The Best 'I Want Action' Clip Ever...and Does Heavy Metal Have an Age Requirement?

Recently, I've had more than one person come up against me, saying I possibly couldn't truly love glam because I didn't live it.

"You're too young!" is the constant refrain.

At first, I laughed it off. Now, I'm just annoyed.

How dare people put an age requirement on fans of any type of music? Just because I wasn't on the Strip to see Poison party at the Rainbow in 1987 doesn't mean I can't truly love and appreciate the band. In fact, I'd argue saying a person is "too young" for this and "too old" for that is bigotry. Isn't the point of music to bring people together? This really has my hackles up. I don't even have much more to say on the subject, except love whatever form of music you choose - no matter your age. And don't judge others, based on age or taste. That's just ignorant.

Now, all that said, here's the most awesome video of Poison I have ever seen. "I Want Action" from around 1987 (in Ibiza maybe?). The performance is bonkers. There's a crazy pool party in the middle of the show, too. And look at the hair! In all honesty, this is maybe the best live glam clip I've ever seen. I can't believe it's taken me this long to find it!

Comments

[Steve]

is this the same concert that Poison played at in "hot tub time machine"?

[BMAN]

Hey don't worry about it! You have got to remember that all genres of music have their fare share of snobs! They think that they are more in tune with their music because they were there! They're funny!

[JT]

No age requirement on any genre. I enjoy "outlaw country" almost as much as "hair metal" and a little bit of old-school jazz as well. I started listening to classical and baroque music in high school (too young?), and have recently rediscovered top 40 (even though I'm probably considered "too old" for it by the kids).

Good music is good music, regardless of genre, and you don't have to "be there" to experience it. I was never on the Strip, and neither were countless others...even those who were alive back then.

[Brian]

Where exactly are your hackles?

[Liam]

Is it just bad synced or is it playback? Cool video however
Well, for me this is the ultimate performance; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8wmuCJ56-M

[Brian L]

I have never seen this video before either. Great Find. I would not worry about the people that say that, Allyson. I graduated highschool in 1987 and think it is awesome that my 10 yr old son knows all the lyrics to Kiss, Crue, Poison, etc. Is he too young? Did he live it? NO. He just enjoys the beat and is learning how to play electric guitar because of Guitar Hero. Songs like 'She's only Seventeen, Balls to the Walls, etc.' have him jamming on the PS2 and now the real fret boards.
All generations love our glam hard rock and heavy metal. I did not get to walk around much at M3, due to my blown out ankle, but i am sure there were a lot of younger people in attendance, as there were at ROK--2009.
"I want action...."

[kari]

Ally, I can somewhat relate b/c I came in on things near the end of the "era" and haven't stopped rockin' since. People usually tend to be impressed with my knowledge and passion and end up giving me kudos (of course others sometimes get annoyed b/c I tend to question them to death b/c they lived it and I want the dirt from back in the day b/c I missed it all).And then I tell my mother how grateful I am for having me when she did b/c if I would have been born 5 years earlier I would've hopped a tour bus and Lord knows where I'd be (haha). KEEP LIVIN' THE DREAM ALLY, what do they know anyway!

[captkid7800]

Hey Ally, some people are just idiots. Don't let them get to you! My brothers and I love sharing stories with their kids(my nieces & nephews)of camping out for concert tickets to all the shows, the shows themselves and everything about that era. They love listening all the music from the 80's not just GLAM! We took my 2 nephews 10 & 6yrs old to go see KISS last December, talk about a FIRST concert experience!

[Tara]

You know, I am a few years older than you are, but that put me in an age bracket where I was too young to go to concerts, but still remember all of the music that came out. I think it depends on your spirit. You love and support the music and have more of an appreciation for it then many did even back in the day. For that alone, you should be respected.

[ohiorockerchick]

My son is 8....he knows almost every Poison and Cinderella song...courtesy of me LOL There is be no "age" requirement for great music! Just ignore them Allyson, you are great at what you do and I look forward to BBG!

[BB]

That Poison clip is fun, but clearly lip synched -- no question that's studio version of the song.

[Paul]

Well, I guess nobody can listen to classical music either because We're all too young to have been around when much of it was first written and performed. Oh, no silent movies either. I guess we ought to throw out a lot of classic literature, too.

[Bryon]

People can love & appreciate music from any era. Even as a kid in 1984, I remember a guy in my grade 8 class who went as crazy for Zeppelin as I was for Motley Crue & Iron Maiden. He didn't grow up in the 70's, but that didn't matter.

[nirVrana]

Brian, love your comments about your son. I took my 10 year old to Rock On The Range, with Mr. & Mrs. Glam, and he loved it. Some of the lyrics of course were a bit much. I believe as we walked to the car, Rob Zombie was singing a song that consisted entirely of him singing "motherf*$ker! motherf*$ker", but hey "It's only words, it's just a song, ain't gonna hurt no one".

Back on topic, how does age matter at all? Sure we all come at this music from a different perspective, but we got here one way or the other. I grew up in the 70's but all I knew was The Beatles, John Denver and Neil Diamond from my parents. I didn't get into Zep, AC-DC, The Who, Doors until the 80's because that is when I had my own radio.

OK, so I "lived" through the 80's but that meant waiting on line to get tickets to Bon Jovi/Cinderella and not getting any. That meant seeing Zebra 20 times in clubs on Long Island because I lived there, but not seeing Dokken, Tesla, Crue or Ratt until the 90's because I couldn't get a ride to the Monsters of Rock concert, or had any money or desire to go to California at that time.

So I don't know that I "lived" it any more than Ally or Kari did, but they certainly caught up to me in listens and appreciation.

Definitely don't think anyone needs to apply labels or decades or age groups across any music. You just like what you like.

[Dick]

I hate lip-syncing!

[mom2ross]

Um, is that Roger Taylor waiting backstage to speak? Bizarre...

[Metalboy!]

Good eye, Mom! Yeah, this clip is killer. I just wish we could hear the original performance. And, Al, I think you're right, that might just be Abiza or somethin'. It looks like a venue down there, I think.

As far as living it, I saw probably over 200 shows of Glam Metal at The Cat Club, L'Amour, Limelight, Madison Square Garden, Hammerjack's, Network, Gazarri's, The Troubadour, Capital Centre, Roseland, The Bayou, 9:30 Club and Painter's Mill Music Fair, etc., yet I still missed so much.

And I've met people who lived it a helluva lot more than I did, having partied on the buses and the works.

Here I am -- I wasn't much younger than you are now when I was into this stuff on the first go-around, now gettin' into it more than ever thanks to your inspiration!

Your Cause Celebre -- To "Bring Back Glam" has been the biggest influence on me in my pursuit of what I probably will never completely attain -- An Encyclopedic Knowledge of All Glam Metal!

But you would not believe all that I have discovered since I first stumbled on your site, many of the tips of what to listen to in this best of genres coming from you, your readers/commenters and stuff on your friend's sites.

Skeptics beware: Glam is on the way back (right, Chump?)

p.s. to Liam -- Okay, man, I AM being a Glam Metal SNOB right here, right NOW! Can you get that Oasis crap off of here, once and for all! Geeez, man! They are so out of vogue right now. Argh! And your idol whines through his nose worse than Giddy Lee or Billy Corrugated combined.