A Night of Hair Metal with Lita Ford and Warrant

Last updated on April 14th, 2023 at 05:58 am

It was Day 2 of live music at the Treasure Island Event Center. Friday night kicked off the retro weekend with 90’s country, and rock fans got their chance Saturday with 80’s hitmakers Lita Ford and Warrant, in town after playing up north the previous evening.

While Warrant was the headliner, I always look forward to covering Lita Ford. One thing is sure, you’ll never be bored. Undeterred by mixing issues, slips, or falls, this badass lady rocks and rocks hard. The guitar and vocals are always kick-ass, even if “Bobby Rock keeps breaking shit,” as Lita put it.

The Runaways star played a solid 10-song, 75-minute set, including “Cherry Bomb” and a cover of Alice Cooper’s “Only Women Bleed.” Sorry, Alice, Lita’s version is just a little bit better.

Unsurprisingly, the last two songs for Lita were her biggest hits, including “Kiss Me Deadly,” which is always fun to watch as Lita dons that custom double-neck guitar. But the show-stopper, as usual, was “Close My Eyes Forever,” her duet with Ozzy.

Ozzy couldn’t make it for some reason, so lead guitarist Patrick Kennison sang the duet with Lita. People waved camera lights or old-school Bic lighters everywhere you looked during the song.

Warrant came on to finish the night, starting strong with “So Damn Pretty,” “Down Boys,” and “Big Talk.” Ironically, Warrant didn’t talk much, instead letting the 16-song set flow along with an extended Joey Allen guitar solo. 

Lead singer Robert Mason (since 2008) led the crowd through several hits along with “Machine Gun” and “Thin Disguise,” the b-side to the band’s biggest commercial hit and closer “Cherry Pie.” The band rarely plays the b-side live unfortunately, since it’s one of the better songs from that album.

Of course, they played all their ballads, with Mason letting the audience sing portions of “I Saw Red,” “Heaven,” and “Blind Faith.”  While I love listening to him, Mason just can’t sing the slow songs like original lead singer Jani Lane. To be fair, not many can; he still has excellent range, well-suited for that loud, growly, and screaming style. And he sings much better than most replacements for other popular bands have. 

While their performances weren’t perfect, Lita Ford and Warrant still delivered a great time.