“Love is madness, and lust is poison” – George R.R. Martin,
On July 22nd in Council Bluffs Stir Cove welcomed Poison along with local boys Evandale. The temperature may have hit 97, but it still wasn’t as hot as the performance those two bands gave us.
This was a sold out show and it may not have mattered but it certainly didn’t hurt having an Omaha band as the opener. Especially one that has the following that Evandale does. Not that this is new for Evandale as they have shared the stage with bands like Korn, Blacktop Mojo and Pop Evil to name a few. Evandale is Eddie Jay on lungs, Chad Riche and Jake Loehr do the pickin’, Cody Du does the plucking and Ryan Lang (with apologies to Todd Rundgren) just wants to bang on the drum all day. Their set may have been short, but during that time, they were able to define who they are as a band. Those not familiar with them now know they are a hard rock band with a pinch of southern rock added for flavor. Over 30 loud, sweaty and supremely fun minutes the boys had ignited the sea of bodies and turned them into a boisterous mass of humanity. They were having the time of their lives and the crowd loved every moment of it. Evandale does not take moments like this for granted and wanted to let us know that “We are extremely grateful for the amazing opportunity and we appreciate all the crew members, media personnel, Stir Cove staff, and all the fellas in Poison. Most importantly, thank you to all the fans, both old and new. None of this is possible without your support. Be on the lookout for more Evandale music and shows coming soon. Keep up with us on all social media, stream all our music on Spotify and Apple Music, and visit us at www.EvandaleBand.com”
SET LIST
Burn The City - The Storm - Coming Back - Black Heart Southern Queen – Remember - Where You Belong -
Manipulator
During the mid-eighties it was hard to turn on MTV and not see a Poison video. They were arguably the top glam band of the time selling over 50 million records worldwide and judging by the crowd at Stir Cove, they are just as popular nearly 40 years later. The band comes out one by one with Brett Michaels hitting the stage last. He immediately starts bouncing from end to end trying to acknowledge every fan who showed up. The rest of the band is guitarists C.C. Deville, drummer Rikki Rocket and bassist Bobby Dall. Finding a band with as much energy as these four fellas would be a tough task. The energy is contagious and before long everyone has been infected. The atmosphere begins to change as the crowd starts to really get into what’s happening in front of them. Although they don’t have to, Poison puts on a show like they have something to prove. They were non-stop movement and there was plenty of chit-chat with the zealous audience. As the show progressed the shrieks and screams increased and the band fed off this resulting in a performance full of vigor and sincerity. They played all the hits and were cheered loudly when they recognized the Veterans. They are hair-metal royalty and after 40 years, you might understand if they “take a night off”, but they don’t, they deliver at every show knowing people have paid hard earned money to see them. This was a show that had people walking away with a smile on their faces. There is nothing like a Poison show. It’s continuous ferocity and whether you had posters of them on your wall during their hey-day or you’ve discovered them later on by listening to your local classic rock station there is no doubt that during these days it’s okay to have “Nothin’ But A Good Time.”
Hey, Stir Cove. Once again a masterful job. You keep proving at every show why your facility is one of America’s top outdoor venues.
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