Warrant has been around since the 1980’s and still rocking out, especially at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey. The California rockers opened up to “32” followed by “Down” which seemed to get the crowd pumped up for an amazing night full of music and fun. It’s been 30 years since their first record came out so the band was celebrating with the fans on tour. Band members include Joey Allen (Lead Guitar), Jerry Dixon (Bass, Backing Vocals) Robert Mason (Lead Vocalist), Steven Sweet (Drums, Percussion) & Erik Turner (Rhythm Guitar, Backing vocals).
During the show, Lead Vocalist, Robert Mason twirled his microphone stand in one hand while singing passionately to the songs. Robert paused and thanked the crowd for supporting live music which shows that they appreciate their fans. He has enthusiasm that makes you want to watch more as your eyes are glued to the stage. It’s pretty cool to watch him go zipping around the stage with the microphone stand while flipping his hair at the same time. The band went through several lineup changes over the years, including the death of their former lead singer, Jani Jane who passed away in 2011. Despite the rough times, thirty years into their music career and they still know how to put on a phenomenal show.
The lights often flashed and changed colors across the stage while they played their long list of favorite songs such as “Heaven” and “Broken”. From there they moved on to the next song “Faith” which had everyone in the crowd singing along to the lyrics. Their style of music seems to be very catchy and sounds similar to the 80’s band Def Leppard. If you are a fan of Def Leppard there is no reason why these guys shouldn’t be added to your playlist. The stage had a banner below their drumset with the words “Dirty 30 Tour”. There was definitely a party in the room that night with banging drums, heavy guitar riffs and audience members jumping around to the beat.
Warrant ended the show with one of their biggest hits “Cherry Pie” which was top 10 in the United States and reached Platinum in Canada and Australia. Fans were waiting to hear this song all night, it was the moment that you didn’t want to miss as I had a feeling that they would save this for last. Looking around the room, there were smiles on everyone’s faces, not too many people who weren’t singing and waving their hands in the air.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Kimberly Ann of Garden State Band Connection
