Poison

Poison has been coming to Pittsburgh for the past 4 or 5 years straight, and it has always been my favorite concert of the summer. Their lead singer, Bret Michaels, is from a town around Pittsburgh - and he always gives a great show here because of that connection. Usually, they bring with them 3 metal bands of the same era, which in the past have included: Cinderella, Warrant, Slaughter, Quiet Riot, etc. This year, somehow, they were able to hook up with KISS. Wow, what a great combination.

I got really lucky with Ticketmaster when I went to buy tickets for this show. I ended up with 5th row tickets, right on the left side of the stage. It felt more like 3rd row because we were right on the aisle. When Poison was on, Bret, Bobby Dall, and C.C Deville would take turns at our corner of the stage. For Kiss, Gene Simmons owned that area of the stage, all night. I have never been this close to the stage in my life. One of the greatest things about it, is you can make eye contact with the band members. I got a guitar pick thrown to me by Bobby Dall. My friend got one from Gene Simmons. We also received pointed fingers and salutes from various members of both bands. When Poison was on, everyone around me was wearing KISS t-shirts, so my Poison t-shirt stood out, and helped me get extra attention from the band. It was AWESOME.

The best part of going to see the band Poison, is that they have so much fun, on stage. They are all smiling, rocking out, running around - like they did twenty years ago. They have all aged, physically - but the music has stayed the same. Since they were technically the opener, they played less songs than they normally would. Some of these songs included: "Something to Believe In", "Nothin' but a Good Time", "Every Rose Has It's Thorn", "Talk Dirty to Me", "I Won't Forget You Baby", and "Ride the Wind".

Being a Pittsburgh native, Bret gave multiple "shout outs" to the crowd and the city for it's support. He always gives a great intro before playing "Every Rose has it's Thorn" -- since it is their most popular song. I can't say enough about the energy and longevity of this band. They are truly one of my all time favorites.