There was a pretty good-sized crowd on hand for Bret at the Wildhorse tonight. It was also a multi-generational one. That got me thinking if some of them were here to see Bret Michaels the musician or Bret Michaels the TV/film star (Rock of Love, Nashville Star, The Apprentice, etc.). Being a music critic, I was definitely here to see the musician, and there was a bit of that to review. The problem was I was seeing a bit much of the TV star too, and it took away from the performance (more on this later).

First, let’s talk music. Michaels still has the energy, looks, attitude, and voice of a front man. His vocals were strong, he was all over the stage, and he interacted a lot with the audience. His band wasn’t bad either, but I couldn’t shake the thought this was Poison lite. The band has been recently rebranded as The Bret Michaels Band, but is actually a band formerly known as Evick. What? Well yes, Evick is the name of lead guitarist Pete Evick, who’s not bad but certainly doesn’t have the stage presence of a C.C. DeVille. The rest of Evick is bassist Ray Scheuring, keyboardist Rob Jozwiak, and drummer Chuck Fanslau, who I would say is the most prominent of the bunch. It all results in good, solid, but rather ordinary rock and roll.

As for the material, we heard a solo tune from Michaels’ upcoming album Custom Built called “Nothing to Lose”. The single was released in March and features Miley Cyrus on harmonies. And there was a lot of Poison’s greatest hits. We heard “Look What the Cat Dragged In”, the patriotic “Something To Believe In” (dedicated to our armed forces overseas), “Talk Dirty To Me”, “Your Mama Don’t Dance” (the Loggins & Messina cover from one of Poison’s albums), “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”, “Unskinny Bop”, and the encore “Nothin’ But a Good Time”, and a few others. He also threw in “Sweet Home Alabama”, as if there aren’t enough other Poison or his solo tunes to choose from.

So what’s my problem? First of all, I got a sense of Michaels just going through the motions. The band’s lack of wow factor, plus the same old, same old from Michaels just reeks of not trying too hard. But here comes the kiss of death for me. I always strive to let you know if these shows were a good value for the dollar, in case you might consider seeing them somewhere else. I’d have to say it’s dubious for this show, since he only played for an hour, came back for a one-song encore, and then was gone. There were people (mostly his female fans) up front that lined up outside at 4 PM, then were standing at the railing since the 6 PM opening of the doors, until 9:15 PM when Michaels finally hit the stage. I couldn’t help thinking there might have been some disappointment up front when he walked off at 10:15. And this was right after he gave a between-song speech about the hassles of touring being all worth it once he is up on stage and doing what he loves, and that’s what he’s all about. Sorry, but I’m not buying it. An average show runs 90 minutes, and the performers you can just tell who truly live for the music are often up there for 2 or more hours. I’m not great at math but let’s see – five + hours of waiting does not come close to equaling 1 hour of music.

So if you can get into this Poison-lite, or you are more enthralled with Bret Michaels the celebrity (or is that celebutard?) rather than the musician, be my guest; you’ll probably enjoy this. But if it’s the music you’re into, you just might want to wait for the next Poison tour. 

Bret Michaels played @ Wildhorse Saloon, Nashville, TN 4/2/2010.

About the author: 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 or www.facebook.com/pennman