80s rock is more than alive and well. It’s robust and thriving with an audience still ready to live it up 30 years later. The Enchanted Rockfest line-up at the Cedar Park Center on April 24, 2016 was Bret Michaels, Ratt, Warrant, FireHouse, Jack Russell’s Great White, and SteelHeart. Six rock bands in one place with a minimalist stage, no pyrotechnics, no fancy video screens, just gritty, loud rock ‘n’ roll. The venue was packed with mostly the generation that watched MTV for their favorite video to come on so they could hit “record” on their VHS tape, or play cassettes in their car on a cockeyed aftermarket cassette deck that didn’t quite fit in the dash right.
I was at the rail and ready to rock. The first band was SteelHeart and admittedly for this band, I was there to hear one song, “I’ll Never Let You Go (Angel Eyes).’’ Miljenko Matijevic delivered it with a belting vocal punch and I was more than satisfied hearing it sung in person. I could tell there were some diehards in the audience who seemed to have come specifically to see this band and I was glad to see them look fully contented.
I was at the rail and ready to rock. The first band was SteelHeart and admittedly for this band, I was there to hear one song, “I’ll Never Let You Go (Angel Eyes).’’ Miljenko Matijevic delivered it with a belting vocal punch and I was more than satisfied hearing it sung in person. I could tell there were some diehards in the audience who seemed to have come specifically to see this band and I was glad to see them look fully contented.
Next was Jack Russell’s Great White. Obviously, there are some legal issues with the band name, but to me it really was Great White. After all, Jack Russell is their lead singer and is truly the face of the band to me, but more on that topic later. Jack looked a little worse for wear, but in a gnarled, older tree kind of way where you felt mad respect for him. His vocals were on point. The last I had really heard of Great White was when tragedy struck over a decade ago with a fire that broke out that killed 100 people, including one of their own band members. With respect for the tragedy, I was more than glad to have a different, joyful memory of this band. Hits like “Rock Me” and “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” went over huge with the crowd.
It was now time for FireHouse. I had visions of the woman scorned who set a house aflame in the video “Don’t Treat Me Bad” and the big curly hair of the lead singer, C.J. Snare. I was pleasantly surprised to see his updated look and their sound for “Love of A Lifetime” and “When I Look Into Your Eyes” was grittier and more appealing than the original playfulness I remembered. And yes, “Don’t Treat Me Bad” was gratifying and full of audience participation.
Warrant was next, and with the exception of Bret Michaels, this was the band I was looking forward to the most.
Warrant was next, and with the exception of Bret Michaels, this was the band I was looking forward to the most.
I was curious what they would be like after the death of Jani Lane. I think we all fell in love with Jani when they released the video for “Heaven.” Who could forget his head-to-toe white leather outfit and piercing blue eyes? The new lead singer is Robert Mason, with a musical pedigree in his own right, and he did quite well making the songs sound true to the original. The presence of other founding members made it more acceptable and legitimate to me. Fans loved all the popular singles, including “Heaven,” “Down Boys,” and their smash hit, “Cherry Pie.” My small paper sign (remember the days of bringing posters, or even sheets to concerts?) asking for “Sometimes She Cries” was not fulfilled. The crew was kind enough to give me the set list and oddly the song I wanted was crossed off with a silver Sharpie. Ouch! Maybe they were short on time or thought it was one ballad too many? Rest assured bassist Jerry Dixon’s trademark thick eyebrows were there, but I must admit that I was surprised to see guitarist Joey Turner with no hair whatsoever. He had a long blond mane the last time I saw him.
Ratt, the last band before Bret Michaels was now up. I was extremely skeptical of Ratt with its current line-up. The only original member is drummer Bobby Blotzer. As I previously mentioned, lead singer continuity is nearly essential to a band that spans several decades. Yes, the drummer is the heartbeat of the band, but what would “Round and Round” sound like without Stephen Pearcy, I wondered? When they took the stage, a very young lead singer, Josh Alan, came out with lots of energy and big shoes to fill. I had trouble accepting this band as the Ratt I knew and loved, but Josh did his best by noticeably and sincerely trying extra hard to connect with the crowd. I got three hand slaps alone by him. He also took two cell phones from fans up on stage to record one-of-a-kind footage, including a Face-Time call for those lucky ducks. I sang along to all the songs and tried to give Bobby credit for keeping the legacy alive and he did “Lay It Down” the best he could.
Time for the headliner, Bret Michaels! The stage backdrop was a little over-the-top for me. There were six life-size posters of the man himself, 3 each on either side of the drum kit. Well, the man does have a big personality, so I just rolled with the campiness of it. I have seen Poison or Bret Michaels about half a dozen times and knew Bret would bring it. He not only brought it, but he laid it down on the floor and showed us all what being a seasoned and professional rock star looks like. He and his band came out with so much energy, that you would’ve thought they were in their 20’s. Members of the Bret Michaels Band pounded on their instruments with triumphant fervor and Bret jumped up and down while on the catwalk like he’s never been in better shape. In 2010 we almost lost him a few times due to health issues. He connected with the crowd like a superhero, making it very personal for both him and the fans. He described nearly every song’s origin and referred to Poison frequently, though it’s unclear when or if the members of Poison will tour together. He also thanked our U.S. troops in the audience (Bret wears his heart on his sleeve for their sacrifice at every show I’ve been to), did all the fan favorites, including “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn” (written in Texas), “Nothin’ But a Good Time” (fans from the crowd were invited up to help sing this song), “Fallen Angel,” and even “Look What the Cat Dragged In” from Poison’s debut album.
This man truly seems to have nine lives. Other highlights included an unprecedented invitation to the pit photographers to come up on stage to take photographs. They were as enamored by him as the fans. He even led them down the catwalk for an even more personal experience. Also, it was really cool to see Eric Brittingham of Cinderella. He took the stage for a cover of Kiss’ “Rock and Roll All Nite.” Bret explained that their current bassist was going home after this show to take care of his child recently diagnosed with Diabetes (an issue near and dear to Bret, as he has had Diabetes since childhood), and that Eric would be taking over on bass for the remainder of the tour.
All in all, this was six hours of rock ‘n’ roll fun, call-to-arms songs, and familiar melodies that pulled up plenty of nostalgia. Memories of past concerts were brought current with a new, heartfelt night of entertainment. I felt blessed to see such an impressive line-up. Cedar Park is a suburb to Austin, TX, the “live music capital of the world,” and I saw numerous local bands in the audience. Many of whom are my friends and do covers of all the bands that played there that night. I felt like my tribe had been reunited with part of our original tribe that had helped to kick-start the love of rock in all of us. In the words of Bret Michaels, “…and it don’t get better than this!”