More Rock the Bayou Photos

I'm taking a day off from writing today to showcase some more of my Rock the Bayou photos, all shot by my husband.

Kix:

Jackyl:

Twisted Sister:

Bret Michaels Band

LA Guns:

Rock the Bayou - Day 4

Rock the Bayou is now over and I'll be back in Ohio soon. On the last day of the festival I saw Bang Tango, Pretty Boy Floyd, Kix, Jackyl, Twisted Sister and Bret Michaels. In the effort of fairness, I will admit I did not watch the full sets of Bang Tango or Jackyl because I was pulled away.

There were not many people in attendance at all on the last day of the fest. In fact, I would guess this was the lightest day attendance-wise of the entire event. Sad considering Kix played and - as expected - owned the crowd.

Back to Pretty Boy Floyd. I've seen this band a whole lot of times. The set is about the same at each show, but that is true for a lot of bands. I was on stage at the beginning of the set and some guy (who I think was the production manager) kept yelling for the band to start - even though they were not tuned up correctly. I am not sure what the big rush was considering there was a giant TBA next on the lineup that was vacated by Firehouse and never filled. At any rate, Pretty Boy Floyd played "48 Hours," "Electric Boyz," "Only the Young," "Toast  of the Town," "Rock n' Roll (Is Gonna Set the Night on Fire)" and more.  The hundred or so people that actually came to watch the show seemed to enjoy themselves and there was a giant line at the merchandise booth right after the show. Later that day I saw a lot of people wearing Pretty Boy Floyd shirts, so I guess that means the band did good sales-wise.

Kix were my main band of the day. In fact, they were - along with Alice Cooper - my main band of the entire festival. People, Kix gave the best show you didn't see.  I went on stage  to watch Kix - and that was a toss-up.  Would the sound be good? Would I be able to hear well? In the end, I think going to the wings was the right decision. My husband watched from both the stage and the pit and he said the performance was awesome from any angle. I believe him.

Now, let me say this: if you had tickets to Rock the Bayou and you didn't bother to show up for Kix, then you lost big. The crowd was small when the band first started to play, but people did fill in - still, more people should have watched the dirty boys from the underground. I don't get it. People get the rare opportunity to see a band that tours very little outside of the eastern seaboard and they blow it. At least Dee Snider and a lot of other musicians had the sense to watch Kix perform. Of the crowd that was there - not a single person was sitting.

The band played nearly the same set as they did at Rocklahoma. This included "Same Jane," "Hot Wire," "Cold Shower," "Sex," "The Itch," "Blow My Fuse," "Girl Money," "Don't Close Your Eyes" and a little longer version of "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah."
 Now, at Rocklahoma, Kix played in the pouring rain. At Rock the Bayou, the outer bands of Hurricane Gustav threatened - but not for long. A few drops of rain and a little wind was all Kix had to deal with this time around.

Remember I said Dee Snider was watching from the wings? Well, he came out on stage to sing a little with Steve Whiteman. Later that night, Steve returned the favor during Twisted Sister's set. 

Steve sounded really good yesterday. If I recall correctly, he did make one comment about the small crowd, but the band didn't ramp down their enthusiasm any because the attendance sucked. If anything, it seemed like Kix were actually playing harder to make an impression on those people that came out to watch. Hands down, Kix gave the best show of the day. Yes, they were better than Twisted Sister - and please believe they were about a million times better than Bret Michaels. Someone give these boys a headline spot. It's ridiculous for them to play at 4 in the damn afternoon.

Jesse James Dupree apparently fell and hurt his ribs just a couple days before Rock the Bayou. He was taped up under his customary black tank - and he was hurting. Jesse usually jumps around stage a lot - but yesterday he ramped it down for the sake of health. I give him much props for performing in extreme pain. You better believe that ten seconds after "The Lumberjack" Jesse was ready to leave. I don't blame him. For the record, the crowd did a fill in a little more for Jackyl - but not by much. It seemed like general admission was basically bare. At any rate, when Jesse cut up the stool with his chainsaw, the people down front wrestled for a piece of the wood. I'm not sure what you would do with a hunk of wood - but hey, at least these people are true fans.

Twisted Sister played after Jackyl. I expected a capacity crowd - but that didn't happen. Twisted Sister are like Kix: they don't perform much during the year. Twisted Sister's set was shorter than when they played at Rocklahoma 2007. This time, the Christmas songs were gone and so were extended versions of a lot of their most popular songs. The band played "SMF," "The Price," "We're Not Gonna Take It," "I Wanna Rock," "You Can't Stop Rock n' Roll" and "Burn in Hell." For "Burn in Hell," the light crew messed up the cues and failed for make the stage all black and red. Twisted's tour manager was motioning he entire time - it was eventually corrected. Twisted Sister were good - but not better than Kix and certainly not better than their Rocklahoma 2007 headline appearance.

Bret Michaels and his band played the same set as they did at Rocklahoma. This includes a bunch of cover songs and Poison standards like "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," "Unskinny Bop" and "Nothin' But a Good Time." I found myself sitting for about half of Bret's show. The Rock of Love talk in between songs was driving me nuts, as were the women Big John brought out on stage. Somewhere along the line, Bret forgot he was a musician first and "reality TV star" second. The stage banter is the same for his solo shows as it is during Poison, too. I would think something could change. Bret also sounded hoarse again. As expected, he admitted he had just performed six shows in a row.  When you are a singer, you have to protect your voice. I know Bret doesn't need money that bad. I think when you come out on stage, go through the motions and sound like crap - it's a cash grab. This makes me sad because I love Poison, but at Rock the Bayou, I just wasn't feeling it at all. Again, Kix should have closed the show. Maybe next year the promoters will pick a headliner that doesn't go through the motions. I guarantee Kix wouldn't go through the motions.

Rock the Bayou - Day 3

Day three of Rock the Bayou is over and the festival is nearing a close. Yesterday I saw Dangerous Toys, LA Guns, Slaughter, Yngwie Malmsteen, Warrant and Alice Cooper. Of these acts, LA Guns and Alice Cooper were the best. In fact, seeing Alice Cooper for the first time was a life changing event. I’ve been to a lot of shows – and I’ll say this – Alice Cooper was the single best performance I’ve ever seen in my life. Truly phenomenal.

Dangerous Toys and Malmsteen were ok, but Slaughter and Warrant were bad. Actually, Slaughter was listenable but Warrant was a train wreck. Jani Lane can sing when he wants – and I guess last night he didn’t “want!” He was skipping words and even the rest of the band seemed to be phoning in the performance. Yes, the band did “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” “I Saw Red,” “Down Boys” and “Cherry Pie.” Obviously, “Cherry Pie” was the last song – and Jani was messing up the words. Now, it’s one thing if you can’t hear yourself in the monitor. It’s another to just be blatantly wrong. I didn’t write “Cherry Pie.” I can’t even play “Cherry Pie” on my bass – but I know this: if you wake me from a dead sleep, I will still be able to sing all the words to “Cherry Pie” – backward!

Before I talk about Alice – I want to give some props to my boys in LA Guns. Tracii’s version played Rock the Bayou, and if you are a regular reader here, you know that I think this is the real version of the band. About an hour before LA Guns were slotted to play, I had a little lunch at McDonalds. Apparently, LA Guns were hungry, because they came in to eat too. It was sort of amusing, watching Tracii Guns hold a Happy Meal. I left the restaurant the same time as the band, and my husband held the door for the band. Right after LA Guns piled into their 15 passenger van, some random McDonalds employee came out and yelled to the driver “Who are they?!” and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.

Tracii’s LA Guns always put on a good show. The addition of Marty Casey is a great boon. The band played:

No Mercy
Fire It Up
One More Reason
You Can’t Always Get (What You Want)
Ballad of Jayne
Shut the Fuck Up (performed by my future ex-husband Jeremy Guns)
Sex Action
Electric Gypsy
Trees
Never Enough
Rip and Tear

I went into the pit to watch LA Guns, but went back to my seat by “One More Reason” to get better sound quality. LA Guns played right in the heat of the day, just before three and it was very hot during their show. Because of this, the crowd was very light, which is too bad. A lot of people missed a great performance. I hope this version of LA Guns comes back around to my hometown soon. I get a kick out of watching Tracii play his guitar.

The crowd was sparse all day long – again…but did fill in nicely for Alice Cooper. In fact, it seemed like 80% of the people at the fest waited until just before Alice’s set to come out and see the show. Security started cracking down on people right before Alice. I also had to get a special pass to take photos of the performance. For much of the day, security would let at least a few people up front to the barrier. For Alice, security guards were actually going into rows and checking people’s tickets.

Here is what Alice performed (*I think this is accurate. I was trying not to miss the show by writing a lot):

It's Hot Tonight
No More Mr. Nice Guy
Under My Wheels
I'm Eighteen
Is It My Body?
Woman Of Mass Distraction
Lost In America
Feed My Frankenstein
Be My Lover
(In Touch With Your) Feminine Side
Dirty Diamonds
Vengeance Is Mine
Halo Of Flies
Drum Solo
Welcome To My Nightmare
Cold Ethyl
Only Women Bleed
Steven
Dead Babies
Ballad Of Dwight Fry
Devils Food
Killer
I Love The Dead
School's Out
Billion Dollar Babies
Poison
Elected

Now, I knew Alice Cooper would do a good show. I just didn’t know how good. My Glam, what I saw last night was a show. The band was so tight – and guitarist Keri Kelli so strong – the theatrics were just the icing on the cake.

Alice sounded so strong in voice, the performance was truly mesmerizing. When Alice first came out, the crowd was going bonkers, but as the show went along, people just started standing and watching – not out of boredom, but because people were afraid to miss anything! Truly, I’ve never experienced that during a headline act. Women that were previously standing on chairs and hopping around were now subdued – because Alice had complete control of the festival. We were in his nightmare alright – and it was magically fabulous. Let me reiterate: this was the single best show I have ever seen in my life. I wasn’t a massive Alice Cooper fan before last night – but by the time I was back in my rental SUV, I was thinking that I need an Alice box set.

Much respect is due to Alice Cooper’s backing band, too. Talk about phenomenal musicians. The drum solo was great – and at the end guitarists Kelli and Jason Hook played the drums, too. It’s one thing to be entertained. It’s another to get your money’s worth. Alice gave everyone in the crowd both -- and I am secure in saying he saved the entire festival.

Rock the Bayou - Day 2

Day two of Rock the Bayou - and the heat persists. I'm thinking that an industrious person could make a fine living by having a giant festival in October or early November. I bet the crowds would be huge and beer sales spike. Think about it: enjoying your favorite bands and not sweating your entire body weight? Good times. I think me and my husband spent around 30 bucks on water and Gatorade yesterday alone- I consider that money well spent.

Yesterday, I arrived during Enuff Z' Nuff and also saw Great White, Dokken, Lita Ford and Sammy Hagar.

I am not a huge Enuff Z' Nuff fan, but I have to admit the band sounded really good. Of course, me and about 100 other people saw them - I guess because of the heat. The low attendance at this event is blowing me away. Houston is a world-class city, but it seems even the locals are not coming out to party. I've been watching the shows with regular Bring Back Glam! reader Kari - she came from New Orleans and brought a ton of friends with her. So, every person I've met and spoken with at this event has traveled for the fun. Where are the locals?

Back to Enuff Z' Nuff. The band played a track off their new album called "High" as well as "Fly High Michelle"  and "Baby Loves You." Donnie Vie wasn't playing his guitar - at least not during the parts of the show that I saw. He did continually say "Where are all the people?" Donnie also said "Let's all go to one of this little side stages and this whole thing will look a little more professional." I guess he didn't like performing for just a handful of people. I don't blame him. 

Great White were awesome as always. Sadly, they played right at the apex of the heat of the day - so again, the crowd was sparse, although the seats did fill in a little toward the end of their set. The band played every song you would expect, including "On Your Knees," "Rock Me" and "Once Bitten, Twice Shy." Great White didn't stick around very long. Their set started right around 4:15 and they were showered and left the venue via 15 passenger van by 6:45. I guess waiting for a hurricane in the oppressive heat wasn't in their rider!

Dokken was next. I've seen Dokken more times this summer than I could ever imagine. First at Rocklahoma, then with Poison and now here at Rock the Bayou. Their Rock the Bayou performance was easily the worst of the three - but that was not the fault of the band. No, the sound was absolutely heinous and it seemed that no one knew how to correct the issue. Don Dokken spent the entire set annoyed - and again, I don't blame him. He repeatedly said "We've got a million dollar PA and a five dollar mic. This is amateur hour!"  Dokken  soldiered on and performed "Tooth and Nail," "Into the Fire," "Breakin the Chainz," "Dream Warriors," "Just Got Lucky" and more. 

The sound wasn't fixed from Dokken and the crap audio continued for Lita Ford. Now, I'm not a big Lita fan but I think it's great that a woman can get on stage and rock with the boys. I love that she plays guitar while singing and looks beautiful while doing it, too. I wasn't that 100% impressed with Lita at Rocklahoma - but her show was during the pouring rain. I figured she was holding a little back then because of the bad weather. Last night, I felt just found plain bad for Lita. The venue - I think - botched her introduction tape. It sounded like it skipped a little and she didn't have her pyro show, either. So far, no one has had pyro, so I am guessing the stage isn't equipped for this. Lita also lacked some personal enthusiasm - and the sparse crowd mainly ended up sitting down for much of the set. Lita did complain about not being able to hear the bass or drums in her monitor - and I believe her. The sound was absolutely atrocious. A bizarre keyboard solo didn't help the show. I swear, that solo sounded like Halloween music on crack. At any rate, Lita did get a little more excited toward the end of the set when she performed "Close My Eyes Forever" and then "Kiss Me Deadly." I do remember looking behind me right before the conclusion of this performance - and was stunned at how empty the seats were.

Sammy Hagar headlined night two of Rock the Bayou. I figured the crowd would be bonkers...but still, not many people in the seats - even for the headliner. At least, no one was shoved up against me. Perhaps more people decided to stand on the lawn because this was a little cooler. Anyway, Sammy was awesome (as I expected) and here was his set:

I Can't Drive 55
One Way to Rock
I'll Fall In Love Again
Three Lock Box
Whole Lotta Love
Why Can't This Be Love?
Sam I Am
Rock Candy
Where Eagles Fly
Serious Juju
Right Now
Heavy Metal
Mas Tequila
(You Gotta Fight) For Your Right (To Party)

I've only ever seen Sammy Hagar with Van Halen - but I knew his show with the Waboritas would be good. I was right. Sammy sounded great last night and put on a nice, high energy show. Even though he played in the dark, Sammy even commented on the extreme heat - and this guy plays in Cabo San Lucas! Even still, I envied the people lucky enough to stand behind Sammy during his set. My guess is that those people were a) festival sponsors or b) fan club members. Whatever the case, they were average joes and seemed to be having the time of their collective lives.

Sammy didn't get political, but he did say to do some work "in your communities." This was promptly followed by "Right Now." The band didn't exactly do the Van Halen version of the song - it was more of a breakdown - a little slower, with more soul.

Sammy shot some confetti into the crowd, wore his big Cat in the Hat red hat and played the hell out of his guitar.  Mercifully his sound was fixed. I'm guessing someone from his crew took over - and thank goodness. Sammy was a great choice as a headliner. I just wish more people had come out to support him - and live music.

Rock the Bayou - Day 1

Day one of Rock the Bayou is in the history books. Before I say anything else - let me make this point: I have never endured heat like this in my life. I thought Rocklahoma was bad for heat. I was wrong. I knew it would be hot in Houston in August...but yesterday's temperatures were so extreme, I could barely take it. My glam, I'm a yankee! I endure snow and crisp, fall air. I don't know how to survive 15 hours in 98 degree heat. Let me further say that Eric and I typically take a Caribbean  vacation each August. It's hot there to be sure, but maybe I never noticed the oppressive temperatures because I didn't stand outside all day long in it. Whatever the case, kudos to the native Houstonians who acted like it was about 65 degrees.

Yesterday, I saw Jetboy, Gilby Clarke, Lynch Mob, Y&T, Skid Row, Ratt and Queensryche. Faster Pussycat were also scheduled for the main stage, but a flight delay kept them from making their slot so I watched them on a very tiny side stage. Their set was short, too. I also watched a little of Dirty Penny's set on a side stage. More on that in a moment.

Now, let's talk about the crowds. I got to the festival early. I had to claim my media credentials and get situated. I also like to learn the lay of the land and explore options for merchandise, food, beer and other activities. I don't expect a capacity crowd at 11 a.m. Still, I was getting concerned by 3 when only a few hundred people were milling around. By the time Skid Row performed, the festival was starting to fill up but when I went back to my seat during RATT after watching some other bands, I was stunned at how empty the seats were. A lot of people were watching from the lawn, but I wouldn't put the total crowd past five thousand people.

Jetboy sounded good, but it was clear they were stalling. I was just thinking their set seemed awfully long for an opening band when Mickey Finn announced that "Faster Pussycat forgot to show up." Later on we learned of the travel mess. This travel glitch just meant Jetboy went on a little later, but this also got the schedule about 30 minutes behind. This, in turn, meant that there was more overlap between headline acts and side stage bands.

It's been awhile since I've seen a recent photo of Gilby Clarke. I was taken aback at how much he sort of looks like a hippie these days. I always think of him as he was in the "November Rain" video. To that end, Gilby and his band played some Guns N' Roses tunes, as well as his solo work.

I went to the barrier for Lynch Mob. This was a band I missed at Rocklahoma because they played during the massive rainstorm and I was reporting for this website at the time. Anyway, I really wanted to see Lynch Mob and they did deliver the goods. The small - but rowdy crowd - sang along to "Wicked Sensation." This was probably the highlight of the set for me. I could have gotten a guitar pick if I didn't have to leave the front because of heat.

I was in the media tent for much of Y&T, but I did hear a few songs, including "Summertime Girls." There was one man who stood at the barrier between the general admission side and media credentials-only area for hours. I walked past him a lot and noticed he was holding a classic "Yesterday and Today" photo. I'm sure he was trying to get it autographed. I hope it worked out for him. I wanted to attend the band's press conference, but it was running behind and I didn't want to miss Skid Row.

Johnny Solinger is a native Texan and he had the crowd whipped up pretty good. By this time it was about 147 degrees. It's always amusing to watch very drunk people in extreme heat. They peter out pretty quickly. True to form, the annoying man that was elbowing me all through Skid Row was passed out during Queensryche. When I walked beside him, I laughed out loud. You have to pace yourself at festivals - especially multi-day events. You have to drink water during the heat of the day and get into some air conditioning when possible. If you don't take precautions, you'll end up missing most of the fun. 

Anyway, Skid Row performed everything you would expect, like "Youth Gone Wild" and "18 and Life." The band did "I Remember You" mainly acoustic and played an extended jam version of "Monkey Business." All in all, a good set.

So, after this it was time to truck through tall grass and uneven ground to see Faster Pussycat. I expected Taime Downe to be a little upset but he seemed jolly and actually apologized for not being on the main stage. I'm not so sure why he apologized because the flight delays were not his fault, but it is what it is I guess. Faster Pussycat played "Porn Star,"  "House of Pain" and  "Bathroom Wall." With that I beat it across the field to see Dirty Penny.

Now, this is when the schedule got bonkers: Dirty Penny and RATT ended up playing at the same time, so I tried to see both. This isn't the easiest thing to accomplish in the world. So, after I heard DP play a couple songs including "Sleaze Disease" I went back to my seats for RATT. I felt a little bad for Dirty Penny: they were expecting  a decent crowd and the way things happened, only about 30 people got to seem them. That's a shame since they are making good, modern Glam.

By the time I got to RATT, the band was on "Sweet Cheater." The set was long and included "Lay It Down," "Tell the World," "Nobody Rides for Free" "You're In Love" and, of course, "Round and Round." Stephen Pearcy sounded pretty good last night and new guitarist Carlos Cavazo seemed to fit right in.

Queensryche were doing a best-of set last night. They performed their most famous songs including "Bridge," "Jet City Woman" and "I Don't Believe In Love." Geoff Tate sounded pretty good last night, but his theatrical facial expressions were distracting me. I expected the facial expressions when the band did Operation: Mindcrime at Rocklahoma, but for a regular, fun rock show...I just want spontaneity. Hell, maybe Geoff has to make those facial expressions to hit those notes. After all, he does have one of the best voices in rock. 

I  hope the sound is fixed for the rest of the festival. At all side stages, the sound is way over modulated and it sounds pretty wacky from the main stage, too. Also, I've got to criticize now: the VIP seating is folding chairs, which is fine. The issue is that the seats are on a wood platform...and someone decided to paint that platform black. Eric's shoes actually melted to the platform, so the rest of the day he was shuffling his feet around a lot to make sure he didn't get stuck. The black platform  made it feel 10 degrees hotter than the actual temperature. One more thing: the security guards were originally telling people they couldn't take drinks to their seats. You need water when it is so hot. This eventually got situated and we were allowed to take drinks to the seats - but for a few hours, this was miserable - and potentially dangerous.

New Buckcherry Video

Like Buckcherry?

The sleazy rockers have a new video available for the track "Don't Go Away." The song is Black Butterfly, which is out in just a couple weeks. Click to watch below. (You will be directed to MSN - the exclusive provider of this new clip).

'Don't Go Away' by Buckcherry

What did you think? I like the song a lot - I have high hopes for Black Butterfly. Be sure to check back soon for an album review. I'll also be seeing the band live again at X Fest (with Avenged Sevenfold) here in Dayton, Ohio. Should be a great show!

On the Road to Rock the Bayou...

If you're reading this while having your morning coffee at work, there's a good chance I'm in transit to Rock the Bayou in Houston, Texas.

During the festival, I'll provide comprehensive reviews and photos of the main stage acts - as well as showcase as many of the side stage bands as possible.

Artists slated to perform during Rock the Bayou include:

Alice Cooper, Sammy Hagar, Twisted Sister, Queensryche, Lita Ford, RATT, Bret Michaels, Kix, Dangerous Toys, Jetboy, Skid Row, Y&T, LA Guns and many, many more. 

If everything works as planned, I'll be able to bring you some backstage interviews, too. 

Remember, you can get real-time  updates by following Bring Back Glam! on Twitter.

Stay tuned!