August 15, 2022

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The Stadium Tour made it's long awaited appearance  at PNC Park to the throngs of glam metal fans.  However, this time around these rockers brought their kids with them to experience what rock shows were like in the 1980s.

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And these bands did not disappoint.

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First up were Classless Act, newcomers from Los Angeles.  They were the perfect band to open up this show.  They are a high energy band with a 80s hard rock sound.  However, these songs fresh.  Front man, Derek Day was all over the stage, keeping the audience engaged.  The entire band was full of energy and were playing off one another.  I can't wait to see these guys again.

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Next, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Joan Jett and her new Blackhearts band came out rocking.  Joan has done and seen it all and has nothing left to prove.  She just comes out and kicks ass, every single time she is on stage.  

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She played everything you would expect to hear in her 40 minute set.  "Cherry Bomb," "Do You Wanna Touch Me" and "Fake Friends" found their way early in the set.

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Jett said she was happy to be back in Pittsburgh. She said she considers herself to be from Pittsburgh because she was born in Philadelphia.  She even said "I wanna thank yinz for coming out."

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The last half of the show featured the big hits, "Crimson and Clover," "I Love Rock and Roll," "I Hate Myself For Loving You" and the autobiographical "Bad Reputation."

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Poison were next up and they were perhaps the best act of the day.  

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Bret Michaels came out waving a Terrible Towel as the band launched into "Look What The Cat Dragged In."

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All members made their way down the catwalk to get a little closer to the fans, except of course Rikki Rocket who was stationed behind his kit.

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Michaels noted that he was very happy to be home as he grew up in Butler, PA just a few miles away from PNC Park.  

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The biggest disappointment was that they only played seven songs.  Yes, CC did an nice tribute to Eddie Van Halen by incorporating "Eruption" into his guitar solo and Rikki Rockett also had a drum solo.

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Personally, I would much rather hear two or three more Poison songs.

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But hey, the fans still ate up their hits.  "Ride The Wind," "Talk Dirty To Me" and their number one hit, "Every Rose Has It's Thorn."

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Their time came to an end with the party anthem, "Nothin' But A Good Time.'

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Def Leppard and Motley Crue have been switching off on who would close the show every other night.  For Pittsburgh, Crue was set to close the show so Def Leppard took the stage just as the sun was going down.

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These Hall of Famers are true professionals.  They still look and sound fantastic.  They also did a great job of incorporating some new songs off their latest album

Diamond Star Halos into their set. 

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They even broke out three songs from High N Dry that included "Let It Go," "Bringing On The Heartbreak" and the instrumental "Switch 625."

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However, their Diamond selling album, Hysteria got the most attention.  "Animal," "Armageddon It," and "Rocket" were sprinkled throughout the set.  Of course, "Pour Some Sugar On Me" had all of these middle aged rockers singing along like it was 1988.

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But the final two songs in their set came from their other Diamond selling album Pyromania.  "Rock of Ages" had the 39,000 people rocking out and "Photograph" featured pictures of the band from through out their forty plus year career.

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These guys truly still have it and show no signs of slowing down.

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Finally, the long awaited return of Motley Crue was here.  

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After proclaiming that they were retired and signing a contract stating that they would not play live anymore.  Well, it just goes to show that things happen.

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Like, a popular Netflix biopic called The Dirt.  

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And a big payday.

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Parents wanted to relive that era and kids wanted to see what that era was like for themselves.

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For all of the issues that has been surrounding Vince Neil over the years, he actually came out sounding better than expected.  Opening with "Wild Side," "Shout At The Devil" and "Too Fast For Love" the band was firing on all cylinders.

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However, when the band got to "The Dirt" it was obvious that Neil was having some help with backing tracks because he sounded totally different.  Then it went down hill from there as far as the vocals go.

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Nikki Sixx addressed the crowd early on by thanking the for coming out and supporting the band for forty one years.  He noticed a girl in the front and said, "You want this towel? Ok, I think I gave a towel just like this one to your mom back in 1987!"

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After a medley of cover songs, Tommy Lee came out from behind the kit and took center stage.  He said, "Where am I?  I thought I was in Pittsburgh, but I haven't seen any titties yet!"  With that, some women close to the stage obliged him by lifting their shirts.

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Just like the '80s.  

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Lee then said he was going to play some piano, and was quickly surrounded by his bandmates as they went into "Home Sweet Home."

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The last third of the show were all rockers, "Dr. Feelgood," "Same Ol' Situation" and "Girls Girls Girls" had the audience head banging along.

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"Primal Scream" and "Kickstart My Heart" brought the concert to a close.

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It was a great time reliving my youth from the '80s, as I have seen all of these acts, except for Classless Act, more than thirty five years ago.

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All of the bands put on great shows.  It was a perfect lineup and they did exactly what they were supposed to do.

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And that was to rock! 

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Photos and review by Greg Drugan

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