Post by Cindy on Aug 29, 2008 9:30:27 GMT -5
www.orangeleader.com/entertainment/local_story_241224931.html
Here is what it says:
80's rock bands jam in Beaumont
Tommy Mann, Jr.
The Orange Leader
Many local rock fans are eagerly anticipating the “Rock the Bayou” music festival which begins Friday and continues through Labor Day in Houston. However, those same fans missed a chance at a small taste of that event Wednesday night in Beaumont.
Members of several of the bands participating at Rock the Bayou converged on Southeast Texas Wednesday to promote this weekend’s big event, and to mingle with their fans.
Hog Wild, one of the few remaining businesses open at the Crockett Street Entertainment District since the main leaseholder chose not to renew his contract in July, was the host to members of ’80s hard rock bands Faster Pussycat, Bulletboys, LA Guns and Enuff Z’Nuff.
The four-day rock, “Rock the Bayou,” extravaganza takes place on the grounds formerly home to Astroworld in Houston and will feature more than 100 bands, including 30 artists who found much of their respective fame and fortune in the decadent decade known as the ‘80s.
Even though many are anticipating the big weekend concert, even more are turning their eyes to the Gulf of Mexico as Tropical Storm Gustav churns toward an unknown landfall, possibly on the Gulf Coast.
“We’re staying on top of it,” said Ryan Johnson, Rock the Bayou concert promoter. “We’re watching and waiting to see what it does, but everything we keep hearing is that it will hit Louisiana and not affect us.”
Chip Z’ Nuff, co-founder of Enuff Z’Nuff, is no stranger to dangerous weather systems having resided in Chicago much of his life.
“We have a lot of snow, and we have our share of tornadoes,” Z’ Nuff said. “But I think you guys have it worse between the heat and then something like a hurricane. Hopefully, it will just miss everybody and we can all rock out this weekend.”
“Rock the Bayou” has been compared, for obvious reasons, to the much bally-hooed “Rocklahoma,” which began as a three day rock festival featuring the same types of bands in the summer of 2007. The event expanded to five days in July and included virtually the same national acts.
“Actually, this festival in Houston may be bigger than “Rocklahoma,” Z’Nuff said. “Ticket sales are strong, and the headliners are really strong acts. It makes me really happy to hear the way people around the country have been talking about this show in Houston.”
Headlining bands include Queensryche on Friday, Sammy Hagar on Saturday, Alice Cooper on Sunday and Bret Michaels of Poison on Monday.
Other bands appearing include Skid Row, Ratt, Kix, Great White, Warrant, Lita Ford, Yngwie Malmsteen, Y&T, Lynch Mob, Dokken, Dangerous Toys and Slaughter, along with many others nationally recognized bands.
Also, more than six dozen regional acts will perform on three side-stages throughout the holiday weekend.
Enuff Z’Nuff has been working on a new album of material, which also features guitarist Jake E. Lee, and, according to Z’Nuff, the album known as “Dissonance” will be available for purchase this weekend, along with many of the bands out of print CD’s.
Tracii Guns, guitarist and founding member of LA Guns, said an event like “Rock the Bayou” is similar to another experience in life.
“Playing a show like this is like a high school reunion,” Guns said. “It’s the coolest thing to get to hang out with all of our friends, and it’s special to me because I haven’t seen some of them in a long time.”
Taime Downe, vocalist for Faster Pussycat, agreed.
“It’s really cool for us too,” Downe said. “We get to hang out with our buds and make a day of it.”
Downe and his bandmates in Faster Pussycat have spent much of the summer touring alongside LA Guns across the U.S. Even though he was tired from touring and recent promotional stops Tuesday and Wednesday for “Rock the Bayou,” he couldn’t wait to perform in Houston.
“This is really a great event if you are a fan of these bands,” Downe said. “It’s a real bargain for the price when you think about the number of bands you will get to see.”
Z’Nuff agreed and knows why thousands of people will be in attendance each day.
“Collectively, these bands have sold more than 150 million records over their careers,” Z’Nuff said. “People are talking about this show the same way they talked about ‘Lollapalooza’ and the way they talk about ‘Coachella’ now, just because of the number of bands.”
Tickets are on sale now at www.rockthebayou.com with a four-day reserved seat ticket available for $250 and a four-day general admission pass available for $125. Daily ticket prices are being sold for $55 each, plus service charges.
The individual band members who made the bus trip to Beaumont on Wednesday evening made the most of the opportunity to socialize with fans and relax. In fact, an impromptu jam session broke out.
Several local musicians were performing at Hog Wild Wednesday night, and these fine individuals graciously turned over their instruments to Guns, Z’Nuff, Chad Stewart of LA Guns and Marq Torien of the Bulletboys.
The quartet kept it short and sweet with their own interpretations of classic rock hits by legendary artists Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, and the crowd of several dozen music lovers enjoyed every moment of it.
Z’Nuff said he felt right at home at Hog Wild because of the amount of motorcycles parked outside the front door of the venue.
“Bikers have always treated us well,” Z’Nuff said. “We have helped them out over the years at Toys for Tots events, weekend festivals and the like.”
Despite the typical Southeast Texas heat, which is not only hot, but almost always humid, both Downe and Z’Nuff said they were looking forward to this weekend’s concert possibly more than others.
“This part of Texas has some of the most beautiful women in the world,” Z’Nuff said. “And they are all going to be at this concert this weekend. It’s going to be a sea of goddesses.”
