Ratt at Supertoads in Des Moines 1/2001

Part 3 in my review series...

"Just got back from the Ratt show at Supertoads in Des Moines, IA. What a show! Jizzy Pearl sounds as good, if not better, than Stephen Pearcy. He really does fit well. John Corabi even got to handle a few vocals and was in fine form on rhythm guitar. When he sang with Jizzy on Lack Of Communication, I was floored at how well they both can sound like Pearcy. Warren DeMartini is just a phenomenal guitarist. That guy has so much soul coming out of his fingers, it's impressive. He even handled a few bocals on Walkin' The Dog. He has such a stage presence, too, without really having to do much. He just has that attitude... Bobby Blotzer was his usual humble self. He has so much rhythm and groove that I consider him to be one of the best drummers around. One of the things that has always endeared me to Ratt was their rhythm and groove. Robbie Crane has fit the bill nicely since he has joined up. Robbie certainly had to adapt to a different style of playing, but he and Bobby sure hold the groove. The set list was as follows:

I Want A Woman (one of my fave Ratt tunes - groove!)
Wanted Man (this early hit was one of the first I heard after Round And Round, of course)
I'm Insane (What a pleasant surprise! I've seen Ratt twice now and they didn't work this song into their set on the Poison tour.)
Dance (Dancing Undercover will always be my favorite Ratt CD. There wasn't a bad song on it!)
Way Cool Jr. (I remember when this song came out and fell in love with Warren's bluesy interpretations here.)
Luv Sick (With Poison, they played Over The Edge from their newest CD. I was glad to hear at least one tune and something different. They should have done at least one more, tho, in my humble opinion.)
Body Talk
Slip Of The Lip (These two tunes from Dancing Undercover rank as their finest. It's all groove. Can't stress that enough.)
Nobody Rides For Free (Point Break was a decent movie... Actually, I think this was their first tune as a four piece, at least in video.)
Walkin' The Dog (Ah, the awesomeness of their tunes...)
Lovin' You Is A Dirty Job (More Ratt style blues. Detonator is an awesome CD, too. Anyone remember that Jon Bon Jovi sang backup on one of the songs from this CD?)
Shame Shame Shame (Two from Detonator in a row.)
Lack Of Communication (Corabi sounded so good complimenting Jizzy on this one. John really seemed to be having fun playing Ratt tunes.)
Back For More (Everyone sang along on the chorus of this one. I'm surprised at how many songs the crowd was really into.)
Round And Round (THE RATT HIT! My first exposure to Ratt was this song and video. Still a classic!)
Lay It Down (Encore time. The crowd was chanting this song title until Ratt came out and played.)
You're In Love (Ratt segued right into this one and used it as a great closer for the night.)

Everyone seemed to have a blast; the band and the fans. Catch this show!"