Rocklahoma 2008 - Sunday

Rocklahoma 2008 is in the history books, and this remains true: Kix were the best band at the festival...but Tesla gave them a run for their "funny" money.

Bands set to perform on the final day of Rocklahoma included Axe, Zebra, UFO, Steelheart, Ace Frehley, Tesla and Queensryche. Lynam also got to play in a makeshift side stage.

I didn't see Axe and only half saw Zebra, so I can't really pass judgement there. UFO was a band I was least interested in watching, but I have to admit they were quite good. UFO performed "Mother Mary," "When Daylight Goes to Town," "Hard Being Me," "This Kids," "Only You Can Rock Me," "Baby Blue," "Too Hot to Handle," "Lights Out," "Love to Love" and "Rock Bottom." Christian was riled that UFO didn't play "Doctor, Doctor" but the band probably ran out of time: "Rock Bottom" seemed to go on forever and a day. Phil Mogg's stage banter was actually funny and provided a nice detraction from the heat. Happily, the band sounded tight.

Steelheart were great - and the crowd was quite sizable for them. Lead singer Milli road in on a motorcycle and then proceeded to wail the entire set. During "I'll Never Let You Go,"  Milli went into the crowd to sing and take photos with fans. The band closed with "Blood Pollution" from the movie Rock Star. Steelheart was out of time by this point but fans kept chanting "One more song!" It was definitely a few minutes before anyone could tell if the band would be allowed back on stage. In the end, they were not.

I had no desire to watch Ace Frehley because I don't like Frehley's Comet but it turns out Ace did mostly KISS songs during his set. He and his band performed "Shout It Out Loud," "Duece" and "Cold Gin." The crowd reaction was very good for Ace and it seemed like most people were happily singing along to the KISS tunes. I'm not sure who the members of Ace's backing band are, but it should be noted that they handle a lot of the singing duties.

Lynam was able to perform on a *tiny* make-shift side stage in one of the beer tents. The band made the best of things, and a small crowd of die hards stood in a mud pit to support the southern band. Lynam's set wasn't very long because they were trying to get done before Tesla, but they did perform "Tanis," "Better" and a cover of "We're Not Gonna Take It." I'm very happy they were allowed to perform in spite of the storm. Now, more people know of one of my favorite bands.

Now, Tesla. I think the crowd was at its largest all weekend in preparation for Tesla. The lawn seemed heavily populated, and many of the seats seemed crammed. Tesla performed "Comin' At You Live," "Into the Now," "Gettin' Better," "Hang Tough," "Mama's Fool," "Heaven's Trail," "Love Song," "Little Suzi," "Signs," "Man Out of Time" and "Modern Day Cowboy."  From the second the band hit the stage, Tesla gave an over-the-top, high energy performance. Moreover, the crowd actually seem excited. This isn't to say that other bands failed to excite, rather, Tesla impressed. Rocklahoma was my first time seeing Tesla live, and I didn't know what to expect. I'd heard that Jeff Keith's voice was shot - but this is not the case! By the time Tesla was done, people were demanding more songs. I heard people around me say "Tesla should have closed." I agree.

Queensryche had the responsibility of closing the festival. Last year, Queensryche were a late add and they performed a greatest hits set. This year, they performed Operation: Mindcrime in full. This was my first time seeing the stage production of "Mindcrime" and I'll admit it was very good and interesting - but totally not the right fit for a rock festival. When it's time for Mary to shoot herself, people behind me were screaming "Do it!" "Do it!" That's never a good thing. Still, the band sounded good and Geoff Tate seems to really love musical theatre. I'm not sure how many people followed the story to the conclusion, but the reward was a few of Queensryche's best known songs including "Empire," "Jet City Woman" and "Silent Lucidity."

I'll note here that I was impressed Rocklahoma officials cleaned up the VIP tent so quickly. By Sunday morning, all the water was gone from Saturday's storm and it seemed like the massive amounts of mud on the concrete floor had been washed away. Also, props to the person who quickly erected the small side stages so all the bands could play. The conditions were not ideal, but the show continued as scheduled.  

Rocklahoma 2008 - Saturday

Please believe when I say this was a long and bizarre day. It started out innocently enough, but it seemed like things just kept going downhill all day long.

Bands scheduled for the main stage included Pretty Boy Floyd, Every Mother's Nightmare, Tora Tora, Black n' Blue, Trixter, Lynch Mob, Kix, Lita Ford and Warrant. I was also very excited to see Lynam on the Blastzone stage -- in fact, they were one of the bands I cared about most on the 2008 lineup. They didn't get to play because of a severe storm - and their gear was either badly damaged or destroyed.

It was already unbearably hot during Pretty Boy Floyd. The crowd was sparse, but this set was fun for me because I watched with one of my new friends, thanks to this website. Pretty Boy Floyd performed "Leather Boyz with Electric Toyz," "Toast of the Town," "Rock n' Roll (Is Gonna Set the Night on Fire)," "Your Momma Won't Know," "Wanna Be With You," and "Rock n' Roll Outlaws."

Steve Summers and Kristy Majors seemed excited enough and the show was actually pretty good, especially for 11 a.m. Steve kept stopping the music to throw out Pretty Boy Floyd merch, but I have to give them credit: I don't remember other bands throwing stuff to fans. Pretty Boy Floyd gets mocked quite a lot, but the show was honestly good. The band kept pimping their meet and greet, but since I've met Steve before, I was good. I left the grounds to eat and buy more sunblock instead.

Since I left to actually eat I missed Every Mother's Nightmare. I've not talked to anyone that personally saw the band, so I can pass no fair judgement.

Tora Tora were amazingly good  great. They naturally ended their set with "Walkin' Shoes" and most other songs from the album Surprise Attack. Being a yankee, I always get a kick out of southern accents, so this was a definite plus. It's too bad the heat was so physically oppressive at this time - I didn't even write the set, I was seriously concentrating on not melting.

Last year, Jamie St. James played Rocklahoma with Warrant. This year, he played with his band Black n' Blue. "Wicked Bitch" and "Hold on to 18" were the highlights of their show. Toward the very end of the set, Jamie St. James had to stall because the band's bassist needed oxygen from paramedics. Please believe when I say it was dangerously hot and basically all out miserable  to sit outside. My travel partners and I started leaving sets early to visit the air conditioned tent. Right after Black n' Blue's set, radio DJ and Rocklahoma host Eddie Trunk came onto the main stage and warned everyone to drink lots of water, calm down on the beer consumption and to try and get some shade. I thought at the time this meant something bad had happened and I was right. Apparently, a woman died right around when Every Mother's Nightmare was performing. She had pre-existing medical conditions and the paramedics couldn't save her. I can only imagine the heat didn't help matters.

After Eddie Trunk's warning, Trixter took the stage. When their set began at 5 p.m. the sun was beating down and basically awful. A few songs in and dark clouds rolled in...and it was clear all hell was about to break loose. To be fair to Trixter, I was only half paying attention to their set by this time. I was too busy digging through my bag, hunting down ponchos and passing them to my husband and traveling friend. When the lightning got close and nasty, we left for the tent. We were lucky to get seats before the sky opened up and created havoc. 

I'm from Ohio, so I know that weather can change on a dime. I will be the first person to say that Rocklahoma officials had no control over the storm. Just because you can't control the weather doesn't mean you shouldn't have a plan of attack if things get nasty. Last night was nasty.

Rocklahoma, along with Country Fever and Bikelahoma use a "flag system" to warn concert attendees about dangerous weather. I noticed the flag on the sound booth was changed to yellow - but no one knows what that means. If you are going to go with a color coded system, then people need some sort of explanation as to what the colors mean, and what to do if the system is rolled into action. One tiny flag for ten thousand people isn't going to cut it when the going gets rough. Security guards were checking for wrist bands at the VIP tent - that's fine on any given day and time, but what about when people desperately need some shelter? People without VIP passes were wandering around outside, looking for unstable tents - most of which blew over - and running for cars. Meanwhile, lightning is striking close to the ground, there is metal and electric lines everywhere at a music fest...and no one from Rocklahoma is saying anything to brief the crowd.

I was sitting in the VIP when the winds really picked up and the tent flaps were blown apart. Portions of the giant tent buckled under the massive amount of rain, allowing water to flood the tent. The power kept flickering, so the logical option would be to cut the lights and choose safety over electricity. At one point, a festival worker walked around and said the power was being cut. Everyone waited and went to a seat, but nothing happened. For the most part, everyone at Rocklahoma is an adult - so we've all been through storms before. Still, people were on edge because a tent isn't the best place to be when you're stuck in tornado alley. Again, I place no blame on Rocklahoma for the weather -- I do, however, blame them for not telling fans what to do, how to stay safe, or if the show would continue. 

At one point, my friend Christian and I went to take a peek at the collapsed side stages from the main entrance of the VIP tent. I was expecting to be told I couldn't leave -- instead, a security guard said "Unblock the entrance, either you're in or you're out." I'm in or I'm out? What about "I'm safe?" That statement alone proved that every fan was on their own safety-wise. Not good.

When the weather cleared, I took shots of the storm damage and went back to my hotel to post online. I had friends still at the show that texted me when it resumed. I tried desperately to get an answer as to whether the show would continue last night, and I was either ignored or heard "media are not allowed here now!" 25 security guards milling about the main stage, not a one knew what was going on.

Since I was updating Bring Back Glam! with storm damage information, I missed Lynch Mob. I did, however, make it back for the best band of the day -- Kix!

Kix blew everyone else out of the water (pun intended). During their set, it was a torrential downpour. It was hard to walk and see, it was raining so hard, but faithful rock fans threw on a poncho and braved the storm. Thanks to the terrible rain, I don't have any pictures of the Kix set, and that's a shame. No other band - all weekend - had the energy to match Kix. The band played "Hot Wire," "Sex," "Yeah,Yeah,Yeah," "Cold Shower, "Don't Close Your Eyes" and more. I couldn't keep a set because it was raining so hard. You know a band is damn good when they can excite fans, even in terrible conditions. During Kix, it was pretty clear no one seemed to care it was pouring. I didn't -- in fact, I didn't notice so much that I was soaked to the bone because I was entertained. Steve Whiteman is a mad man on stage. The band has some choreography -- they know what the hell is going on. No worthless stage banter, no long breaks between songs, they just wailed. Exactly as it should be at a festival - especially in inclement weather. As I write this, it is early Sunday, but I will venture to say that Kix will win the award as the best band at Rocklahoma 2008. They should have headlined.

Did I mention it was raining? Glam goodness, I was shivering at this point. I went from feeling sick from the heat, to feeling sick from cold. Between sets, I went back to the VIP tent to get a little dry. Turns out, that's not easy while wearing a soaked poncho.

Lita Ford was one of the most hyped acts at Rocklahoma 2008. Her set had some pyro and she certainly looked beautiful. The storm was causing power problems and her microphone didn't work for a few bars of her first song. She sang "Hungry" and I found it odd that her kids were watching just off stage since the lyrics are pretty raunchy. I missed when Lita sang her big hits like "Kiss Me Deadly" and "Close My Eyes Forever" because I had to go back into the tent. My husband is sick, and he was feeling miserable by this point.

So, we sat and watched wet people drink. After what felt like an eternity, Warrant finally took the stage. They played "I Saw Red," "32 Pennies," "Uncle Tom's Cabin," "Down Boys," "Big Talk," "Heaven" and yes - "Cherry Pie."  This isn't the order or a complete set because I didn't have a notebook thanks to the weather. The good news is that the weather calmed down toward the beginning of Warrant, so everything was just damp. Jani Lane sounded good enough singing, but his odd stange banter made the show drag. I think if the stage banter was eliminated or condensed, the show would have been a lot tighter. Still, I was excited to see Warrant with Jani -- and push come to shove, the Cherry Pie Guy really can still sing.    

Video of Rocklahoma Side Stage Collapse

Here is video of the Rocklahoma side stages just a few minutes after they collapsed due to a severe thunderstorm.

Breaking News: Rocklahoma Side Stages Collapse

PRYOR, Oklahoma - Two side stages collapse at Rocklahoma 2008 when a severe summer storm blasted the area. The Tulsa World reports one person sustained a broken arm.

The severe storm sent thousands of people to tents for cover, most seeking refuge in the "VIP" tent. Despite the storm, only concert attendees with wristbands were allowed into the VIP tent, perhaps the most sturdy structure at Rocklahoma. Strong wind gusts whipped through the area, peeling apart tent flaps, allowing rushing water into the area.

The Tri-Label and Retrospect Records stages both completely collapsed. Damage estimates are unknown.

Thousands of attendees trampled through standing water, uncertain of the evening's outcome. 

Update: concert has resumed as of 8:44 C.S.T.

 

 

Rocklahoma 2008 - Friday

Rocklahoma continues and - thanks to the heat - the mud is finally drying. This isn't to say the grounds are not a mess, - because they still are - and the smell of drying mud in an open field next to some port-a-potties is pretty darn disgusting. I'm not sure the festival has enough port-a-potties to handle the load...many look like they haven't been serviced. Considering the heat...well, you get the idea.

The Friday Rocklahoma line-up looks like this:

XYZ, Armored Saint, Kingdom Come, Living Colour, Night Ranger, Extreme and Triumph. Of these bands, I was most interested in Extreme - but Armored Saint blew everyone out of the water. I didn't watch XYZ, but my husband did take pictures. Some of my friends who were down front for XYZ say they were great! Many seemed shocked that such an early band could pull out a tight performance. Of course, if those same people had seen Armored Saint I'm sure they would agree with me that they owned the Rocklahoma main stage.

Armored Saint performed "March of the Saints," Delirious Nomad," "Reign of Fire," "Creepy Feelings," "Tribal Dance," "Last Train Home," "Symbol of Salvation," "Mad House," and "Can U Deliver." Hearing these songs live is the true essence of Metal. There wasn't any filler, any worthless stage banter...no crap.  The sound was great, the band seemed tight and John Bush was running around like a mad man! When I looked around, I did notice the venue was pretty empty but I suppose that is because of the early time slot.

After Armored Saint the heat was pretty oppressive, so I took refuge inside a tent for awhile. Back out into the heat I went for Kingdom Come. I was not impressed. Ok, so I'm not a huge Kingdom Come fan but I will give any band a chance to impress. So, the Germans flew all the way to America to stand in a hot mud pit and I figure "This is going to be good." Nope. To my knowledge, the band's most famous song is "Get It On," but they played this mid-way through the set, and I swear everyone was sitting down, talking, using their cell phones...Singer Lenny Wolf kept tuning his guitar "because of the humidity." My husband asked me if that meant every other band was just playing out of tune. I snorted. My traveling partner and regular Bring Back Glam! commenter Christian snorted. The people behind me may have also snorted!

Living Colour performed after Kingdom Come. I'm not sure if the sound was mixed exactly right, but I have to say that this is a very talented band of musicians. Finally some dancing music! By the time Living Colour performed it was peak dinner hour, but the venue still looked decently full. When Living Colour played "Cult of Personality" it was like Rocklahoma had once again come alive. Of course, the songs went over better than the stage banter. At one point singer Corey Glover said "...and Barack Obama will be the next president!" This was met with a few boos and then silence. I swear, it was eerily quiet for a rock festival. I, however, yelled my support.

I recently interviewed Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger so I was most looking forward to their performance. Here's what they played:

This Boy Needs to Rock
Sing Me Away
You're Gonna Hear From Me
Rock in America
Coming of Age (Damn Yankees)
Sentimental Street
Touch of Madness
Eddie's Comin' Out Tonight
When You Close Your Eyes
Sister Christian
Don't Tell Me You Love Me

Now, if any band came close to Armored Saint, it's Night Ranger. It doesn't hurt that the band has two badass singers, or that everyone in the audience knew every word to every song. The highlight for me was the Damn Yankees cover - totally unexpected. Makes me wish I was seeing a Damn Yankees reunion this weekend. Good stuff.

So, Extreme have the honor challenge of following Night Ranger and they fell flat. Man, they were bad. I didn't see it happen, but my husband was in the photo pit and he swears he saw Gary Cherone walk into a camera man - get pissed - then slam his mic on stage and walk off. This must have been a quick exchange, because Extreme did play a full set...although it was quite delayed.  Anyway, they played a bunch of new crap songs and everyone sat down. They didn't play "Get the Funk Out" or "Pronograffiti."  They did play "Kid Ego," "It's a Monster," "More than Words," "Am I Ever Gonna Change," "Hole Hearted..." and "Communication Breakdown." Yep, they ended with a cover song. Now, Nuno Bettencourt is one hell of a guitarist. In fact, he's one of the best of the genre...but that doesn't mean he should play six or seven minute solos at a festival show. When he sat down with his guitar and just started playing, the people around me went nuts -- and not in a good way. They were screaming "Nobody cares!" "Playing the fucking song, already!" and "I'm bored!" Guess what? I was bored too. Little did I know my boredom was going to get a lot worse.

Triumph was booked a very long time ago as a headliner. I went to their delayed press conference...only to learn they were excited to play America again. The best part of the press conference was hearing why they were late: apparently their limo driver was pulled over for expired tags, speeding...and more.  They arrived in a limo so I have no idea if they switched drivers, switched cars, or hitched a ride with a rich Tulsa resident...but they did make it to the fest safely.

So, I was expecting a massive laser show as everyone was hyping the fact that Triumph brought their own lights. Well, hell - I have an itty bitty book light - does that make me special too? Anyway, they played a lot of really long songs including "Lay It On the Line," "Allied Forces," "Rocky Mountain Way," "Blinding Light Show," "Hold On" and "Magic Power." They played more but I left. I was seriously having trouble staying awake and there were more interesting things to do over in a friend's camp area. The addition of a cover tune baffled me, but I have to admit it was a high point of the set. At least everyone could sing the words and people actually stood for a few minutes. The mass exodus during Triumph was pretty brutal. Looking into the crowd, you could see massive spaces of empty seats. I will say hearing "Magic Power" live was cool enough, but I just don't think Triumph was the right band for the crowd at Rocklahoma.

 

 

Rocklahoma 2008 - Thursday

After a *very* early flight, I finally landed in Tulsa, Oklahoma for Rocklahoma 2008. It's odd how you can look forward to something for so long, and then when the moment/event/experience finally happens, you don't quite know what to think.

This year, Rocklahoma organizers added a couple bands before the Thursday pre-party because the Rock n' Roll Fantasy Camp stopped in Pryor. I wasn't at the pre-pre party because of work, but literally everyone I've talked to has said both RATT and Faster Pussycat were very good, especially when compared to their respective performances of last year.

On Thursday, these artists performed:

Jet Boy, House of Lords, Vain, Enuff Z' Nuff, LA Guns, Dokken, Sebastian Bach and Bret Michaels. In all irony, this pre-day bill actually shaped up to be about my favorite of the entire festival line-up, save maybe for the bands slated to perform on Saturday.

Just about the second I landed in Tulsa, Oklahoma it started raining. It started raining really hard. I mean, it was bad. It had rained on Wednesday too, so I knew the grounds were already flooded - but I was not prepared for what I saw when I finally made it inside the festival gate.

Rocklahoma 2008 is a true swamp. It's July in Oklahoma, so it was already hot but standing water and rain complicated issues. Festivals are typically drawn out across large parts of open fields - Rocklahoma is no different. To get to the restrooms port a potties, you have to literally wade across acres of land. Trust me when I say this is no easy task. By the end of the night, I had mud in places I can't tell you about, my demin mini- was covered...and it took a 25 minute shower just to hose down.

The show must go on, and it did. Since I had to check-in to the media area, I missed some of the earliest performances in their entirety. Of what I heard of Vain, I was semi-impressed. Davy Vain sounded fairly decent, but was having a hard time getting the crowd whipped up because of the rain and mud. In fact, I'd say there were not more than 500 people watching Vain, which is sort of sad. I'm also told there were even less for Jet Boy. I missed them myself because of a hotel crisis, but that's neither here nor there.

Enuff Z' Nuff with Donnie Vie sounded really good! I'll be the first to admit I'm not a major Enuff Z' Nuff fan, but I was impressed with what I heard. Of course, they played "Fly High Michelle" and were also joined by Steven Adler for a cover of "Come Together" and then Joe Leste of Bang Tango for "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." Both covers got the crowd pretty pumped and I have to admit Steven Adler looked both happy and together behind the drum kit. Later in the night I saw Chip Z' Nuff riding around the festival grounds in a golf cart. Perhaps I should have jumped on and avoided the mud...

I was most interested in LA Guns. Marty Casey just joined the band and I couldn't wait to hear his voice. The LA Guns press conference was pretty darn anticlimactic, with Tracii saying something along the lines of "This is the real LA Guns." The band also said their new CD would be out sometime in 2009. I have to admit that when LA Guns took the main stage, they tore it up. Here's the set list:

No Mercy
Sex Action
Fire It Up
One More Reason
Wish You Were Here (cover dedicated to the troops)
Ballad of Jayne
Shut the Fuck Up (performed by Jeremy Guns)
Electric Gypsy
Trees
Never Enough
Rip and Tear

I can't express just how much Marty Casey impressed me during his performance. Tracii's version of LA Guns always put forth a really energetic show, and yesterday was no different. New guitarist Alec Bauer really meshes well with Tracii and this extra instrument really pushed the sound envelope for the band. After Jeremy Guns performed "Shut the Fuck Up" he blew his bass rig and then it was never really back to par after that but it didn't seem to matter. I know some people have problems with the LA Guns feud, but it is what it is, and if you like the band or the music, you might as well embrace the situation. I will say right here, right now that LA Guns gave the best performance of the day. Argue with me if you want, but I stand by that declaration.

When it came time for the National Anthem, a 12 year old kid named "Jack the Ripper" handled the duties. Obviously the kid can play if he was tasked with such an honor. The fans were very receptive to him as well, and that's one thing I'll give to everyone in attendance at Rocklahoma: the vibe is so happy and laid back, everyone feels welcome. I feel confident that Jack the Ripper has a long career in music ahead of him. His long hair is only an added bonus.

Dokken was up next. Don Dokken seemed cheerful enough and kept referencing last year's Rocklahoma, so maybe the fest made an impact on his life. By this time, the crowd was really starting to fill up and it was pretty hilarious watching a man one aisle from me air guitar his way through the entire set. I mean, the man never rested! Back on stage, Dokken performed:

Kiss of Death
Into the Fire
The Hunter
Dream Warriors
Unchain the Night
Just Got Lucky
Alone Again
Breakin' The Chains
It's Not Love
Tooth and Nail
In My Dreams

At about the mid-point of the show, Don Dokken stopped and said "Rock n' roll is a spiritual thing - sing along and we become one." Well, of course everyone in the place sang alone to "Alone Again." It's a phenomenon really: watching thousands of strangers, sing and sway to the same song. Don's quote is a little cheesy but 100% accurate.

Dokken and Sebastian Bach are on tour with Poison this summer. By the time the set changed and Bach was on stage, the VIP area of seating at Rocklahoma was darn full. I don't have Bach's entire set because I had to use the facilities muddy port-a-potty, but here's some of the songs: "Back in the Saddle," "Slave to the Grind," "18 and Life," "American Metalhead," "Love is a Bitchslap," "By Your Side," "Monkey Business," "You Don't Understand," "I Remember You," "Youth Gone Wild," and more. Now, something that has always fascinated me about Bach is the way he performs.All the way back to the beginning of Skid Row, Bach would clench the mic, turn sideways and scream. All these years later, this is still his signature stance. I have to give Bach credit, even with some sound issues, he sounded good. He can clearly still hit those high notes and sustain his famous scream. He was whipping his head all over the place and sweating up a storm. In fact, my husband received a sweat bath while he watching from the photo pit.

By this time the crowd is good and excited. During Bach's set I had to check on Bret's press conference...which was cancelled. I wonder if that is because of the pay meet and greet? Anyway, Bret's set change was the longest. Pretty soon Pete Evick and the rest of the Bret Michaels Band came out - on their own - and performed "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love." I think people were generally confused, but this was a decent enough stall tactic. After this, Bret's roadies popped in Appetite for Destruction and the crowd was treated to "Welcome to the Jungle." Too bad the CD kept skipping... 

Finally, Bret took the stage and performed:

Talk Dirty To Me
Look What the Cat Dragged In
Sweet Home Alabama
Driven
Something to Believe In
Unskinny Bop
Bittersweet
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
What I Like About You
Your Mama Don't Dance
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Fallen Angel
Nothin' But A Good Time (with Crooked X)

Bret sounded really hoarse last night, but he got the job done. As an added bonus, Bret had on a literal ton of eye liner. I guess he figured he needed an extra coat because of the heat.  I'm not really sure the need for four cover tunes, though. I would think people would genuinely rather hear Bret's solo songs as opposed to cover tunes - especially the ones he hasn't recorded with Poison! Naturally, just about everyone at the show was singing along as the set was rounding into  home. The Bret Michaels Band seemed to match Bret's enthusiasm which is good at a festival show. After people have stood in the heat for eight hours, it takes a lot to keep people entertained.

I left after Bret because I'd been awake for 24 straight hours at that point. Today, I hope to catch more of the side stage bands...as long as the standing water is gone. My hope is that Catch the Fever trucked in some straw or sawdust overnight to absorb the muck. More later. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bret Michaels Excitement

I'm really excited to see Bret Michaels tonight at Rocklahoma. I just received a copy of his greatest hits disc Rock My World and I have to admit I  think it's pretty good. I've always loved the song "Raine" so maybe he'll break from the Poison mold a little and add that song to his set.

I see Poison every time they come around my area. This year, that means the tour is rolling into southern Ohio in mid-August. Thing is, I've never actually been to a Bret Michaels solo gig. I mean, I've been to club shows where C.C. DeVille jumps on stage and plays guitar with a house band or something, but that's about as close as it gets.

The Bret solo machine is rolling these days. He's got a lot going for him, thanks to the trash show Rock of Love on Vh1 Classic. 

Bret seems to come off as a genuine guy, but he sure does a lot of those pay-to-meet-me sort of gigs. Actually, he's doing one tonight after his Rocklahoma performance - for 100 bucks a head. The event is sold-out, and no I am not going nor did I try to get tickets. I will, however, try to meet Bret in the media tent. For free.

I've heard rumor the rest of Poison will come out for a song or three tonight. I'm not sure I believe that - after all, can we be sure money changed hands or the stage was designed for such an occasion? At any rate, I hope the rumors are true. I think that's the best of both worlds: Bret gets to show off his abilities as a solo artist, and then the members of the band who made him famous get some credit, too.

At any rate, here are a couple of my favorite Bret solo songs. Hopefully I'll land at Rocklahoma in one piece.

Here's "Raine."

Here's "Go That Far." The rap part of this song freaks me out a little...I wonder if he does that live?