Poison: Crackin' A Smile In Cincinnati -

Poison billed their 2018 tour as the “Nothin’ But a Good Time” tour and boy, they were not kidding. It may have been a Sunday night in Cincinnati, but it felt like the weekend was just getting started when Bret Michaels, C.C. DeVille, Bobby Dall, and Rikki Rockett took the stage at Riverbend Music Center. Afterall, the band had not played in Cincinnati since July 2, 2012, so we were long overdue for a party with the poster boys of party rock. From the opening chorus of “Look What the Cat Dragged in” to the encore of the Kiss cover, “Rock n’ Roll All Nite,” it was almost impossible not to have a huge smile on your face while you sang along with the songs that we grew up with.

The smiles were not reserved for the rock n’ roll faithful in the crowd. The four guys that makeup Poison wore some pretty big grins most of the night as well. Given the fact the Poison is one of the very rare instances where the guys who started all of this back in the eighties are still here today. While there is no doubt that the guys have had their share of ups and down over the years, but there seemed to be a shared sense of satisfaction and comradery among the band members as they played the songs that define their career. That satisfaction that surely has to come from overcoming those setbacks, and proving all of those people wrong who scoffed at the band over the years.

A Poison show is such a welcome change to a lot of the tours that are out there right now. There is no announcement made before the show telling you to keep your cell phones turned off during the show. There is no political rhetoric being spewed from the stage. There is no agenda. The evening is truly about the music and having a good time. Come on…how can you take “Unskinny Bop” too serious anyway? However, there was one moment of the night where the attention was removed from the band and placed on something bigger. Before going into their anthem, “Something to Believe In,” Bret and the guys acknowledged the men and women serving in the armed forces and dedicated the song to them. Towards the end of the song, the band brought out local military members to join them on stage for one final salute. One of those awesome veterans was Cincinnati’s own, “Big” John Murray, who is also a long time member of the Poison family. It was a very cool moment that celebrated more than could be described here.

Of course, we live in the age of social media, so it is no secret that there are still those taking their swipes at Poison. The next day Facebook had people complaining that the setlist should have been longer, or that they play the same songs every year. Then there were those who offered that the band shouldn’t have solos in the set in order to make room for more songs…The list of complaints goes on. Would it have been cool to hear “Cry Tough,” or “Back to the Rocking Horse?” You bet. But for one reason or another, the band chose not to play those songs. If you want to debate on all of that, go to Blabbermouth. We here at The Music Room are just pumped up that the band played the songs that they did. Afterall, Poison haven’t played any songs in Cincinnati in almost six years up to last Sunday night. For the time that they Poison were on stage, we had a smile on our faces and joy in our hearts.

Hopefully, the guys in Poison had as much fun as the thousands of people in Cincinnati who turned out to see them did. Maybe that fun will spark a desire to come back next year, and who knows…maybe even record some new music in between now and then. But for now, all that can be said is that on this hot June night in Cincinnati….we had Nothin’ But a Good Time!!