Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame !

The Rock Never Stops Concert Review

On August 24, 2005 I and my boyfriend attended the Rock Never Stops concert at the Bilo Center in Greenville, SC. Being a die-hard hair metal band fanatic child of the eighties, it was me who insisted upon attending this concert. In fact, I would have went whether Thomas wanted to go or not, dragging whomever I could along! Anyway, tickets being only $26 bucks a pop for four bands should have tipped me off that something was amiss.
The concert began at 7:00 and , fashionably late as always, we arrive at 7:20 I am carefully dressed in black snake skin pants, a black shirt and boots, sporting glam makeup and glitter; hair teased to the sky. Looking just like I had stepped straight out of the 80s baby! Very excited about this show, we entered the Bilo Center and found our seats-6th row! That’s what I’m talking about!
Firehouse was already playing and we got to hear about 1 ½ songs before they were done. What we heard sounded good and I wasn’t too upset at having missed part of their performance, never having been a huge Firehouse fan. But the high notes the lead singer can hit and hold have always amazed me.
The lights came on for a short intermission while the next band set up. I turned to search the audience for the familiar faces of my youth. There were a few long hairs there with their black band Tshirts and some harsh-looking groupie sluts too. But, disappointingly, most of the audience was made up of slightly middle-aged normal-looking people. Where were the young boys with long hair, eyeliner, torn jeans and attitudes? Where were the fan-girls with snake skin mini skirts and slouch boots who were almost in tears at being in the presence of their idols? Where was this era of lost children from the Glam Rock 80s? Bittersweet memories of my past washed over me as I turned back to face the stage-the next band was starting….
Quiet Riot took the stage. Eh, I could take ‘em or leave ‘em. I like exactly two songs of theirs-”Cum on Feel the Noise” and “Mental Heath”. It was a big shocker when they took the stage though. The lead singer was decked out in a skintight leopard print suit ala Rod Stewart circa 1970s, complete with the mod shag hair style! Whoa! Regardless of this humorous get-up, he managed to kick-ass for an old guy! He obviously ate his Wheaties for breakfast that morning! They did a bang-up job and put on a very engaging performance. Honestly, though, I wanted them to finish so I could see Ratt!
After the set-up guys left the stage, the curtain went up to reveal Ratt!I love Ratt! Upon closer inspection though, I was confused. Where was the ever-charismatic Stephen Pearcy?And who in the hell was this punk in his place? Was this even Ratt? Wait, there was my man Warren Demartini so this must be them. Crushing disappointment set in when I realized that Stephen would not be there. I consoled myself by concentrating on the oh-so-talented Warren instead. He did, after all, grace several spots on my bedroom wall whilst growing up! I tried to make the best of the situation because they were rocking hard on several songs, such as “Round and Round” and “Way Cool Jr.” Hey, the lead singer sounded almost like Stephen on these songs…..yeah, because he was lip-synching! That’s right! He did sing some songs on his own but he was definitely lip-synching on some of the more popular older songs. What a rip-off. I found out later that the lead singer was John Corabi. I didn’t go see Mötley Crüe back in the day because I found out he was Vince’s replacement! As if anyone could take Vince’s place!
Finally, Ratt finished their performance and left the stage. I felt sad and cheated and let-down. Would Cinderella be able to repair the damage left by Ratt? Back when I was a screaming 17-year-old fan girl; Bon Jovi and Cinderella played the first concert I ever attended. So, I had high hopes and expectations for Cinderella. Would they erase these dismaying feelings of disappointment I was experiencing? Could they transport me back to that long-lost girl of 17 who still believed all her dreams would come true?
At last, the band I have been waiting not-so-patiently for all night….Cinderella! With an impressive display of pyrotechnics, Cinderella took the stage! I could feel the heat from where I stood! Looking none the worse for the wear, the band lineup was made up of all of the original members! I literally would have cried if Tom Keifer wouldn’t have been there! Their hair, while still long, was not quite as big and their flamboyant glam was toned down a bit. They still had the cool rock star persona about them and they still rocked the house!
Exhilaration swept over me and goose bumps tingled along my arms and legs. Cinderella swept into their hits, one after another. Tom Keifer is most certainly a master of many instruments; there is definitely more to him than just that wonderfully gritty, soulful voice. He played several guitars, harmonica, keyboards and a grand piano, switching effortlessly between them all throughout the show. The performance of Cinderella alone more than made up for the disappointment of Ratt.
“Heartbreak Station” was performed while tiny bubbles floated over the audience, lending a magical air to the song. “Shake Me”, Gypsy Road”, Somebody Save Me”…..all the old favorites were performed and they were truly as awe-inspiring as I had remembered them to be. Standing amidst the rest of the head banging, screaming fans, I was transported back in time. Once again, I was that fan girl of 17, screaming and singing with both hands raised in the devil horns/I love you symbol, head banging while the music took me back to that long gone time of my youth. Who cares that I have to go to work the next day? Or that I will have lost my voice and damaged my already bad hearing even more? At that moment in time I was living for the music and I was happy.