Five iconic ’80s metal performers, one rowdy night.
Presented by HB Concerts, the 80’s Rock Invasion features a who’s who of hair metal. There’s appearances from Stephen Pearcy of Ratt, founding Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler, and performances by bands Great White, Slaughter, and Vixen.
HB Concerts CEO Hunter Brucks said he’s bringing the 80s Rock Invasion to Toledo’s waterfront because it’s part of the new face of what is today considered “classic rock.”
“Classic rock as we once knew it is changing,” said Brucks. “What we used to think was classic rock was the ’60s or the ’70s groups, but now it’s the ’80s and ’90s. So that’s the direction that I felt we needed to go with a sizeable show in Toledo.”
IF YOU GO What: 80's Rock Invasion featuring Stephen Pearcy of Ratt, Great White, Slaughter, Steven Adler of Guns N’ Roses, and Vixen
When: 6 p.m. Friday
Where: Promenade Park, 400 Water St.
Cost: $25/$40 (general) $75/$125 (reserved)
Information: hbconcertsinc.com Brucks also wanted to stay away from tribute acts because he believes Toledo has too many of them.
“There’s a lot of tribute stuff happening out there,” said Brucks. “Its really crazy. I didn’t want to get too much into that world in Toledo because it’s being done already. So I wanted to keep the real bands and that’s what we’ve got coming to Toledo on July 19.”
Great White
Great White’s publicist has a few rules. No more talking about the Rhode Island Station fire of 2003 out of respect for the families affected by the tragedy. No talking about politics, the coronavirus pandemic, or former Great White singer Jack Russell.
But Great White keyboardist Michael Lardie doesn’t need to talk about any of that stuff. He’s a witty, sharp conversationalist and a true rock ‘n’ roll survivor, who first joined Great White in 1985. He’s also been a member of Night Ranger,and is an acclaimed album producer who oversaw the creation of Great White’s two biggest albums, Once Bitten and ...Twice Shy .
“I had actually met (Great White) in the studio in ’83 when they recorded their very first album for EMI and we just kept in touch and they came in with the next set of demos and before I knew it, I was playing guitar, writing, singing, and playing keyboards. It was a very organic kind of thing,” said Lardie.
Before joining Great White, Lardie worked as a studio engineer from 1979 through 1981. The Los Angeles recording studio he worked at was located near the headquarters of iconic punk label SST Records, home to Black Flag, Minutemen, and other revered bands.
“I learned a lot from those bands,” said Lardie. “A lot of people would think ‘How would a blues rocker learn anything from punk dudes?’ but they’re missing the point. One of the things I learned was to make the commitment to what the song is supposed to sound like and capture the performance and don’t overanalyze it. They always wanted to go super fast because they had that fire and that hunger to get the kind of take that had all that attitude and edge that they were going for. So it changed my viewpoint about recording. It’s always better to spend more time on the actual performance of the song than the technical aspect of it and I will always be grateful to those bands for teaching me that.”
During the mid ’80s, Lardie pounded the pavement of L.A.’s Sunset Strip, which at that time was the epicenter of American popular music.
“When I started playing in ’85 that was the in between time when (Great White) lost its deal with EMI but before they got their deal with Capitol. We went through a second wave of playing all the Sunset Strip clubs — the Roxy, the Whiskey (A Go-Go) — doing dates to get other companies to come see the band,” said Lardie.
Great White released their 1986 album Shot In the Dark independently and the song “Face the Day” began to get massive airplay in the L.A. region.
“Before we knew it, at the end of the year, the song was voted the second most popular song in LA for the year 1985 and that was the turning point where Capitol said, ‘Oh, well these guys are still here even after they lost their deal, so I think we can believe in this band,’” said Lardie.
Great White released their album Once Bitten in 1987. The band opened for Whitesnake for 10-and-a-half months and the album went Platinum. The band then worked on its follow up album ...Twice Shy , which featured a cover of Ian Hunter’s 1975 hit “Once Bitten, Twice Shy.” Before long the song ended up in the Billboard Top 10.
“No one really thought ‘Once Bitten, Twice Shy’ was going to be anything but a starter track for the others that were on the record,” said Lardie. “We had no idea it was going to get the legs it got. That summer, you couldn’t escape that tune. It just was one of those things that was attitude, timing, and performance, but everyone responded to it and it was fantastic.”
While many ’80s hair metal bands were largely known for the amount of partying they did during the height of their success, Lardie said he avoided the party scene during Great White’s heyday.
“I spent the majority of my time in the studio thinking about the next thing we were going to do. I didn’t spend any time partying because I never did well with that when I was a teenager. So I just kept working, working, working, and working and I didn’t look up until maybe ’95 or ’96 and I said ‘Wow, that was an incredible seven years,’” said Lardie.
Over the years, the band’s lineup has changed and there have been various breaks where the band was inactive. Lardie took the opportunity to play keyboards for Night Ranger for a while.
“It was a blast. I was with them for about four years and it was a great experience,” said Lardie.
Today, Lardie continues to perform with Great White, and he still gets a charge out of seeing fans go nuts to their hits, especially “Once Bitten, Twice Shy.”
“People still respond to that song. people love it just as much. we have audience participation on it. it’s just fun. You see everybody smile and letting lose and that’s a great compliment 35 or 40 years later when songs you’ve recorded are in the fabric of people’s lives. It’s just something they connect with and it’s an awesome feeling”.
Vixen
It’s not easy being the new kid, but this is not Rosa Laricchiuta’s first time at the rodeo that is rock ‘n’ roll. As the newly crowned lead singer of the legendary all female rock band Vixen, she’s ready to continue the band’s legacy.
Up in her native Canada, Laricchiuta is kind of a big deal. She appeared on the Canadian equivalent of The Voice (titled La Voix ) in 2015, has performed as a backing vocalist for Def Leppard and Kelly Clarkson, and toured with Trans-Siberian Orchestra as a lead singer. She has also released four solo albums.
But that was then and this is now. And Laricchiuta is already loving her new position in Vixen.
“I just had my third show over the weekend and it’s really incredible,” said Laricchiuta. “I’m so over the moon and incredibly happy. The songs are amazing and I love singing them. A few people asked me what my favorite song to sing is, but they’re all good. I mean, having grown up with only a brother, I feel like I now have three sisters in this band. It’s really cool.”
Vixen ignited the Los Angeles glam metal scene in the late ’80s on the strength of their eponymous debut album, which included the hit singles “Edge of a Broken Heart” and “Cryin’”. Critics and audiences alike sat up and paid attention at this ferocious quartet of women who could play heavy metal just as hard as the boys. The band’s lineup changed over the years and today drummer Roxy Petrucci is the sole original member of Vixen.
When the band found themselves needing a new vocalist following the exit of previous singer Lorraine Lewis, Vixen manager Larry Morand-Union contacted Laricchiuta, who was blown away when she was asked to assume the role of frontwoman.
“I didn’t audition. Larry informed me ‘You come highly referred and I’m the manager of Vixen and we need a new singer’,” said Laricchiuta, who admits she had to Google Vixen to get more information about them. “They just said ‘You’re it!’’ I’m really grateful for this opportunity.””
Laricchiuta grew up in Quebec where she listened to a lot of jazz and soul music. She got her first big break while she was discovered by the owner of a karaoke company who hired her to sing and host. That opportunity lead to her being invited to join her first band, and from there, her career was off and running.
“(Vixen) is a dream come true for me,” said Laricchiuta. “I always wanted to be in an all female band, I’ve always wanted to tour the U.S. and from the first moment I meant these ladies they have welcomed me warmly. They are super professional. I feel like I’m a part of a team and the dynamics are great and I just love being a part of Vixen.”
Petrucci praised her new bandmate.
“Rosa can pretty much sing anything, so I’m pulling out songs we haven’t done for a while. It’s very exciting having her in the band,” said Petrucci, who said that Vixen’s music transcends all generations.
“The fact that ’80s rock is still kicking ass 35 to 40 years later is a testament to the whole genre,” said Petrucci. “It’s different now but it’s the same. There’s a lot of gray hair now but they bring their kids and after our show we always do a meet-and-greet at the merch table and they all come through and we sign autographs and meet their kids, and — holy shit — these kids love ’80s rock. That’s good parenting.”
Though Vixen’s original fans are now middle aged, Petrucci said their listeners still crave the power of rock.
“The fans want to hear it. Forget your troubles and go to a rock show. Forget politics, religion, all that stuff. This is about escaping reality, going to a show, and it takes you back great memories for people. We want you to leave the show feeling great.”
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