Rock and heavy metal entertainers, Vince Neil, Cinderella’s Tom Keifer, Lita Ford, Great White and Quiet Riot make up the Island Rock Party which was held at the Treasure Island Amphitheater during the annual Island Block Party on July 2nd 2018 in Welch, Minnesota.
I love bills like this because the bulk of the bands are similar so you get a great afternoon a music. Quiet Riot was the first act up who was surprisingly good, I hadn’t seen them since the 80s so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Frankie Banali the original drummer put together a really solid band that pays tribute to the original but the thing I expected most was the lack of vocals because Kevin Dubrow was such an original singer however they sounded great nonetheless and was worth checking out.
Next up Great White. When I saw them nothing had changed with them since the last time, they’re still extremely boring and they must have figured this out because a few days after this show they fired their lead singer. I feel bad for the guy as he apparently found out about it on social media. The music to me is always been somewhat mediocre so if you are a Great White fan, look for the Jack Russell version, it’s considerably better. They work so much harder and the songs just sound better.
Lita Ford is wonderful, I don’t know what else to say. Every time I’ve seen her play she does a wonderful job including Bobby Rock on drums who you may know from the Vinnie Vincent invasion and many other bands over the years. He’s just written a book titled “The Boy Is Gonna Rock” which is an interesting look inside the life of a musician, I found it fascinating and couldn’t put it down. Back to Lita Ford, she still has the vocals and she’s fun to watch but the only thing I would like to see is that she do a few more Runaways songs, tonight the only one she did was the predictable but classic, “Cherry Bomb”. I would very much like to see “School Days” or some of the other classics but other than that she’s always wonderful.
Now on to the highlight of the entire day, Tom Kiefer. He may be the hardest working musician in rock ‘n roll, I know that’s a pretty bold statement to make but I’ve seen him at least 15 times since he’s been solo and his entire band brings it every single show. He sounds like he did when Cinderella first started out – only better and I think his solo band is incredible. If you like the classics from the 80s, he does all of those and he also mixes in some songs off his latest record including my favorite track “Solid Ground”. If you like straightforward rock ‘n roll and still like seeing live music, he could be one of the best in the business. I’ve often said he’s the last great rock ‘n roll star.
Finally the headliner Vince Neil. I’ve been a fan of Motley Crue since literally the very first albumand I’ve seen them every single time on every single tour. Some of the solo shows Vince has struggled in the past and this particular show he was in great spirits and was really giving it his all. Is it Motley Crue? No but if you want to hear those songs, this is how you do it. Vince also has an amazing band made up of Dana Strum on bass from Slaughter and the Vinnie Vincent invasion, Jeff Blando on guitars and the incredibly entertaining Zoltan Cheney on drums. These three guys are also the touring band for Slaughter and they are absolutely amazing, Jeff has an incredible voice and they covered a few songs in the middle of the show. Go see these guys if you get a chance, you will be thoroughly entertained.
The thing I walked away thinking was I could not get over how energetic all of them were, they were truly there to entertain you. The one negative thing I would say is now that Vince is out on his own, I would really like to see them dig a little deeper into the Motley Crue archives and play some songs that they didn’t play live. Not the whole set, just a few. But then again a lot of the people that were there like most bands, are there to see the hits.
This was a fantastic day of music brought to you by Treasure Island Casino. It’s a wonderful amphitheater with great sightlines, there’s not a bad seat in the house so if you’re contemplating going down there for the first time to see a band that you like, don’t hesitate to go as you won’t be disappointed.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Tommy Sommers Photography
