I’m going to warn you right now; this is going to be a weird review. I’ve been going over this show in my head over and over and it’s still coming up the same – I liked it, but then again, I didn’t like it. So I don’t think Ratt fans are going to agree with me. But hey, I’ve got to call them as I see them.

The Motor Flies opened up the show. They said it was only the third time they were playing publicly together. If so, they were quite impressive. I’m wondering if they came up with that name because they thought it was cool or because they can call themselves the MF’s for short, which was what was prominently displayed on the bass drum. Anyway, they looked, acted, and sounded like true rockers up there. There were good vocals, good guitars, and a strong rhythm section. I don’t know if they have a website, but look for them if you’re in Nashville and looking to rock. They’re quite entertaining.

As for Ratt, let’s get the negatives out of the way first, because this is the short list. I’m not a fan of Ratt. It’s not because I don’t like Ratt but because they’re just one of those bands that just have flown under my radar over the years.  I will be the first to admit I had a bias against 1980s hair bands back in their heyday. I now know I was wrong, but back then hair bands were to the 80s as disco was to the 70s – anti-classic rock. So given that, I suppose Ratt needed to really wow me to get rave reviews, and they partially did that. Here was my problem. Not being familiar with the songs, even their hits, which they played plenty of, I was looking for variety and uniqueness in the tunes. I just didn’t consistently find it.

The show started off great, and some songs really stood out (like “Back For More”, perhaps my personal favorite of the night). But after awhile, about halfway in, each song started sounding like the same old thing. Not having the familiarity to recognize the nuances, I actually got bored. Sure, I know and love “Round and Round”, the mega-hit that broke them out of obscurity and is still played regularly on the radio. They ended the show with that and no encore, and it definitely got me out of the funk I was in. But the whole middle of the show was just muddled for me, one rocker after another, loud, tight, energetic, but too much of the same thing. The other negative for Ratt fans was that the show was short, going just a hair over an hour. I like to get a little more for my money these days, although they seemed to pack a lot of songs into that hour (no filler).

That being said, there were a lot of positives about this show. It was apparent right from the get-go that Ratt 2009 is very good at what they do. Stephen Pearcy’s vocals are strong, and his stage presence is just classic rock & roll front man with all the bad-boy attitude you’d expect. Lead guitarist Warren Demartini was blistering at times, with just the right amount of animation up there. John Corabi’s rhythm and lead trade-offs with Demartini were rock-solid, and the rhythm section of bassist Robbie Crane (who moves around pretty good himself) and Bobby Boltzer were booming. There was plenty of movement on stage by the band as a whole, which lent to an exciting visual experience as well. Crowd reaction was very positive; the fans were really into it, indicating further that this was a good performance.

The set list was classic Ratt, with the standouts being “You’re In love”, “Nobody Rides For Free”, “Lay It Down”, “Way Cool JR.”, and “Lovin You’s a Dirty Job”. It was pretty much everything a Ratt fan could have hoped for, except for a lengthier show. Ratt is touring this summer all over the country and is due to release a new album (with new material) later this year. Check out their website for more details on all that. So if you’re a Ratt fan I’m saying go see this show. If not, proceed with caution.       

Ratt was with The Motor Flies at Wildhorse Saloon, Nashville, TN 5/28/2009

Pennman bought his first 45 at age nine and has been hooked on rock ever since. He has spent much of his disposable income on music, especially live performances. He writes reviews of the shows he sees and keeps a keen lookout for upcoming shows in or near Bowling Green. He has a BA in Communications, specializing in journalism, and has dabbled in music himself, both as a player and instructor. Find more of Pennman’s work at www.associatedcontent.com/user/165511/pennman.html or visit him at www.myspace.com/pennman_bg