Unfortunately, I was not able to see Crobot’s set. I have seen them before and they’re absolutely fantastic live. They are a Hard Rock band from Pennsylvania and are currently touring supporting their latest release titled, Feel This. I will make sure that I get a chance to photograph them and do a review when they play at Rockfest this summer in Wisconsin.
I was standing backstage last night with a friend and bumped into of all people, Craig Gass. For those of you that may not know who he is, Craig is a standup comedian. He has a lot of different bits with musicians and does some amazing impersonations. He’s in town for the rest of the week doing shows but had the night off and thought he would come out and see Steel Panther. And of course, they put him on stage before they came out. He introduced himself as Steel Panther’s manager and went through a 5-minute standup comedy routine that had everybody laughing. Craig has been on the comedy circuit for many years and does a lot of guest appearances on Howard Stern and other programs. He’s all over social media, if you want a good laugh check him out.
Headliner Steel Panther hit the stage and blasted their way through a 90-minute set mixed with new songs from their latest album, “On the Prowl”. I’ve said this in other reviews, I like it when bands play new songs and mix up their setlist. That’s exactly what happened, Steel Panther mixed up the entire set and added some old songs as well as songs off the new record.
I understand there are some musicians and music fans that don’t really care for this band. I think you’re missing the point that a lot of the people that were there the other night saw clearly. It’s a great way to escape for a couple of hours in an evening. They will fully entertain you, play some great loud rock’n’roll, and put a smile on your face by the time you leave. Isn’t that what rock’n’roll is all about? I’m a big fan of the glam scene of the 1980’s, and I appreciate what they’re doing. Are they mocking the genre? Perhaps a little bit but it’s tongue in cheek and all in good fun.
So, you have a problem with the lyrics? Of course, it’s misogynistic but it’s that way intentionally. If you’re a guy and you have ever road tripped with your buddies to go see a rock’n’roll band, I find it hard to believe that you haven’t said a lot worse in the car. Yet some people hold them to a higher standard because they have songs like “Glory Hole”, “Asian Hookers”, “Gangbang at the Old Folks Home”, Just to name a few. I personally find it hysterical, and I am not ashamed to say I am a huge Steel Panther fan.
But, if you strip away the silliness of it and take a good hard listen to the songs themselves, there’s some pretty creative stuff going on there. They have an incredible gift of putting together structurally some amazing music. These songs will stick in your head because of the melody, not the words. If you’re an 80s metal fan, I find it hard to understand how you could not be a Steel Panther fan. They’re on the road for the better part of this year from what I understand. Take a chance, buy a ticket, and go see them live. I have a feeling you’ll be thanking me. At the very least, go check them out on Spotify or other streaming services. Don’t be surprised if you end up really liking what you hear.
