Noblesville, Indiana
Photos and Review by Nick Shotwell
Turning a Sunday into a Saturday!
On Sunday, July 30, Bret Michaels and the Parti Gras Tour partied
with Hoosiers at Ruoff Music Center near Indianapolis. The lineup featured Bret
Michaels, the Poison frontman himself, with support from Jefferson Starship, Night Ranger, Mark McGrath, and former lead singer of Journey, Steve Augeri.
Jefferson Starship kicked things off, performing their essential hits, including
"Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now," "We Built This City," "Somebody to Love," and my personal favorite, "White Rabbit." Lead singer, Cathy Richardson sounded amazing and very true to Grace Slick’s original sound. Richardson introduced all the band members, including original member David Freiberg.
After a short break, Night Ranger came on the scene and really partied with the crowd. Lead singer Jack Blades was totally in his element and having a good time. He
announced how much they have enjoyed performing for Indianapolis over the years and they were glad to be back in the band’s 40th year of existence, an outstanding
accomplishment.
The stage was built with a thrust protruding into the seating area and I was thrilled to
have had a great vantage point for shooting photos. Blades, Brad Gillis (guitar), and
Keri Kelli (guitar) all utilized the space to venture out and get down close to the crowd.
At one point Blades described how he got involved with the Parti Gras tour when Bret
Michaels, who Blades has known for decades, called him up and pitched the idea of
“...something like Mardi Gras, but how about, Parti Gras!” He also asked for one condition, that they play "Sister Christian" at each stop. The crowd cheered immediately when they heard this. It really seemed like this was a small-town gathering of some former buddies coming back for a reunion to play some music together. That sums up the vibe for the concert. No huge pyrotechnics, no gigantic LED screens, just some great bands coming together to play their best stuff - and not trying to sell everyone on new music. Not that it would be bad, but these musicians really understood the whole concept of Parti Gras and they proudly played their best -loved songs.
The lineup perfectly set up a build-up of excitement as Bret Michaels took the stage last. He owned the night and he brought it all together. But, he honestly shared the stage very well with fellow musicians he clearly respects. Mark McGrath and Steve Augeri got time on center stage and contributed several of their best-known songs, encouraging fans to wave their arms and sing along. Bret even took time to bring a group of veterans on stage to receive the crowd's thanks via cheers and a standing ovation.
Bret sang some of his best from Poison and finished the show with Sweet Home
Alabama with all of the evening’s artists on stage for a final farewell. His parting thanks and message was to thank Indianapolis for everything and especially for coming out on a Sunday night, essentially turning a boring Sunday night into a fun-filled Saturday night concert. He promised they will be back again - and on a Saturday.
For more information about the Parti Gras tour:
For upcoming events at Ruoff Music Center:
● Jefferson Starship
○ Find Your Way Back
○ Sara
○ Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
○ White Rabbit
○ We Built This City
○ Jane
○ Somebody to Love
● Night Ranger
○ (You Can Still) Rock in America
○ Sing Me Away
○ Coming of Age (Damn Yankees cover)
○ Night Ranger
○ High Enough (Damn Yankees cover)
○ When You Close Your Eyes
○ Sister Christian
○ Don't Tell Me You Love Me
● Bret Michaels
○ Talk Dirty to Me (Poison)
○ Ride the Wind (Poison)
● Mark McGrath
○ Every Morning (Sugar Ray)
● Bret Michaels
○ Your Mama Don't Dance (Loggins & Messina cover)
● Steve Augeri
○ Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (Journey cover)
● Bret Michaels
○ Something to Believe In (Poison)
● Mark McGrath
○ Fly (Sugar Ray)
● Bret Michaels
○ Unskinny Bop (Poison)
● Steve Augeri
○ Don't Stop Believin' (Journey cover)
○ Any Way You Want It (Journey cover)
● Bret Michaels
○ Every Rose Has Its Thorn (Poison)
○ Nothin' but a Good Time (Poison)
● All Artists
○ Sweet Home Alabama