Nothing But a Good Time?

OK, this camera phone shot doesn't do justice to Poison

Thanks to my good buddy Tim who won free tickets, I went to see Poison and Cinderella on Sunday at Riverfest Amphitheatre. Entertaining show but not without these bands, who were celebrating their 20th anniversary, showing their age.

The night had Cinderella's Tom Keifer apologizing for a shredded voice that was a far cry from the million-volt AC/DCish screech of the early days. The band soldiered on through the hits after opening with a favorite album track of mine, "Bad Seamstress Blues (Falling Apart at the Seams)." The musicianship was on with Keifer and guitarist Jeff LeBar playing tight harmony solos.

The set lacked the energy I remember from seeing the band twice "back in the day" (still two of the loudest concerts I've ever seen). But there were moments, as when Keifer broke out the sax on "Shelter Me" when the band's blues/rock/metal mix clicked. But on songs like "Gypsy Road" and ballad "Don't Know What You Got (Til It's Gone)," the music was strong, but Keifer's voice just seemed a low growl in the mix.

Poison brought the energy that Cinderella lacked. And, like Cinderella, stuck to by-the-number versions of their hits. Sounded good, the stage show was well done...didn't blow me away, but was worth every penny of my free ticket. Of the some 33 concerts I've now seen, this show marked the 4th time seeing Poison, the most of any band. Oh, I was a huge fan in high school...loving the flash and fun and the glam gimmick. Though still called a glam metal band, Poison has really distanced itself from the makeup and looks of its debut, opting now for a more All-American biker/Southern rocking/arena rock look. The music hasn't aged as well as other 80s pop metal that I love. "I Want Action" still sounds stuck in my high school days.

But the band kept moving, although singer Bret Michaels apologized for being a little under the weather and being hobbled by a hurt knee. Only later did I find out that hurt knee was apparently from a bass flung in his direction during a confrontation with Bobby. Bret looks like he's put on a little weight since I saw the band three or four years back. But they group still roamed the stage and played off the receptive crowd.

Despite being regularly maligned by critics, I still contend that hits like "Nothing But a Good Time," "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" and, of course, the one that started it all, "Talk Dirty To Me" are escapist, fun musical bubble gum (great taste, no substance). And on Sunday night, the band delivered the goods with blasting solos by CC and the underrated drum work by Rikki.

FAIR AND BALANCED: Oh, and my friend Scott, who accompanied me to the show, offers his own take on the night here.