Where the Down Boys Go

My good friend in Hollywood land, Los Angeles Daily News rock and sports writer Gerry Gittelson, has been a big supporter of Warrant since the group's early days on the Sunset Strip. Gittelson says he is thrilled singer Jani Lane has rejoined the band.

Gittelson hung out with the Down Boys on Wednesday in Los Angeles while the band was doing the Rockline radio show with legendary D.J.Bob Coburn.

"I haven't seen Warrant sounding this good and being this fired up since their first arena tour backing-up Motley Crue way back in 1990 or 1991," Gittelson reports. "It felt like we all fell into a time capsule. Everyone in the band looks great and is well-fit: Jani Lane, guitarists Erik Turner and Joey Allen, bassist Jerry Dixon and drummer Steven Sweet. Jani's voice sounded amazing. Listening to 'Heaven,' it sounded so believable it was like the band had wrote the song that afternoon!" Gittleson added.

Lucky Gerry is working on a Warrant feature for the Los Angeles Daily News and offers up a few quotes he jotted down.

From Jani: "I feel excellent. It was a little uncomfortable coming back after all this time, but once we had our first rehearsal a month or two ago, it just clicked. It was awesome. ... There was a part of me that thought this would never happen again, but I think we've all grown up. Eventually, we saw it was just a matter of time..."

From Erik Turner: "It's great to have all the guys together. This is the authentic Warrant. I used to dread going to rehearsal, but now I actually like going to rehearsal again. ... I started the band when I was 19 and I' m 44 now, so there are a lot of good memories and few blurry ones, too!"

Remember the 1991 Blood, Sweat and Beers tour? Yeah, I don't either, but it featured Warrant, Firehouse and Trixter. Thinking about the reunited Warrant led me to - where else? - YouTube to hunt down some of that concert footage. At the end of one of the shows, all the bands gathered on stage for a jam session to perform "Fight for Your Right" by the Beastie Boys (great tune)!

I believe this was shot in Lafayette, Indiana but I'm not sure. If you were in the crowd and saw this live - leave me a comment!

By the way...you can read Gerry's article in the coming weeks in both the print and online editions of the Los Angeles Daily News.  

Comments

[Christian]

It was Lafayette, I have the full show on DVD, did I not send you a copy, Ally ?

[Joe]

Great article!!!!!!...So glad to see Warrant are back and Jani is back on the mic with them again..Thanks for the great news Allyson and thanks to Gerry for the awesome interview =)

[Xavier]

Thanks Allyson...that video is soooo GREAT !!!!

[Brandon]

I wasn't at that show but I saw them in Memphis. It was a great show. I've got front row seats to the show at the Wildhorse in Nashville next weekend also. I can't wait.

[Christine]

I was at the Blood, Sweat & Beers tour at Kings Island in Cincinnati. I think I was a freshman in high school! I had 7th row center seats and I had a blast! I vaguely remember them doing the Beastie Boys cover. At the end of the show, they shot confetti out into the crowd...I still have some of the confetti I caught in a scrap book. :) I also caught Jerry Dixon's pick at that show. That's in my scrapbook too.

I saw Firehouse last summer in Michigan and they were surprisingly good. I'd love to see the reunited Warrant live. I hope they make a stop in Columbus. And anyone going to Rocklahoma...make sure you watch Trixter and tell me how they are! I'm SO pissed I won't be able to see them reunite!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :(

Christine
http://hellonhighheels.blogspot.com/

[DrCrue]

What the... how can you say "Me neither" when asking if we remember that '91 tour. Of course we do!! It was one of the few rock tours to ever be featured on pay-per-view, and I remember the commercials. I've seen Warrant play 3 times, both at their peak and at their valley. I wish them nothing but success because those guys deserve another big run.

[George]

I saw this tour on one of the first dates. It was in Bismarck, North Dakota of all places. It was one of my first rock shows ever. It seems like it was such a simpler time back then. Firehouse was up first and I remember me and my friends being blown away that the drummer had glow-in-the-dark sticks. Lol! Trixter had some equipment problems and ended up doing some acoustic stuff with some of Firehouse's gear. And Warrant played a great show and was the first band I ever saw that did the thing where in the middle of the show they played a small stage at the back of the venue for a few songs. I have such fond memories of that show. I was there with some really good friends and it was the last day of junior high for us. It was also probably one of the last good glam concerts we got in Bismarck (most of the bands came through there in their heyday).

It was interesting though for us in Bismarck to see Warrant's rather rapid rise and fall through their concerts there. They came in like 89 as a hot opener for Ratt I think. Then in 91 they sold out the entire arena and were one of the biggest bands. Less than 2 years later they came back with Lynch Mob and Tora Tora and I didn't know anyone who had any desire to go. Another year or two later and they were playing some dinky club in a small town nearby.

I had the opportunity to interview Erik Turner and Jamie St. James last summer and they were pretty cool. They were playing with Firehouse and White Lion. I thought Firehouse sounded pretty good but I just couldn't get into Warrant without Jani. I'd be anxious to see them now. Thanks for the nice trip down memory lane.

[Rob Rockitt]

LOL, I saw the 1991 Blood, Sweat and Beers at the Timberwolf Ampitheater at Kings Island. Firehouse and Warrant were awesome. The best I can recall it was Perry Richardson's birthday at that show. I know all three bands took the stage for a song, but I can't remember which one they did. It was a good concert though.

[Joe]

I saw Warrant and poison in 91 on the 'flesh and blood" tour..Great show and both bands rocked.

[Vicky]

People make fun of me for liking Warrant...but I could care less. I love them! (only WITH Jani though.)

I saw them play when I lived in Hollywood, and they were awesome.

Whoa...as I'm typing this "Uncle Tom's Cabin" is playing on the Boneyard on XM radio. Weird.

[Kenny Ozz]

Jani back in the gold is the best Warrant news in YEARS. The Born Again cd and Jamie St James singing was a joke.

[Kenny Ozz]

That should be back in the FOLD, my bad... lol.

[don]

perhaps by saying me neither she meant that since she was too young to go ..................... remember not everyone is our age, some were little kids when this stuff was popular.

[Allyson]

Christian, I haven't made it through all the DVDs yet. You sent me a lot of stuff!

I think it's funny two people here were at the same show at Kings Island. Sadly, I was too young...about 10 at the time I guess. I did, however, attend a Beach Boys concert at Timberwolf inside of Kings Island. That was with my parents.

- Allyson