July 25, 2009 – The second annual Dakota Rock Fest kicked its second night into gear with a stellar assortment of melodic 80s rock. Held at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the fans arrived early on Saturday morning – many of them camped out after enjoying the music of April Wine on Friday night. The national headliners started off quickly in the afternoon when Enuff Z’Nuff performed under a warm sun, and continued well into the night as Bret Michaels echoed the last strains of “Nothin’ But a Good Time“. With the likes of Dokken, FireHouse, Skid Row, and L.A. Guns filling the rest of the day, it was a good time for all indeed. The big name draws also helped to create a big boost in attendance, which seemed to have doubled from last year. While the recession may loom on and other festivals like Rocklahoma may continue to struggle, the Dakota Rock Fest is alive, well, and was the place to be over the weekend.
Enuff Z’Nuff emerged on stage with a look that suggested the merger of hippie culture and glam rock. Dressed in a bright white jacket, pink shades, and a peace sign guitar strap, bassist and namesake Chip Z’Nuff was quite a sight. Although singer Donnie Vie smoked a cigarette for the first few songs, he still managed to sound fine and the band performed a tight set of songs as they drew from their various studio albums. The hits were played, as well as a new song from the upcoming studio album titled “High“.
Although L.A. Guns is now the name of two groups and the result of a fractured band, Tracii Guns’ version gave a rousing show filled with the signature southern California glam sound. A singer with a long and varied career that included a brief stunt with L.A. Guns a decade ago, Jizzy Pearl now finds himself as the band’s latest vocalist following a series of line up changes. Pearl’s singing and stage style is reminiscent of Billy Idol‘s, so much so that he could pass himself off as the famed punk rocker if his hair met with some peroxide. Working the crowd from beginning to end while playing memorable tracks like “Electric Gypsy” and “Rip and Tear“, L.A. Guns kept it interesting through and through. The reunion of Pearl and Guns also brought some deeper cuts out of the fold, including “Decide“, a song penned in 1999 shortly before the two split.
FireHouse arrived on stage at 6:05 and brought a show packed with an amount of melody and passion that rivaled their headlining performance last year at the fest. The foursome has a reputation for sounding note perfect to their albums, and this gig was no exception. Aside from the hit songs anticipated by the crowd, some less heard cuts also received play including “Door to Door“, a song from the band’s latest album on which drummer Michael Foster takes over lead vocals. Another highlight of the show was “Oughta Be a Law“, a fun and tight number that offers intricate guitar work backed by a tight rhythm section, a true FireHouse trademark. C.J. Snare, the band’s mainstay singer since the begnning, set the bar for himself very high in the studio by reaching impossible notes and screams. Whether a result of extreme care and practice or just the result of some good genes, Snare is one of the lucky few who has hardly lost a note after 20 years. Songs like “Love of a Lifetime” and “Reach for the Sky” pose vocal challenges in their highs and lows, but they are tackled with ease as he plays off guitarist Bill Leverty’s equally challenging guitar solos. The show was packed with action from begninning to end; no band can do a it quite like FireHouse.
Up next was a true metal favorite. Dokken became associated with so-called “hair metal” in the ’80s, but their melodic and technical sense has always set them apart. For the show, “Breaking the Chains” was the name of the game as the drums and the bass rolled out of the speakers, but the guitar was lost in the mix. Vocalist Don Dokken emerged on stage to a rush of excitement, but before he could utter the first line of ‘Chains’, the band stopped and attempted to determine why Jon Levin’s guitar wasn’t coming through on the amplifier. After a few seconds, thinking the problem was a thing of the past, they carried on with the song only to stop another 30 seconds later with no guitar sound once again. Feeling frustrated and perhaps mildly amused, Don Dokken stepped out on the short catwalk into the crowd and did what he does best – engage fans in witty dialogue. “Should I moonwalk? I don’t know what to do now,” Don said as technicians tried to fix the problem at hand. Finally the band left the stage and emerged a few minutes later to a different song – “Kiss of Death“. Firing on all cylinders this time around, Jon Levin let the crowd have it all and then some during the song’s solo. Don’s vocals weren’t immediately crisp, but he warmed up as the show went on.
Joining the band for at least part of this year’s tour is Sean McNabb (ex-Great White), replacing Barry Sparks who has in recent years become only a studio member because of his international travel. McNabb fits in nicely with the group, and clearly gets a kick out of performing songs like “It’s Not Love“. Guitarist Jon Levin once again proved himself as the only man fit to be Dokken’s shredder in chief. Capturing the essence of George Lynch one minute and giving a taste of his own style the next, Levin’s playing is impeccable and captivating. After touring with Ted Nugent last summer, “Wild” Mick Brown is back where he belongs – behind the drum kit in Dokken. His aggressive style lends itself nicely to the overall concert sound, and it is a treat to see him back in action. In between songs and solos, Don filled the dead air with the ramblings that have now become his trademark and define his onstage persona. After spotting some younger fans he asked: “How old are you? 6?” He continued, “you think Dokken is some sort of a muskrat, don’t you.”
After Dokken classics like “Into the Fire” and “Just Got Lucky” were played, it appeared that there would be no time for deeper selections from the catalog. Just then, the band ripped into “Too High to Fly“, a roaring and groove-filled song from 1995′s Dysfunctional album. Singing more within his vocal range, Don’s sound was much improved on this track as well as “This Fire“, a brand new song from last year’s Lighting Strikes Again release. Before playing the new material, the singer laid out a very cautious approach and asked the crowd to cheer if it sounds like classic Dokken, and ‘boo’ otherwise. The cheers won the war, and led into “Tooth and Nail“, a heavy track that usually is preceded by Don giving the crowd a choice of what they want to hear, with the proposition of a soft ballad or an in-your-face metal track. The choice always yields ‘Tooth’ anyway, so Mick Brown interrupted as the aforementioned sound issues left no time for such questioning on this night.
As a photographer I found myself attempting to get the attention of Don throughout the set, and it finally happened when he re-emerged onto the stage following an instrumental break. He turned to the lens, bent down and stared into it long enough for 20 frames to be snapped.
When the keen melodic sense and detailed execution of Dokken met the borderline thrash metal of Skid Row, there was a bit of a contrast to be observed. Skid Row plays fast, dirty, and make no mistake – the band acknowledges in their style that they have changed significantly since the departure of Sebastian Bach. Playing a mixed set of older songs a la “Youth Gone Wild“, and newer cuts like “Thick is the Skin” and “New Generation“, there is a punk element in a Skid Row show that is not found in a Sebastian Bach solo show. Guitarist Scotti Hill immediately makes himself known on stage as he tosses his hair around and makes faces like a madman, and it’s a metal show unlike any other. Singer Johnny Solinger made a wise choice by leaving his cowboy hat off for the evening, and although the bandana was there, he separated himself from the evening’s headliner by letting out showstopping screams. “I Remember You” was the cut chosen to end the set, and while Solinger did a fine job vocally during the rest of the show, this song highlighted more clearly the differences between his voice and Bach’s. But that didn’t stop the crowd from having a great time and sending the band off with loud cheers.
No longer just the frontman for the glam rock band Poison, a hit reality show on VH1 has given singer Bret Michaels the excuse and the ability to go on a solo tour. The Bret Michaels Band gave the final performance at Dakota Rock Fest with a song list that was dominated by Poison hits and sprinkled with songs from Michaels’ somewhat flat solo career (although his latest album did reach #40 on the Billboard charts). Opening with “Talk Dirty to Me“, the songs at first lacked authenticity, and understandably so seeing that 3/4 of Poison was not there to back Bret up. However, the musicians earned respect through the rest of the set by making it clear that they weren’t attempting to be a cover band. Despite Bret’s recent tendency to write country-tinged rock, the band is headed in the exact opposite direction, being every bit as confrontational as Skid Row and embracing a metal look. Meanwhile, Michaels jumped in the air and embraced his fans by spending plenty of time on the catwalk.
Although it’s easy to pass judgment on the hat and bandana wearing singer for his reality show, there were two distinct things that Bret did during the set that deserve recognition. He pulled two small children out of the tight crowd to save them from being pushed around, and also dedicated “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” to U.S. soldiers. Our hats off to Bret Michaels, but you can be sure that his hat will stay firmly planted on his head. “Fallen Angel” closed out the set, but the screaming fans wanted more, so “Nothin’ But a Good Time” saw the singer re-emerge on stage to end the night on a fun note. The fest overall was a unique and full day of great rock music executed in a great atmosphere, and it will surely continue to be a Sioux Falls summer highlight.
[...] played to a packed crowd at the Dakota Rock Fest on July 25, 2009. You can read the review here, and check out the full photo gallery by clicking the photo above or the link [...]
This was a great day of what is now called “classic rock n’ roll”. All of the act performed great for the most part with only a few technical difficulties with the gear most notably during the beginning of the Dokken set.
I wish that more of the sites mentioned the opening acts like Paiste Jenny and Appetite For Deception. (My band) We had a great performance leading up to a fantastic week long run in Sturgis this year. I hope somebody reads this that saw our show. Leave your comments please! Guns N’ Roses rules the day!
Axl M.
music fan of rock band firehouse is there new studio album for 2010 titled yet all new songs all new music followup to primetime i hope it has ballads on it thanks jon macvean
[...] You can get all the latest on Dokken at http://www.Dokken.net, and read our recent Dokken concert review at this link. [...]