Rock Fest was the main event for the opening night of the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, New York, on Wednesday night at the Gusto Grandstand. It was an electrifying kick off featuring Bret Michaels with Warrant and Lita Ford. The Hair Metal craze of the 1980s and early ’90s is alive and well in Western New York with rockers of all ages in the audience for this show. For first time fans of the genre and second generation followers, this was an all around terrific rock show on a hot summer night at the fair.
First up was Lita Ford, a woman who has made her mark as a vocalist and a hard rockin’ guitarist, brandishing signature guitars, including her custom B.C. Rich double neck. She revved up the crowd from get go with “Gotta Let Go” and went on to perform the Elton John cover “The Bitch is Back” along with big hits like Cherry Bomb from her days with the Runaways and “Close My Eyes Forever,” a power ballad duet that she originally recorded with Ozzy Osbourne. Ford paid homage to the late, great Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead) before “Can’t Catch Me” as she told the crowd that Lemmy helped her write the song. She sounded great and her band was equally polished. I especially enjoyed Bobby Rock’s drum solo. He took a picture of the audience with his cell phone while he was pounding on the bass drum and then proceeded to bang his head on the skins. She wrapped up her set with a personal favorite in “Kiss Me Deadly.”
Moving right along, Warrant took the stage with “Big Talk” and the band stuck to its glam metal roots, primarily playing hits from the first two albums “Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich” and “Cherry Pie.” The setlist was exactly what the crowd wanted to hear and also included “Sex Ain’t Love” from “Rockaholic,” the band’s latest release back in 2011. Former Lynch Mob frontman Robert Mason has been singing with Warrant since 2008 and the band performed like a well-oiled machine wrapping things up with fan favorites. Everyone around me was singing-a-long to the power ballad “Heaven” and fans singing “Cherry Pie” were as loud as, maybe even louder than, Mason, who added some of his own musical style to the Warrant Classics. The band sounded great and looked like they were having a great time too. Warrant was a treat to see and the band played on without much chatter.
Last, but not least, Bret Michaels took the stage at 9:30PM with the Poison Classic “Talk Dirty To Me” and the crowd went wild. Michaels sounded great as he sang hit after hit to the delight of his fans. The band sounded great too but had some feedback issues early on in the set. Michaels took the time to tell stories between songs and told us that Lynrd Skynrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” was the first song he learned to play and he told us that he learned the blues by playing harmonica with his dad and belted out a foot stompin’ version of “Your Mama Don’t Dance” (Loggins & Messina cover). Before “Something to Believe In,” he paid tribute to the military and encouraged the audience to raise phones in the air and light up the night for a video that would be sent to those overseas. A rap/funk medley with a snippet of “Uptown Funk” segued into “Unskinny Bop” as Michaels announced that it’s guitarist Pete Evick’s Birthday. It was a special night as Evick was showcased along with bassist Eric Brittingham (Cinderella). Another announcement made by Michaels was that he would be back in the area two times next year. He said he’ll be back at the fair and he’s hopeful, if all goes well, that Poison will be reuniting for a tour with Def Leppard in 2017. That’s “Something to Believe In” and look forward to for certain! Michaels donned his 12 string acoustic for “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” and ended the night appropriately with “Nothin’ but a Good Time” and that it was!
Fireworks also capped off the evening. The Erie County Fair fireworks began during the final song and were so close by, they looked like they were part of the show. Following the show and during the fireworks display, Michaels’ hat, a second hat, and a guitar were auctioned off for charity and the winning bidders were invited backstage to have their treasures autographed. It also must be noted that all of the proceeds that Michaels collects from his meet and greets after the show, go back into the local charities. For those in attendance, Rock Fest was a celebration that won’t be forgotten and one that is a must see for hair metal fans.
*Editors note: We were able to get Bret Michaels to autograph two of photographers Gus Grieisnger’s photos for the Canalside Has Gone to the Dogs event at Canalside in Buffalo on Sunday August 21, 2016. Along with Michaels, there will be many other photographs up for auction. Please stop by if you are in the WNY area. All of his proceeds will benefit the NY Citizens Against Puppy Mills!
Brett Michaels Setlist:
Talk Dirty to Me
Look What the Cat Dragged In
Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynrd cover)
Your Mama Don’t Dance (Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina cover)
Something to Believe In
Unskinny Bop
– Drum Solo
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Nothin’ but a Good Time
Lita Ford Setlist:
Gotta Let Go
Larger Than Life
The Bitch is Back (Elton John cover)
Blueberry
Living Like a Runaway
Can’t Catch Me
– Drum Solo (Bobby Rock)
Cherry Bomb (The Runaways song)
Close My Eyes Forever
Kiss Me Deadly
Warrant Setlist:
Big Talk
Down Boys
Sure Feels Good to Me
I Saw Red
Rainmaker
So Damn Pretty (Should Be Against The Law)
Song and Dance
Sometimes She Cries
32 Pennies
Sex Ain’t Love
Heaven
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Cherry Pie
Photos by Gus Griesinger. We would like to thank Holly Smyczynski from the Erie County Fair for her assistance in obtaining the credentials so BackstageAxxess could review the show.
