Concert Review
SiriusXM’s Hair Nation Festival
Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
Irvine, CA
Saturday September 17, 2016
Photos: Christin Tank
The first annual SiriusXM Hair Nation Festival was held last Saturday at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in Irvine, California. The show featured the hairbands of the 80s and early 90s with Vince Neil (Motley Crue) and Bret Michaels (Poison) topping the bill. Other notable bands on the bill included Kix, Yngwie Malmsteen, Slaughter, Lita Ford, Faster Pussycat plus many more. Radio talk show host Eddie Trunk emceed the festivities.
Vince Neil closed out the night with his solo band which saw Slaughter members Jeff Blando and Dana Strum pulling double duty. Neil tore through some Motley Crue standards such as “Dr. Feelgood”, “Looks That Kill” and “Home Sweet Home” much to the delight of some 15,000 on hand.
Michaels and his solo band now comprising of Cinderella’s Eric “Bam Bam” Brittingham rocked the Amphitheatre for one last time. Michaels first played the venue back in 1987 with Poison and has made many appearances since.
The festival also marked the first time Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns played together in some fifteen years. Both have been out on the road performing the whole time. Lewis was a guest playing with Tracii’s band. The guys even dug out some deep cuts off Waking The Dead. Let’s hope these guys play together again in the near future.
The venue which opened in 1981 is in its final year of operation as the lease has not been renewed. Apartment buildings are expected to be built on the land.
There is a market for this type of festival. The Cathouse live show from last year kind of kickstarted things and now it has grown into the Hair Nation Festival. Like the M3 Festival on the east coast it is designed to focus on the music of the hard rock genre and the glory days of the sunset strip from the 80s. Here’s hoping a new venue can be found in time for the second annual Hair Nation Fest!!
Yngwie J. Malmsteen Bullet Boys
Set List Highlights
Bret Michaels
Talk Dirty To Me
Look What The Cat Dragged In
Sweet Home Alabama
Your Mama Don’t Dance
Something To Believe In
Unskinny Bop
Drum Solo
Every Rose Has It’s Thorn
Nothin’ But A Good Time
Kix
Wheels in Motion
No Ring Around Rosie
Midnite Dynamite
Cold Shower
Don’t Close Your Eyes
Girl Money
Guitar Solo
Love Me With Your Top Down
Cold Blood
Blow My Fuse
Yngwie J. Malmsteen
Jam
Rising Force
Spellbound
Into Valhalla
Seventh Sign
Badinerie
Adagio
Far Beyond the Sun
The Star-Spangled Banner
Trilogy Suite Op: 5
Dreaming (Tell Me)
Guitar Solo
Blues Jam
Heaven Tonight
LA Guns- Phil Lewis & Tracii Guns
Killing Machine
Sex Action
Electric Gypsy
Never Enough
Over the Edge
Don’t Look at Me That Way
One More Reason
Rip & Tear
Lita Ford
Gotta Let Go
Larger Than Life
Can’t Catch Me
Cherry Bomb
Close My Eyes Forever
Kiss Me Deadly
Enuff Z’Nuff
Baby Loves You
Kiss The Clown
In The Groove
New Thing
Fly High Michelle
