Fans of ’80s hair metal have a lot to look forward to this summer. While most of these shows aren’t within the 270 loop, nothing is more than a 2-drive from Columbus.
Guitarist Tracii Guns, founding member of LA Guns, left his own band in 2003 to work on other projects like Brides of Destruction while singer Phil Lewis and drummer Steve Riley carried on. In 2006, Guns started his own, competing version of LA Guns which, as you can imagine, led to much confusion among fans, especially when promoters advertised the wrong version. In late 2016, Lewis announced he was leaving LA Guns only to shortly thereafter announce he was getting back together with Tracii Guns and would be playing under the LA Guns name (as of now, there is only ONE version of LA Guns – the one with Lewis and Guns). LA Guns will be releasing a new album, The Missing Peace, in October and will make a stop at Muddy Creek Saloon in Hebron (about 45 minutes from Columbus) on Wednesday night to play classics like “Ballad of Jayne”, “Never Enough”, “Sex Action” and more. Tickets are $20 at the door.
While Cinderella may be on permanent hiatus, frontman Tom Keifer is keeping the hits alive (“Gypsy Road”, “Shake Me”, “Don’t Know What You’ve Got”) by performing them across the country. On July 8, Keifer will be part of the QFM Sticky Fingers Fest at Express Live playing just before headliner Blue Oyster Cult.
A 3-day rock festival, with a heavy emphasis on some of the late ’80s/early ’90s biggest hair metal hitmakers, sets up shop at the Allen County Fairgrounds (approx. 90 miles from Columbus) in Lima. The debut Loud-N-Lima Festival features acts like Warrant (“Cherry Pie”), Dee Snider of Twisted Sister (“We’re Not Gonna Take It”), Vince Neil of Motley Crue (“Girls, Girls, Girls”), Dokken (“In My Dreams”), Lita Ford (“Kiss Me Deadly”), Poison’s Bret Michaels (“Talk Dirty to Me”), Firehouse (“Love of a Lifetime”) and more. Check out the daily lineup and pick up tickets (general admission: $80) at the Loud-N-Lima site.
Not sure how Faster Pussycat didn’t end up on the Loud-N-Lima bill but if you want to hear Taime Downe and the crew run through hits like “Bathroom Wall”, “House of Pain”, and “Don’t Change That Song”, you’re in luck. Faster Pussycat returns to Turtle Creek Tavern (5571 N. Hamilton Road) on July 22. $12 in advance, $15 day of show.
August 4 gives you two options – Autograph (“Turn Up the Radio”) plays Muddy Creek Tavern while LA Guns, Jack Russell’s Great White and Junkyard will be playing at Bogarts in Cincinnati.
