Poison at Sandstone in KC 7/20/02

Part 5 in my review series...a BIG ONE!

"Just trying to recover from last night's Poison show in KC. What an awesome night! I'm 33 and the other 3 guys that went with me to the show are between 18 and 20. and said it was the best show they had ever seen. Following is a complete review of all 4 bands:

Faster Pussycat

FP came out in their almost Nazi style outfits. They had on the long black boots, military style caps, white shirts, black ties, and faces painted white. They each had black hair except for Xristian Simon. His was short and blond and he wore a black kilt. Taime brought out a black umbrella with a skull and crossbones on the top. Brent Muscat had huge platform shoes on. They opened with These Boots Are Made For Walkin'. This was a really cool version of the song, slowed way down, with a military step beat to it. They then punked right into Cathouse and then a "song about eatin' your pussy", Slip Of The Tongue. The new song Hellbound (?) was next up. It was nice to hear them in familiar territory on the new one. Taime then sat down for a bit on House Of Pain. This tune really got the people who were there into Faster Pussycat. It was so familiar that everyone perked up. There weren't a lot of people in the place, yet, but since it was Saturday there were more than usual for an opening act. Bathroom Wall was up next and then Taime dedicated the last tune to Betty Blowtorch (Bianca). That last song was Shut Up & F$CK. The crowd kept repeating that line for a couple of minutes after FP got offstage. Great set, but just way too short. I was hoping to hear Little Dove, Big Dictionary, and Poison Ivy. Good set, though, and quite unique.

These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
Cathouse
Slip Of The Tongue
Hellbound (?)
House Of Pain
Bathroom Wall
Shut Up & F$ck

Winger

Winger took the stage as complete professionals. They sound so full as a 5 piece with both Paul Taylor and Jon Roth. I was surprised at how many times they both played guitar along with Reb Beach. They even showed off their 3 guitar attack a few times. Kip still has his voice and led the boys quite well through this set. They kicked things off with Blind Revolution Mad, which is a good opener, but not as familiar to most of the people there. They then launched into Madeleine and Hungry, they slowed things down a bit with Miles Away. They said this was the last night of their tour with Poison, so they dedicated Rainbow In The Rose to the crews of all the bands. Reb got to show off a bit with a short guitar solo. He still looks like a 70's style rocker with the long straight blond hair, no shirt, and bell bottoms. It was good to see him in Winger because he just seemed so out of place with Dokken on stage last year. Don't get me wrong. I thought the music Reb did with Dokken was great, but on stage he seemed to have a 3 foot radius to move around in. With Winger, he could go anywhere on stage he wanted. You Are The Saint, I Am The Sinner was ended with all 3 guirarists taking a solo turn and then finishing out the song with some great runs and harmonies. I hope they get into the studio with this lineup ASAP. Winger really needs to get back out and get some new tunes going. This lineup has such great talent that I hope this isn't a one-off tour for them. Once again, Winger slowed things down with Headed For A Heartbreak. They picked it up for the final two tunes with Can't Get Enuf and Seventeen. They really got the growing crowd into their show. Their musicianship was probably the best of all the bands, at least on stage. I know a lot of people dogged Winger for having a pinup boy in Kip, but listen to their songs and you will hear simple melodies over some very complex instrumental parts. The rhythm changes and harmonies and unexpected breaks really give them a chance to shine underneath the catchy choruses they write.

Blind Revolution Mad
Madeleine
Hungry
Miles Away
Rainbow In The Rose
Reb's Solo
You Are The Saint, I Am The Sinner
Headed For A Heartbreak
Can't Get Enuf
Seventeen

Cinderella

Somebody Save Me! Cinderalla rocked! They had the lights, the pyro, a keyboard player, some guy who jumped out during one tune to play acoustic guitar, Tom played sax, and we got an encore! They started off with Somebody Save Me and jumped directly into Push Push. There was only one disappointment in Cinderella's show. They only did songs off the first 3 CD's. I know that they played the most popular stuff, though. They lauched into Last Mile and Night Songs next. There wa a bit of a blues guitar thing that Tom did (not exactly Bad Seamstress Blues) that led into Fallin' Apart At The Seams. The crowd was just eating up everything Cinderella did. We all went nuts! They held everyone from start to finish. Eric and Jeff were both slinging their guns, so to speak. They slowed things down a tad for Last Train, but followed it up with Comin' Home. The gospel sing-a-long of Shelter was phenomenal. Their keyboard player had the honky tonk piano down pat. The whole crowd was singing along with the chorus. They ended their regular set with Nobody's Fool and Gypsy Road. Their closer is one of my personal faves. Of course, we had to yell for an encore. The baby grand piano was rolled out and we all knew there were going to be 2 songs for the encore because of it. You never end with a slow song. So as you have probably guessed, the encore was Don't Know What You Got followed by Shake Me. Cinderella ruled the night up to the point that Poison hit the stage. Close call, though!

Somebody Save Me
Push Push
Last Mile
Night Songs
Fallin' Apart At The Seems
Last Train
Comin' Home
Shelter
Nobody's Fool
Gypsy Road
Don't Know What You Got
Shake Me

POISON

Well, they had the same stage setup as last year, but the backdrop was different an so was Rikki's paint job. They also had their keyboard player on stage again this year. Poison came out hitting on all cylinders. Their usual opener, Look What The Cat Dragged In, had everyone on their feet from the very beginning. In a surprising turn, they then launched into their usual encore, Talk Dirty To Me. Bret really likes visiting KC and KC didn't disappoint. Everyone was singing along to every word. They played Ride The Wind and then dedicated Squeeze Box to the memory of John Entwistle. Apparently, Johnny Dare of 98.9 The Rock in KC kept announcing on his radio show that everyone was supposed to lose their top during the next song. Midwestern women are certainly well endowed and left nothing to the band's imagination. During I Want Action, Bret could barely concentrate on the break in the song where he talks about what CC is thinking. It went a couple of extra measures just so they could take it all in. The women certainly made the band think they had died and gone to heaven. CC even had trouble finishing his solo break which was up next. He had to stop in the middle of his noodling just to tell the girls that he was having so much trouble. He said he was trying to "play the guitar, jack off, and see all the titties" and they were making things tough on him. Oh, to always have a life like that! CC changed things up a bit this year by playing Emporer's New Clothes as his solo tune. Great job, but it's not as readily catchy as I Hate Every Bone In Your Body But Mine. CC promised he'd be right back as Bret came out to start Something To Believe In. Bret dedicated it to the families who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks. Rikki kicked into the beat we all know and love for Your Mama Don't Dance next and then launched into his own drum solo. Everyone went nuts watching Rikki play. He had some cool beats, twirls, and moves. His precision is to be envied. He didn't invent anything new in playing, but he is mindful of what fans want from a drum solo. It has to capture you and make you want to move. Rikki's set was a spectacle in itself with a wonderful paint job that you will have to see on his website. Bret came out with his acoustic to start the song we all broke to number one, Every Rose Has Its Thorn. Rikki followed that up with Bobby to the familiar intro to Unskinny Bop. Bobby was really enjoying himself from the start. Fallen Angel was up next to the delight of everyone. Bret called out Winger for the finale. Kip, Jon, and Reb came out for Rock And Roll All Nite. Bret was gracious with the mic and let Kip do a lot of the song. Kip's not quite the master of ceremonies that Bret is, but he did look like he had taken his own advice from years ago and loosened up. The guys gave each other hugs all around as the confetti fell and they thanked the crowd for their support over the last 17 years. Kip thanked Poison for this opportunity, too, and thanked the crowd as well. Of course, we had to call for an encore. Nothin' But A Good Time was the encore and the confetti rolled out once again as well as the last bursts of pyro. They had the orange flames, the green flames, the twirlers, the large strobes, and everything else they could set off. A great time was had by all and Poison promised to do it again next year. I just hope they put out another record before that tour, too! If there were any disappointments, the lack of new material was the biggest. Most of the people I had met had been out the last 3 years, too. It would have been good to get at least one or two more of the newer songs. I'm still holding out for a Native Tongue and Crack A Smile tune, too. All they have to add are Power To The People, Sexual Thing, and Stand and drop Your Mama Don't Dance, Rock And Roll All Nite, and Look What The Cat Dragged In. They could even drop Fallen Angel to add another tune. Of course, with only 13 songs in the set, there is plenty of room to boost it up a few. Def Leppard did 22 when I saw them a couple years ago. Poison ended well before midnight so a longer set would certainly fit into the night. Maybe next time they will put forth a list of tunes they haven't played for a while and let the fans decide what rare ones get played. Just a thought.

Look What The Cat Dragged In
Talk Dirty To Me
Ride The Wind
Squeeze Box
I Want Action
CC's solo
Emporer's New Clothes
Something To Believe In
Your Mama Don't Dance
Rikki's solo
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Unskinny Bop
Fallen Angel
Rock And Roll All Nite
Nothin' But A Good Time

What an awesome concert! If you missed it, I am truly sorry and hope that this review helps you realize that you really need to be out in support of these guys next year! HAHA! Keep supporting your favorite bands and they wil keep returning.

Now, I have a personal experience from this show to share. You see, a week ago I dropped a computer and tried to catch it with my right leg. My shin was heavily bruised and it has left me walking with a cane for the last week. I'm a long-haired guy who wore a Metal Sludge T-shirt to the Poison show and walked with a cane. I had Section 2 Row U seats with a few friends. I don't know if it was the Metal Sludge shirt or the fact that I was limping with a cane or both, but when I met Big John he said he'd get me into the meet and greet after the show. I've never met Big John before, but greeted him as he passed me on the hillside. He was very kind and said he didn't know for sure if there would be a greeting session, but said to see him after the show. I saw him after the show and he said to hang out and he'd take care of things. I guess I was hobbling too slow because when I followed him to the gate I got about 50 feet behind him. He entered with 4 girls that were also following him back to the tent and probably didn't see me to let me in since I was so far behind. I was close to meeting my favorite band. That's the closest I've ever been. There were a few people cussing security because Brets meet and greet got cancelled due to "security reasons". I don't know what the big deal is, but I wouldn't complain about something like that. Security reasons or not, respect the guys for putting on a great show and leave it at that. Do they really owe you more than a great show? I understand that some people pay to join fan clubs in the hopes that they get to meet the band, but it's not a guaranteed thing. Why do we appreciate them in the first place? It's the music they make and the show they put on. I did send a Sandstone security guy down about 20 minutes later (I was thinking Big John might come back toward the gate and I am a patient type of guy) to see if I could get in, but it was too late. They couldn't let anyone else down. I hobbled back to the car and headed back to Des Moines. I had a great time and I appreciate Big John's offer. Big John, if you happen to read this, thanks for the offer and I hope I get to take you up on it sometime in the future!