Rocklahoma
III
Pryor, Oklahoma
July 9-12, 2009
By Erik Tweedy (aka Commish)
EDITED BY Dan Wall (aka spell check)
Day 1: Thursday
There is a
very famous line from the movie Field of Dreams: “If you
build it, they will come”. That statement is not entirely true
when it comes to the third installment of Rocklahoma. As we made
the turn off the highway heading to the festival grounds, it was
very evident the attendance this year was going to be way, way
down from the previous two years here. The campground area to
the West was a ghost town, where just two years ago, hundreds of
RVs and tents resided. There was no line of cars and no hour
long wait to get in. As David Lee Roth chimed so many years ago,
“where have all the good times gone?” Is it possible the event
known globally as the biggest festival in the world celebrating
the hair band/hard rock generation from the ‘80’s is finished?
Have the organizers of Rocklahoma and Catch the Fever music
festivals become victims of the economic disaster that has
affected every person on the planet? Or perhaps, the lower
attendance has to do with the somewhat unpopular lineup. Either
way, as they say in show business, the show must go on. And on
it went!
My wife and
I had been to the previous two Rocklahoma festivals at this
location, so we are pretty familiar with the grounds and what to
expect. Once inside the gate, we immediately noticed a couple of
things that were different from the past two years. No mud and
no rain! After the hellacious storms from last year, looking at
the weather forecast for this year’s fest was a welcomed sight.
No rain was expected over the four days of the festival which
sounded great to us…until the sun came out in full force. Daily
temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, combined with the high
humidity, made the festival almost unbearable at times. Come
rain or shine though, we are at Rocklahoma to do one thing, rock
our asses off to an era of music that defined the generation we
grew up in. And, with over 90 bands on the lineup, playing on
four stages, we did plenty of rocking while almost drowning in a
lake of our own sweat.
This year’s
edition of Rocklahoma had an international flair to it with
bands coming from Sweden, Germany, Canada, Brazil and the U.K.
And for the first time it included a “metal” day, straying away
from the hair/glam bands entirely. This was a welcomed change by
many, including myself, that have grown tired of seeing a
rehashing of the Poison’s and Ratt’s of the hair band
generation. Also on tap this year was a special viewing of the
documentary movie that has been making waves across North
America. Anvil – The Story of Anvil was to be shown on
the large video screens after the final main-stage performance
on Thursday night.
If the
main-stage lineup wasn’t to your liking, there was three other
stages setup in big tents providing bands, both old and new, a
place to strut their stuff. Kudos to Sam McCaslin from
Retrospect Records for spearheading the effort to establish the
side stages as a valuable part of the Rocklahoma experience. The
lineup, staging and sound systems on all three stages were first
class. When you have great bands like L.A. Guns, Lillian Axe,
Faster Pussycat, Icon and Beautiful Creatures playing on a side
stage, you know something special is happening. Great job Sam -
can’t wait to see what you’ve got in store for 2010!
Day 1:
Thursday – Metal Day
The gates
opened at 11:30 a.m. and we arrived about 10:30 a.m. to find
literally nobody waiting in line to get in. So we took the
rental car and drove around the campground to check out the camp
sites and get a better feeling on how many were attending this
year. We had a Rocklahoma newbie with us, Psycho Dan from
Denver, so it was a good chance for him to see the lay of the
land before the party started. Once the gates opened, we headed
over to the V.I.P. tent for lunch only to find out they were not
serving lunch on Thursday. We knew this in advance, but had
forgotten, so we headed over to the vendor area to grab some
grub - only to find that the vendors didn’t expect the gates to
be open until 1:00 p.m., so they were not prepared to make or
sell anything. Whoops…. no worries. We headed to the Rocklahoma
merchandise booth to get our t-shirts and thermal mugs, which
are a must at this festival. By the time we stashed our stuff in
the car, it was time for the first main-stage band to start
Rocklahoma 2009.
Metal Day
kicked off in grand style with Leatherwolf bringing their triple
axe attack to Pryor. Guitarist Brant Vogel (who normally plays
country music) got things going with a terrific version of the
“Star Spangled Banner,” and the rest of the Wolf-pack joined in
to provide the early Rocklahoma faithful with a blistering set
of Leatherwolf classics and newer material. The band was tight
and vocalist Michael Olivieri was superb. Along with Olivieri,
guitarist Carey Howe and drummer Dean Roberts remain from the
original lineup. With the heat already becoming a factor,
Olivieri dug deep into Leatherwolf’s history, performing some of
their best material from the “80’s, including “Rise or Fall,”
“Street Ready” and “Wicked Ways”. Combine that with newer
tracks off of the terrific World Asylum release and
Leatherwolf were already being called the surprise band of the
fest. Most in the crowd did not know who Leatherwolf was when
the band was announced as part of the 2009 lineup, but after the
show there was a lot of buzz about this band from Orange County.
This was a great way to kick off the festival and Metal Day.
After
filling up on water, it was time for the legendary Metal Church
to hit the stage. And the band hit it like a “Ton of Bricks.”
One of the pioneers of West Coast speed metal, Metal Church has
been at it since 1982, with guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof leading
the charge. Sadly, the group had recently announced their
Rocklahoma performance was going to be its last live
performance. One has to wonder if it is true, as no mention of
it was made by any of the band members during the show. The
Church ripped through their set-list with a ballistic pace never
before seen on the Rocklahoma stage. Easily the hardest band to
have ever played the fest, they blew through classics like
“Beyond the Black,” “Gods of Wrath,” ”Watch the Children Pray”
and the aptly titled “Metal Church.” Since taking over the
singing duties from original vocalist David Wayne earlier in the
decade, Ronnie Munroe has made his own mark with the band on
three studio releases and belted out newer music in the form of
“A Light in the Dark” and “Mirror Lies,” and finished off the
set with Deep Purple’s “Highway Star.” Cheers to Metal Church
for bringing it hard for over 25 years and hopefully this truly
isn’t the last we have seen from this great band.
There is no
other band on the Rocklahoma lineup this year garnering as much
press as Anvil. Thanks to their terrific documentary, currently
playing movie houses around the world, Anvil has seen a big
resurgence in their popularity and has been popping up all over,
including interviews on CNN, performances on Jimmy
Kimmel Live and an appearance at the Cannes film festival.
So, why not play Rocklahoma on Metal Day? This Canadian
three-piece has never played a festival in America and the boys
hit the stage with big smiles and big guitars. Lead
guitarist/vocalist Lipps stumbled around the stage a bit,
actually falling down twice, as the band ripped through Anvil
classics “666,” “Winged Assassins,” “Jack Hammer” and the
ultimate Anvil anthem, “Metal on Metal.” The show was fun, a
bit quirky at times, but pure metal. It is great to see this
journeyman band get their time in the spotlight. It is well
deserved as the trio has influenced metal bands the world over
in their 30-plus years.
Never
having been a huge Overkill fan, I was half expecting to be
heading to the V.I.P. tent midway through their set. But, I must
say, Overkill blew the Rocklahoma crowd and myself away. Bobby
“Blitz” Ellsworth stormed onto the stage like a madman and
simply killed it. The band was tight, the sound was sonic and
the speed was frightening at times. Pulling songs from almost
its entire catalog, Overkill put on a blitzkrieg rarely
witnessed in the U.S. these days. Songs like “Hello from the
Gutter,” “Wrecking Crew” and “Rotten to the Core” were brutal.
This was hardcore New Jersey metal at its finest. Songs “Old
School” and “Fuck You” kept the sweaty Rocklahoma crowd together
and “Long Time Dying” and “Horrorscope” tore them apart. Just
an all around superb show and I am glad I stayed to the end.
Those who left early to get out of the heat missed one hell of a
performance.
There are
two bands that repeatedly get mentioned as being at the
forefront of the NWOBHM movement from the late 70’s and early
80’s-Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. And then there is Saxon.
Treated like the red-headed stepchild, Saxon is every bit as
responsible for the success of the movement as Priest and Maiden
are. With their beginnings dating back to 1976, Saxon brought
over 30 years worth of British Heavy Metal to Rocklahoma.
Hitting the stage at full speed with “Battalions of Steel” and
“Heavy Metal Thunder”, Saxon kept the pedal down and tore
through the best of the best. Sticking mostly with the classics,
Biff Byford belted out one right after the other as if it were
1985 all over again. His voice was nearly spot on and he looks
10-years younger than the 58 on his driver’s license. Saxon was
the best overall sounding band of the day, coming off more
polished and commercial than the rest of the day’s lineup.
Songs like “Wheels of Steel,” “Crusader” and “Denim and Leather
“are a bit friendlier than the set list Overkill turned in. I
had been waiting to hear “Princess of the Night” live again for
over 20 years, and Saxon didn’t disappoint. The band might not
have brought the Eagle over from England on this short tour, but
they certainly brought the best of Saxon. Over 30 years later,
Saxon still remains one of the top heavy metal bands to come out
of the U.K.
After a
much needed break, we were back at the main stage ready for the
mighty Anthrax. With new vocalist Dan Nelson at the helm,
Anthrax came out with both barrels loaded and proceeded to
destroy the place. With little energy left, the Rocklahoma crowd
was easily beaten down. Song after song, pounding upon pounding,
Anthrax was merciless. They opened the show with “Indians” and
closed with AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie.” In between, we got a
whole lotta New York City metal. “Mad House,” “Anti-Social,”
“Safe Home” and “I Am the Law” were deadly. Nelson did a great
job covering both the Belladonna and Bush-era Anthrax songs as
well as throwing in the new “Fight ‘Em Til You Can’t.” Guitarist
Scott Ian and the rest of Anthrax tried to whip the crowd into a
frenzy during “Caught in a Mosh”, but it wasn’t going to happen;
they simply were too tired. After spending 14 hours in the
blazing Oklahoma sun, most had enough by the time the show
ended. Overall, it was a very good show and one that I liked
more than I expected.
Recap the
day:
As I had
mentioned before, “Metal Day” was a welcomed addition by many
Rocklahoma fans. It was the least attended day, but it was also
the first day of the fest, so that is to be expected. It is hard
to pick out a true favorite. I am a huge Saxon fan and they
sounded great, but all the bands were great and I really enjoyed
the Overkill show. All together it was a fantastic day and
possibly the heaviest festival day in America in many years.
Side stage
bands we saw: Germany’s Mad Max – lighter melodic rock.
They were good but a bit boring for our tastes. Wild Street
– these guys were great, sounded a lot like old school Def
Leppard. There was plenty of energy, good crowd interaction and
sing along songs. Sweden’s Rebel State – Europe’s version
of Lynyrd Skynyrd? I figured these boys were from Georgia by
their name. Country-fried rock that sounded pretty good. I
didn’t know they wore big hats in Sweden.
Day 2:
Friday
After getting to bed about 4:00 a.m., we are back at the fest
bright and early because we are in desperate need of more sun
(not!). (Un)Fortunately for us, it was going to be about 105
today. After grabbing some much needed lunch and stocking up on
water, we were off to the main stage to catch Hericane Alice.
Here is a band that was on the cusp of making it big in the late
‘80’s, and then along came the grunge movement, and……..kerplunk!
Fast forward 20 years later and Hericane Alice are back in
action. Original lead vocalist Bruce Naumann led this new
version of the Hericane through 45 minutes of good time party
rock and roll. The hair bands had finally arrived and so did the
people. The early crowd was definitely enjoying tracks “Tear the
House Down,” “Shake Shake Shout” and the MTV favorite “Wild,
Young, Crazy.” Good all-around show and a nice way to ease back
into the music after the pounding from the night before.
Storming out of the Great White North, its Helix! This quintet
from London, Ontario quickly had the Rocklahoma crowd on their
feet as they rolled through several crowd friendly songs from
the MTV-era including “Heavy Metal Love,” “When the Hammer
Falls” and “Deep Cuts the Knife.” Playing during the hottest
part of the day, lead singer Brian Vollmer was darn near ready
to pass out. But he kept the train rolling and the crowd rocking
all the way to the end and the climax to the set was one of the
80’s best anthems, “Rock You.” I haven’t see Helix in over 20
years and Vollmer’s voice sounded fresh, the band was tight and
the set list was perfect for an afternoon party at Rocklahoma.
Give me an R!
After
spending time in the V.I.P. tent cooling off and loading up on
more water, it was back out to the main stage for Danger Danger.
I was really anticipating this show as I had never seen the band
before. From the time they hit the stage with “Boys Will Be
Boys,” the crowd was on their feet. Most in the audience
probably knew Danger Danger for only one, possibly two songs.
“Naughty Naughty” was the group’s biggest hit, but after seeing
this show, the quintet is much more than a one-hit wonder type
of band. A great performance by the entire band and Ted Poley’s
vocals were dead on. The entire set rocked-“Beat the Bullet,”
“Monkey Business,” “Bang Bang,” “Crazy Nites” and “Under the
Gun” were fantastic. For us, Danger Danger was the surprise band
of the fest and I hope to see them back in 2010.
Here we go again…up next was Warrant, for the third straight
year. Same ol’ song and dance you say? Ah, not so my rocking
brethren. With their third different lead singer in as many
years, Warrant might have finally got it right. Of course, after
last year’s debacle with Jani Lane at the mic, how could it not
get better? Robert Mason has taken over the singing duties this
time around and he was pretty damn good. Robert’s got a great
voice and did not try to imitate Jani Lane, but rather, just
sang the songs the best he could. For the most part, he was
pretty much right on and his sound is very close to Lane’s, so
all of the hits sounded great, especially “I Saw Red,” where he
nailed it. I really like Warrrant – the band is always super
tight and very professional and sound fantastic on tracks like
“Down Boys,” “Sometimes She Cries,” “Blind Faith” and of course,
the chart topping “Cherry Pie.” Warrant turned in a great set
and I am now actually looking forward to seeing the down boys
again. Hopefully, Mason sticks around and they put out some new
music. At the press conference, they all seemed pretty confident
that this would happen, but I have heard that many times before,
especially with this outfit.
One of the best shows at this year’s fest came in the form of
Night Ranger. With a list of hits longer than my arm (certainly
not my hair), Jack Blades and the boys ripped through some of
the decade’s best-loved melodic hits. Kicking things off with
“This Boy Needs to Rock” and into “Sing Me Away”, the quintet
started hot and never let up. Drawing one of the biggest crowds
this year, every song had the crowd singing along with the band.
The dual guitars of Brad Gillis and Joel Hoekstra were blazing
throughout the set. Night Ranger was here in 2008 and they were
one of the top requests to have back in 2009. They are the
perfect festival band, with a lot of hit songs, smoking guitar
and an excellent front man in Blades. Racing through classics
“Touch of Madness,” “Rumours in the Air,” “Sentimental Street”
and “When You Close Your Eyes,” the Rocklahoma crowd didn’t mind
that it was feeling like the Mojave Desert outside. By the time
the show wrapped up with “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me,” “Sister
Christian” and the mega powerful “(You Can Still) Rock in
America,” the crowd was crowning Night Ranger the kings of
Rocklahoma. It was a superb show by a very talented and
professional band that repeatedly blows away the competition.
I could put my Ratt review in here from last year and from 2007,
but that wouldn’t be fair to the band. So, instead I will repeat
myself and tell you how much I do not like Stephen Pearcy as a
front man or vocalist and how much I do like the “band”. This
is the third time that Ratt has played here and it is pretty
much the same story - boring! Ratt has some of the most
recognizable songs from the hair band era but Pearcy’s lazy
attitude, slow singing and downright disregard for the audience
and fans makes it almost impossible to sit through. The band is
super tight and newcomer Carlos Cavazo (formerly of Quiet Riot)
on guitar adds a bit of freshness, but none of that matters to
me if Pearcy can’t cut it. The set was way too long as they
chugged through staples including, “Sweat Cheater,” “Lay it
Down,” “Your in Love,” “Nobody Rides for Free”,” “Lack of
Communication,” ” Back for More” and “Round and Round”. There
were no surprises at this show and no pizzazz, either.
Recap the
day:
The hair
bands were back and that brought in a much bigger crowd. Great
performances by Helix, Night Ranger and Warrant, but I really
thought Danger Danger stole the day. They were fresh sounding to
me, as I had never seen them before. Both my kids and I don’t
have enough fingers to count the number of times I have seen
Warrant and Night Ranger.
Side stage
bands we saw: Glitter Boys – these guys were a lot of
fun. Good time original party rock and roll. Hope they come back
next year. Harlot – this band has been around forever and
they looked like it. Not one of my favorite shows. Altered
Ending – I thought the band were pretty good; newer rock
with a sleazy feel. Dirty Penny – one of our favorites to
play at Rocklahoma. It was super hot in the tent as it was
jammed packed. Herman Rarebell – major train wreck. I
don’t like to rip on bands too much, but they were terrible. The
vocalist was horrid and the band sounded like they just started
practicing two days before getting to the fest. By the third
song, people were running from that stage. Lord Tracy –
this is a must see band! Lots of fun, tongue-in-cheek lyrics,
smoking guitar player and one of the best bass solos I have ever
seen.
Day 3:
Saturday
After
getting somewhere around four hours of sleep, we were back at
the fest grounds bright and early and can you believe it-it’s
even hotter today. First band up on the main stage today are the
Gypsy Pistoleros, the self proclaimed world’s greatest flamenco
glam rock outlaw sleaze band. With band leader Lee Pistolero at
the mic, the Pistoleros combine the best elements of GNR, L.A.
Guns and Faster Pussycat mixed with the soundtrack of every
1970’s Spaghetti Western ever made. I swear I could hear the
theme song from “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” playing in the
background. With lyrics sung in both Spanish and English, the
Pistoleros ripped through 12 of their best and fastest songs
they could do in 45 minutes, including the cool cover of Ricky
Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca.” The Pistoleros will be back
stateside later in the year touring in support of their new
release Welcome to the Hotel De La Muerta. If you are
feeling like getting a little dirty, you might want to check
them out.
Shock rock
finally invades Rocklahoma in the form of Lizzy Borden. Taking a
little from the Alice Cooper school of stage theatrics, Lizzy
Borden turned the main stage into a bloodbath. The ax-wielding
Master of Disguise changed his appearance with every song
as the band stormed through its greatest hits. The band sounded
great and new lead guitarist Dario Lorina was terrific. Songs
“Master of Disguise,” “American Metal,” “Masquerade” and the new
single “Tomorrow Never Comes” played well to the early afternoon
crowd. Lizzy Borden’s first single back in 1984 was the
appropriately titled “Give ‘Em the Ax” and during the show,
Lizzy brought out the ax and the blood began to fly, eventually
ending with the staged death of one of the scantily clad female
stage dancers. It was all out fun hair metal and a great way to
spend a sweaty Oklahoma afternoon.
Celebrating
their 25th anniversary reunion, Keel hit the stage
with a “Reason to Rock.” Looking more like a country outlaw
than a lead singer for an ‘80’s rock band, Ron Keel led his
reformed group through some of the more notable songs from the
mid-MTV era. “Raised on Rock,” “Tears of Fire,” “Because the
Night” and the crushing “Right to Rock” gave the crowd something
to shout about and sing along with. The show was a little boring
at times and the band looked like they had been apart for many
years. But it was great to hear those songs again after so many
years, and I look forward to the new Keel release in 2010.
Back for a
repeat performance at this year’s fest, KIX hit the stage with
another blistering set of greatest hits. A huge crowd pleaser
from 2008, it was pretty much a repeat performance. Same set
list, same high energy performance and same satisfied fest
crowd. KIX is the type of band that all festivals need. These
guys have just enough hit songs to keep the crowd singing along
and plenty of energy to keep them awake. Opening the show with
“Midnight Dynamite” and blowing through a set that included
“Girl Money,” “Hot Wire,” “Cold Shower” and finishing off with
“Blow My Fuse”, it was nothing short of spectacular. The only
thing missing was a 20-minute version of “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah”. KIX
should come back for round three in 2010, and I doubt you would
get any complaints. A great show!
Up next are
the kings of chainsaw rock, Jackyl. Jessie James Dupree and his
partners in crime ripped through 95 minutes of punk-infused,
whiskey-soaked southern fried rock. Jackyl combines raw energy
and a pounding rhythm section with AC/DC style vocals into a
one-two punch to the throat. Rude, crude and sometimes lewd,
Jessie James is one of the best front-men touring these days. We
have probably all seen the Jackyl circus more than once, but I
never get tired of it. My only complaint is that every time
Jackyl has played at Rocklahoma (three years in a row), they
have played way over their timeslot, which then causes problems
for the bands that have to follow them. Outside of that one
issue, I love the energy and the crass humor that comes with a
Jackyl show, not to mention the great songs like “Dirty Little
Mind,” “Redneck Punk,” “I Stand Alone,” “Secret of the Bottle”
and the show ending “The Lumberjack.” This band is full
throttle all the time and we love it. Yeehaw!!
Saturday’s
headliner was a strange selection for the closing band at an
80’s themed hard rock festival - Stryper. I am a huge fan of the
band and even I was surprised by this announcement. Touring in
support of the 25th anniversary of their debut
release, The Yellow and Black Attack, Stryper brought
their Christian-themed music to the masses at Rocklahoma. Decked
out all in black, the band took the stage to a recording of
“Battle Hymn of the Republic” and began the set with the
“Sing-Along Song,” rolling into “Murder by Pride.” Not a good
way to start in my opinion, as those two songs immediately put
the crowd back in their seats. Looking a bit frustrated, Michael
Sweet and the rest of Stryper tore through 6 songs before saying
more than two words to the crowd. It might have been due to the
heat, or Jackyl playing 25 minutes over and the band having to
make up time, or simply because these guys had to follow
Jackyl’s raucous performance. Whatever the case, their show was
on the fast track. They ripped through a 17-song set that
included “Soldiers Under Command,” “Rock That Makes Me Roll,”
“Loud and Clear,” “To Hell With the Devil,” “More than a Man”
and the excellent Boston remake “Peace of Mind.” Midway through
the set, half of those who had filled the V.I.P. seating area
had called it a night. It’s really a shame this band doesn’t get
more credit, as they are great musicians and Michael Sweet’s
vocals are still top notch. Once they got rolling, I thought
they were great and the guitar dueling between Oz Fox and Sweet
was amazing. Don’t know if they were the right choice to be a
closer, but I do know the Styper fans in attendance certainly
appreciated the show. It doesn’t get much better than the
blistering guitar work during “Soldiers Under Command.” Kudos
to Rocklahoma for taking the risk!
Recap the
day:
Stryper was
easily the best band of the day for me. Kix was great with
their high energy show and both Jackyl and Lizzy Borden were fun
with their stage shows but Stryper smoked everyone with their
musicianship and great vocals from Michael Sweet. And for those
that can’t get over the Christian-themed lyrics, sorry, you
missed a great show.
Side stage
bands we saw: Lord Tracey – Bonus! They unexpectedly
played 2 days in a row. Hericane Alice – the band were
good on the main stage on Friday, so we had to see them again.
ICON – this band was terrific. They should have been on
the main stage. Easily the best sounding side stage band we saw.
The vocalist was phenomenal. Mass – two Christian bands
in one day? These guys sounded great. Like Stryper, I wish more
people would have attended. They missed another very good show.
Day 4:
Sunday
The last
day of the fest was quickly come upon us, and after already
seeing over 30 bands in three days, we were looking forward to a
bit more of a relaxing day. And that started early when Vixen
hit the stage. Never having been much of a fan of female rock
singers, I wasn’t expecting much out of this show and that is
what I got. With guitarist Jan Kuehnemund being the only
original member from their heyday, Vixen trudged through their
set, which was actually pretty fair, so I have to give them some
credit. I wasn’t exactly giving them the fist pump, but they
did sound good. The original band made a few rotations during
the big hair period on MTV, so the crowd did know a few of their
songs, especially their biggest seller “Edge of a Broken
Heart.” Not a bad way to start off the fourth day of the
festival, when most festers are running at a slower pace.
Up next is
one of Germany’s forgotten gems, Bonfire. Not having been on
this side of the big pond in close to 20 years, Bonfire brought
the best of their hard edged melodic rock to Oklahoma. Hitting
the stage with “Bells of Freedom,” Bonfire quickly had the
Rocklahoma faithful on their feet. Vocalist Claus Lessman was in
fine form and the band was tight and sounded great. “We Still
Rock,” “Don’t Touch the Light” and “Under Blue Skies” were all
well received, even though most in the crowd did not know the
songs. One of the more memorable moments of their show and of
Rocklahoma came when Claus was describing his feelings toward
his country and how proud they were to be from Germany and proud
to be friends with America and that the history of their country
should not be remembered only for the Hitler regime. It was a
touching moment and they then played “Proud of My Country.” The
crowd gave them a well deserved standing ovation. By the time
they closed up the show with “Ready 4 Reaction,” Bonfire had won
over many new fans. This was a terrific show and a strong
contender for the top performance at the fest.
How many of
you thought that Nelson would make its return to rock Rocklahoma?
Putting the Nelson “rock” band back together for the first time
in 15 years, the identical twin Nelson brothers, Mathew and
Gunnar, put on a pretty decent show, albeit probably a bit too
mellow and poppy sounding for the head-banging hair band crowd.
Guitarist Neil Zaza kicked things off with a terrific
instrumental that rolled into “More Than Ever,” off their debut
release, After the Rain. The twins were having a tough
time getting the crowd into it when they hit the mark with their
million selling “Love and Affection.” That put some life into
the crowd as they continued on with “Ghostdance,” “Don’t Walk
Away” and “After the Rain.” For those that stuck it out through
the horrendous heat, they got to hear and see some stellar
guitar work from Zaza on the closing numbers “Time Will Tell”
and “Everywhere I Go.” It was far from being the worst show at
the fest, as most had feared. All in all, I thought the band put
on a good show. And yes, I even got my picture taken with the
twins afterwards.
I will have
to preface my Great White review with the comment that I
actually did not see the show, but I did hear the show. Word I
get from those that witnessed it was Jack Russell should not
have been there in the condition that he was in. He has been
struggling through some pretty serious medical issues over the
past few months which have led him to being somewhat immobile
during recent performances. Again, I did not get to see it so I
can’t really comment on that. But, from what I was able to
hear, I didn’t think his vocals were all that bad. Great White
has been around the block multiple times and played at
Rocklahoma in 2007. So, the set list was as expected, a roll
through the Great White box of radio friendly hits. “Call it
Rock and Roll,” “Face the Day,” “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” and
“Rock Me” all sounded fine to me. “Save Your Love” was a bit
sketchy as Jack struggled with the highs, which was probably due
to his inability to dig down deep to hit the notes. Outside of
that, I had no real problem with the way Jack sounded. As usual,
the band was tight and Mark Kendall was his perfect self. We
wish Jack well during his time of recovery and look forward to
seeing, and not just hearing, them again.
We did not
see, nor hear the Skid Row show this year. Having seen them in
2007 and Sebastian Bach last year, we decided this was the time
we were going to catch our last meal and get some much needed
downtime. From the festers I spoke to many of them said the show
was great.
Look out,
the Kids are back! Twisted Sister is back again to close out
Rocklahoma 2009 and this time around, they are doing it in
support of the 25th anniversary of the band’s classic
Stay Hungry release. Playing for the last time at
Rocklahoma with full makeup on, the kids put the pedal down and
ripped the faces off everyone in attendance. Playing the entire
Stay Hungry album in sequential order to start the show
was awesome. Stay Hungry might be the best hard rock
album to come out of 1984. Stop crying all you Van Halen, Bon
Jovi and Quiet Riot fans. You have
your room shaking with heavy crunchers like "Burn in Hell" and "S.M.F.,”
you have your catchy hit songs "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I
Wanna Rock,” your fast-paced "Stay Hungry,” and your
pre-requisite power ballad "The Price." All that, and you still
have four other great tracks added to flesh out the set. Once
Dee Snider was done bashing in the face of the front row, they
blasted into “Come Out and Play,” “Under the Blade” and the
monster “You Can’t Stop Rock and Roll.” This show might not
have been as dynamic as their amazing performance in 2007 but,
it was pretty damn good. Good luck to Twisted Sister as they
move on to other endeavors after this year. I am definitely
going to miss the makeup!
Recap the day:
It is a tough call for band of the day. Bonfire was excellent,
but I really got into the Twisted Sister show as usual. And, I
am a closet Nelson fan… I am going to have to give it to TS.
Any band that can still wear makeup and rock like that in the
immense heat deserves a horns up from me.
Side stage
bands we saw: Revengence – band of teenagers from Texas
that know how to rock it up pretty good. There is hope yet for
the future of rock and roll! Miles Beyond – I saw this
band in the campground on Wednesday night and they played mostly
covers. This time around it was mostly originals with a
Priest/Maiden flare. This band might have a future. Brazil’s
Vougan – Progressive speed metal with a killer vocalist,
Carlos Zema. Gotta give Carlos props for marketing his band. He
must have handed out more flyers than any other band there.
Bang Camaro – so, what do you do with a band that has five
lead singers? You let them sing! Man, it was fun to watch. All
five singers were singing in unison for every song, but each
rocking out in their own way. This was not like watching the
Backstreet Boys. The band was shredding and all the guys were
banging their heads like they were the only singer in the band.
Check out their videos on Youtube to see what I mean. Wild
Street – loved them so much the first time we saw them; we
had to see them one last time before the fest was over.
Overall:
We thought Rocklahoma 2009 rocked! Sure, there might not have
been any “A-List” bands on the lineup, but I thought this year
was equally as good as any other year. There were some really
great performances on all four stages. The festival was very
well run this year and you could tell they have made
improvements with the main stage sound system and lighting. The
three side stage setups were awesome this year also, although it
was a bit tiring trying to pack in so many bands in four days,
but worth the effort for sure. And kudos to the Rocklahoma
organization for recognizing the need to drop the V.I.P.P ticket
price to bring in more fans for 2010. When was the last time you
heard of a festival actually dropping ticket prices? I am really
excited to see what they have in store for us next year. See you
in 2010!
