Poison

Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Poison and Joan Jett 8/28/22

“The Stadium Tour” was originally supposed to take place on 7/23/20 in San Diego but then that whole pandemic thing happened so it was rescheduled until 9/12/21…but then that whole pandemic thing was still kind of happening so it was rescheduled again for 8/28/22. The shitty part was that the first two dates were a Saturday and now that the concert was finally taking place it was on a Sunday but after holding onto tickets for over two years, I was just happy that the show was taking place at all. After Mack, Kyle, Bob and I met up with friends at a nearby bar for a couple of drinks we were ready to find our really good floor seats that I somehow managed to score all those many moons ago.

First up was Joan Jett, who I was excited to see since I had never seen her before. She is a badass pioneer woman who made her mark in an industry that surely made it challenging for her to do so. Just the fact that she took the opening slot with these other three all male groups says a lot about her. She gives off this “I don’t give a fuck” vibe and I love it. Sadly I did not get to see her entire performance but I did get to see her play a few of my favorites in “Crimson and Clover,” “I Love Rock N Roll” and “Bad Reputation.”

SETLIST: Victim of Circumstance, Cherry Bomb, Oh Woe Is Me, Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah), You Drive Me Wild, Fake Friends, Everyday People, Crimson & Clover, I Hate Myself For Loving You, (I’m Gonna) Run Away, I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll, Bad Reputation

It has been well documented that before Nirvana came along, I owned cassettes from exactly four bands and three of those bands were about to play in succession starting with Poison. My favorite Poison song “Look What the Cat Dragged In” is apparently their favorite song to open with as this is the song they also opened with the only other time I saw them about five years before this. The other highlights for me were “Talk Dirty to Me” and “Nothin’ But A Good Time.” A good time was had indeed but the next band up was the main reason I wanted to be there.

SETLIST: Look What the Cat Dragged In, Ride the Wind, Talk Dirty to Me, Your Mama Don’t Dance, Fallen Angel, Unskinny Bop, Every Rose Has Its Thorn, Nothin’ But A Good Time

When I think of Motley Crue I evoke imagery of sleazy, decadent rock ‘n’ roll but at their best I also think of them as one of the heaviest “hair metal” bands. After having only seen them play exactly one song over 17 years before this I was ready to actually see them. They did not disappoint as this is a band that was built to play stadiums. Vince Neil’s crazy voice still had that unique timbre and even though he only sang in spurts the two extremely attractive backup singers filled in the gaps for him, Tommy Lee seemed to be fully healed from his broken ribs that he recently dealt with, Nikki Sixx’s trademark presence cast a dark shadow over the performance (in a good way) and Mick Mars looked like an angel of death killing it on the guitar as always. I forgot to mention that I dressed up like Nikki Sixx for this concert so that definitely made things interesting in general with many people bugging me for pictures and generally harassing me. “Shout at the Devil,” “Looks That Kill,” Dr. Feelgood,” “Same Ol’ Situation,” “Girls, Girls, Girls” and “Kickstart My Heart” made me feel like I was 15 years old alone in my bedroom again. The best adults are the ones that refuse to completely let go of their childhood. It was nice to be part of a crowd that all seemed to feel the same way.

SETLIST: Wild Side, Shout at the Devil, Too Fast for Love, Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away), Sanits of Los Angeles, Live Wire, Looks That Kill, The Dirt (Est. 1981), Rock and Roll, Part 2/Smokin’ in the Boys Room/White Punks on Dope/Helter Skelter/Anarchy in the U.K., Home Sweet Home, Dr. Feelgood, Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.), Girls, Girls, Girls, Primal Scream, Kickstart My Heart

Def Leppard was probably my favorite band growing up so it was fitting that they closed out this show even though I thought Motley Crue should have been the headliner. Once Def Leppard got into it I realized that they were probably more built for the masses than Motley Crue after all. These guys are true professionals. This was the third time I had the privilege of seeing these Brits and after all these years they still looked like they actually enjoy what they do. I know I certainly enjoyed watching/feeling/listening to what they still do so well.

SETLIST: Take What You Want, Let It Go, Animal, Foolin’, Armageddon It, Kick, Love Bites, Promises, This Guitar, Two Steps Behind, Rocket, Bringin’ On the Heartbreak, Switch 625, Hysteria, Pour Some Sugar on Me, Rock of Ages, Photograph

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/music/story/2020-06-18/motley-crue-and-def-leppards-2020-tour-is-rescheduled-for-2021

Poison/Def Leppard 6/16/17

DefLeppard:Poison

I was excited for this concert because I had never seen Poison and for once it was a concert on a Friday. Mind you that before a little band named Nirvana ever entered my eardrums my entire cassette (yes cassette) collection consisted of Poison, Guns N’ Roses, Def Leppard and Motley Crue. For the occasion I decided it would be best to dress up like Nikki Sixx with the hair, leather pants, etc. Now I know how celebrities feel when they get harassed. I also thought it best to get in on a party bus for full effect and Ingrid, Kyle, Calvin and Jane were on the same page. Unfortunately the whole thing started out with Calvin and Jane missing the party bus due to traffic. The party bus itself was a shit show with more people than available seats so many people including myself, Ingrid and Kyle had to stand in the aisle as we barreled down the freeway at high speed. Nothing like risking your life to see a concert! Once we arrived safe and sound we met up with Calvin and Jane in the parking lot and proceeded to drink our way through Telsa’s opening set. Definitely a little Déjà vu as I have done this same thing to Tesla before. Tesla vs. Beer = Beer.

I am impressed that Poison is still rocking the original lineup and minus the makeup still rocking out like it’s 1986. They opened with my personal favorite “Look What the Cat Dragged In” and then proceeded to play hit after hit. They sounded great but for some stupid reason the venue did not turn on the video monitors during their set, thereby robbing all the rowdies up in the lawn section of more than a miniscule view of the band.

SETLIST: Look What the Cat Dragged In, Ride the Wind, Talk Dirty to Me, Cry Tough, Something to Believe In, Your Mama Don’t Dance, Fallen Angel, Unskinny Bop, Every Rose Has Its Thorn, Nothin’ But a Good Time

Next up was Def Leppard who I finally got to see for the first time almost two years before this. Their set was nearly identical not only in visual element but also in setlist selection. They too sounded great, especially during “Hysteria” and “Foolin’,” but by the end of their set I was pretty lit. Not as lit as Kyle however; first we lost him and then he missed the party bus home. I still don’t know how he got home because I got a text from him the next day saying his phone died. I would expect nothing less from a show with a couple rock bands who have survived decades of debauchery.

SETLIST: Let’s Go, Animal, Let It Go, Dangerous, Foolin’, Love Bites, Armageddon It, Rock On, Man Enough, Rocket, Bringin’ on the Heartbreak, Switch 625, Hysteria, Let’s Get Rocked, Pour Some Sugar on Me, Rock of Ages, Photograph