanging on.

        The year is new, but the set isn't: “Look What the Cat Dragged In,” “I Want Action,” “Something to Believe In,” “Your Mama Don't Dance,”“Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” “Unskinny Bop,” “Nothin' But a Good Time,” “Talk Dirty to Me,” and so on.

        But amid all the hits, classic rockers always try to work in a new, non-hit song, and Poison was no different. Theirs was entitled “I Hate Every Bone in Your Body but Mine,” sung by guitarist C.C. DeVille. They debuted the song last year, and a good portion of the crowd recognized it this time around, making the new, non-hit song experience not so painful.

        Quiet Riot put on the second-best performance. Their only problem is a big one: They lack good material. But they were able to fill 45 minutes, highlighted by the two Slade covers they turned into hits for themselves: “Cum on Feel the Noize” and “Mama Weer All Crazee Now.”

        Warrant probably would have also struggled to do a decent 45 minutes. Unfortunately, they had an hour-long slot to fill. Beyond “Uncle Tom's Cabin,” “Cherry Pie,” “Heaven,” and “Down Boys,” the Warrant songbook was stretched thin.

        Enuff Z'nuff, Chicago's meager entrant in the '80s glam gold rush, did a half-hour of tunes that owed more to straight-ahead rock than the screaming-guitar, screaming-vocal tradition of metal.

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