
Poison/Don Dokken/Jan 26 1991/Winnipeg Arena
So the Poison/Warrant tour of 90/91 are selling tickets like hotcakes but when it comes to the Canadian part of the Poison tour Warrant gets the boot. Word on the street was due to issues,i.e. stage space,blowing off the headliner, maybe egos being hurt. Who knows what the deal is but when me,Tbone and his brother Rugg and a buddy named Oinks boarded the party bus to the Peg in Jan 91 I’m glad to hear that Don Dokken and his solo band are the opening act.
Don you know along with the rest of Dokken basically self destructed after a good run so Don put out Up From The Ashes and assembled a hot-shot band with two guitarists in John Norum (Europe) and Billy White( have no idea) along with bassist Peter Baltes (Accept) and Mikkey Dee(Motörhead) and man as far as I’m concerned this band destroyed the headliner that night.
You want proof well Don and the boys sauntered and ripped into The Hunter! Hell yeah man my fav Dokken tune and yep they plugged the album Give It Up,Crash N Burn,When Some Nights,Stay and the Hunger. Course some ol Dokken tracks from yesteryear like Breaking The Chains, In My Dreams and an acoustic version of Alone Again. Dokken as in Don and the fellas showed up and rocked it well for me anyways the crowd was so so I mean it was Poisons crowd but man this is a better band musically.
This was for me and TBone our second crack at seeing Poison. The first time was gonna be on the Open Up and Say Ah tour in Duluth with Tesla opening but Bret Michael’s was sick or sumthin and the show was scrapped.
Anyways…..
So the Flesh & Blood tour is here and here they come out on stage one by one Bobby,Ricki, CC and then the one and only Mr Bandana himself Bret and were off to see Look What The Cat Dragged In. Interesting choice as it was the Open Up tour opener as well. Look But You Can’t Touch and Good Love are now numbers 2&3 played and are we at the wrong tour is this the Open Up show? Ahhh ok current single Ride Like The Wind is played followed by Let Em Play. I Want Action is next and of course Bret works the crowd like he’s working the counter at Burger King like asking the customers instead of wanting fries,ya want some Action….the girls in the crowd shriek…..
Something To Believe in and if memory serves me correct Poison dedicates this to the Canadian Troops fighting in the Gulf War. In other news Bobby Dall has no idea he is on stage in Winnipeg Manitoba Canada at this time! (Will explain later)
Now an oddball track is played and that’s Poor Boy Blues?? Why I have no idea oh yeah so B Michael’s can play the harmonica and tell us all that even though Bret is as glam looking as the lady selling makeup at Shoppers Drug Mart He knows the blues? Uhhh ok pal if ya say so!
The place goes bonkers for Unskinny Bop and haha…..and than the song of the night for me is next with Love On The Rocks with the all time classic 80s line….quote “She goes down slow like a shot of gin!” end quote. Love it,that my friends is rock 101 literature at its finest and hell I’m ok with it!
Wait for it here it is….Every Rose is played and the place lights up like a Xmas Tree! Lighter anyone? And now it’s Fallen Angel…and now a cover of Y&T’s (haha) of Your Mama Don’t Dance followed by Nuthin But A Good Time shows over kinda….
Poison come back out like champs and give us Talk Dirty To Me..night is over and I’m relieved and let me tell you why….
I won’t lie. At the time I liked em and so did you! So don’t try to bullshit your way out of this one. This show for me was a letdown for a few reasons….
15 tracks were played yep that’s 15 tracks (17 tracks if you include drum and guitar solo)in a 75 minute show.
7 of which were from Open Up And Say Ahh from there 1988 album 3 from Look What The Cat Dragged In and 5 from their current release Flesh & Blood.
Bobby’s Dall was well,basically he laid around on a ramp for a good while before B Michael’s helped him up. The dude was in another zone that night. Basically if I want to see people inebriated and lying around smashed out I will just spend a night drinking with the Erickson brothers. Nuff said!
A good 20 minutes was bogged down in solos(10 for Rikki,10 for CC)
But we did have a good time as we were about 10 rows back in our seats and then Michael’s told the crowd early in the show were all too far back and the floor went chaotic and next thing you were pushed almost 2 rows from the stage. During CC Devilles solo he started nicking EVH’s Eruption so me,Oinks and the brothers chanted Eddie.Eddie,Eddie not that he heard us…but it was fun….
Flesh & Blood sold tons and not to plug said current release? Bizarro move ….
“The first time was gonna be on the Open Up and Say Ah tour in Duluth…”
FUCKIN’ DULUTH!
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Hahaha….
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Well I wasn’t there but I have the live album so I agree. The solos in a band like Poison are a bit too much. I understand that the reason they do long solos is so Bret can go backstage and take his insulin shot.
However, a better solution than a fuckin’ 10 minute drum solo by Rikki Rocket would be to have other members sing one song, which they do now with CC having his own lead vocals. Should have done that back then.
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Yeah I guess ….but if your gonna make 20 minutes of solos part of your 75 minute set than at least play a few more….
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All I can say buddy is that I don’t think ANYONE in Poison should be taking solos!
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Yeah that’s for sure! …..
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The thought of Bret working the Burger King counter is making me chuckle. Good job!
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Thanks man….
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You’re welcome!
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Awsome – I replied to a conversation in which I had no part! Fuckin’ wine… Lemme try again…
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I really wish there was a good synonym for ‘despite’ that started with a ‘p’ so that that newspaper article could be a complete aliteration.
I am such a geek.
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20 hrs ago the Winnipeg Sun woulda hired ya!
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20 hrs ago? Did they just close a hiring process? Damn it.
Ah well, no way in hell I’m moving to Winnipeg anyway. Hahahahaha noooooo nope no thanks.
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Hahahaha I meant 20 years..I’m a dope!
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You have a buddy named OINKS?
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Yep..his last name is Oikonen…..so Oinks it was!
Hahaha..love the fact that you read my review and it’s the nickname that gets the press !
LOVE IT!
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Wow, well I hope he’s cool with it. 😉
How could I not comment on frickin’ OINKS, man?
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Oh yeah he’s totally cool,with it!
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Well that’s good, at least. Get a nickname and you’re in, ain’t that what you said? Oh man, Oinks. What a keeper.
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Yep,your in my good books if I tag u with a nick name!
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I better watch out with all this commenting, then. I’ll wind up with a nickname like frickin’ wino. GIVE ‘ER!
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Hahaha….Yep I gotta get in that
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Um, shoud I be afraid? 😉
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Nothin to be afraid of in these parts fella!
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I suppose that must be true, given that OINKS is already taken. 😉
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My last name is Stewart. So I got “Stew” a lot in high school. But it didn’t last because I never knew they were calling to me when they said it – no one else had ever called me that before then. I dunno, people yelling Stew! makes me think they’re hungry, is all…
Your nickname culture fascinates me. We never really did that, growing up.
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Hahaha….nickname culture!! Hahahaha…..here’s a snippet of some of people I work with that I have christened with nicknames..
Chuck D,Hoss,Metal Todd,Mr Metal,Cracker,el Donko,Obi Wan Jacoby,Zakk Attack,Tricky,BMellis,Rockin Roberts…there’s more just can’t think right now…..
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These are brilliant. I think we all know how El Donko got his name…
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I was reading along and laughing but then this almost made me spit my wine in hilarity:
“even though Bret is as glam looking as the lady selling makeup at Shoppers Drug Mart He knows the blues? Uhhh ok pal if ya say so!”
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Hahaha..one of my pals at work Rockstar Super Paulie loved that line as well!
Thanks ….
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Rockstar Super Paulie. Another nickname that deserves a second look…
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Hahaha…oh yeah he’s a character loves the Rock!
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I never saw Poison on concert, but I owned Look What… and Flesh & Blood on cassette, back in the day. So hot, I know.
This still sounds like it was a decent show, and not as much for Poison! Way to go Dokken guy, even though I doubt I’ve ever heard a note of one of your songs!
I once read that the guitar solo on one of the songs on the Poison live 2CD set was THE worst guitar solo on history. Maybe lying around on ramps would go a long way towards explaining that.
Worst I ever saw was a Black Crowes concert and Chris could hardly stand up. Weak.
Another great one, Deke. You’re really knocking ’em outta the park!
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Thanks man…..totally appreciate it!
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You’re welcome!
Ha there that’s the one I wanted.
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Again the Title says it all. Lol
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Crap=Poison Live
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Hahaha, totally agree with the post.
I saw em live here in Australia and I felt like walking on stage and unplugging CC’s guitar cable so that the guitar solo could stop.
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Hey,thanks for dropping by! You have a great site! Yeah, Poison was a mess live!
Thanks for the kind comments….
Derek
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