Situated in the northern Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, Georgia, the Ameris Bank Amphitheatre hosted Bret Michaels (of Poison fame) and his solo touring musical festival known as “Parti-Gras 2.0” to town on Saturday night. Featuring legendary artists Don Felder (formerly of The Eagles), country sensation Chris Janson, Lou Gramm (the original voice of Foreigner), and Dee Snider (the iconic voice behind Twisted Sister), this tour was the go-to musical carnival for a good time on a summer night in the South. Built in 2008, this 12,000 capacity open air venue is a destination spot for concert goers, especially for those looking to brave the nearly unbearable heat with uncovered lawn seats to simply enjoy a night of familiar hits from their favorite artists.
The evening began shortly before 7:00pm with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Don Felder and his solo band taking the stage to “Already Gone,” a familiar Eagles tune written by Robb Strandlund and Jack Tempchin back in 1974. As anticipated, the 76-year-old Felder rolled through a hit-packed, Eagles-focused setlist that included sing-along tunes in “One of These Nights,” “Heartache Tonight,” and “Life in the Fast Lane.”
However, as a child of the 1980s, the highlight for me was when Felder broke out “Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride),” the theme song written for the animated film Heavy Metal (1981). That was an unexpected treat. Felder wrapped up his fairly short 7-song performance with the generationally-known classic, Grammy Award-winning “Hotel California,” arguably one of the most influential recordings by the Eagles.
Don Felder Band:
Don Felder – Lead vocals, guitar
Jeff Coffey – Bass, vocals
David Myhre – Guitar, vocals
(Unknown – Drums, Keyboard)
Setlist:
1.) Already Gone (Robb Strandlund cover)
2.) One of These Nights (Eagles song)
3.) Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride)
4.) Take It Easy (Eagles song)
5.) Heartache Tonight (Eagles song)
6.) Life in the Fast Lane (Eagles song)
7.) Hotel California (Eagles song)
Following a brief backline turn and with his band in place, country artist Chris Janson appeared in front of the nearly filled-in audience shortly before 8:00pm. For background, Janson previously connected with Michaels on CMT Crossroads, a television show that brings country music stars together with artists across other genres. Clearly Janson established a personal connection with Michaels, which seemingly earned him a slot on this tour.
Starting his night off with “Redneck Life” pulled from his 2017 release Everybody, Janson’s infectious energy permeated throughout the amphitheatre. Joking that he was “the only country guy on this tour,” Janson delivered an entertaining set that included enjoyable tunes like “Fix a Drink,” “Whatcha See is Whatcha Get,” and “Drunk Girl.” Janson closed out his evening with the fun-loving “Buy Me a Boat,” the popular title song from his debut studio album in 2015. Even if you weren’t a typical country fan, it was hard not to be won over by Janson and his smiling, positive energy.
Setlist:
1.) Redneck Life / Great Balls of Fire
2.) Fix a Drink / East Bound and Down
3.) Whatcha See is Whatcha Get
4.) Good Vibes / Will the Circle be Unbroken
5.) Say About Me / Mountain Music / Louisiana Saturday Night
6.) Don’t Stop Believin’ / Drunk Girl / Purple Rain
7.) Done
8.) Buy Me a Boat
As the clocked closed in on 9:20pm, Michaels and his touring band bursted into “Talk Dirty to Me” off Poison’s debut studio album Look What the Cat Dragged In (1986) to launch into the headlining segment of Parti-Gras. For those that have seen Michaels live before (either solo or when fronting Poison), you know he brings 110% to every show, and Saturday night was no different. He was immediately shot out of a cannon, shaking hands and fist-bumping fans as he rolled into Poison’s “Ride the Wind” for his second tune.
The format for Parti-Gras could almost be described as acts in play, with Michaels wrapping up the first act by inviting Janson and Felder back to the stage to join him for a cover performance of “Your Mama Don’t Dance,” the Loggins & Messina classic that Poison recorded a version of back in 1988. Following, Michaels then handed the microphone over to Lou Gramm for what I will call the second act.
Gramm, famously known as the co-founder and lead vocalist of Foreigner, delivered a 3-song, sing-along mini-set of rock anthems in “Cold as Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” and “Juke Box Hero.” At a spry 74-years-old, Gramm was obviously not dancing across the stage with the same electric energy as 61-year-old host Michaels, but the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee still oozed rocker swagger with an identifiable, albeit aged, voice that influenced a musical generation.
At the conclusion of his set, Gramm turned the microphone back over to Michaels, who took time out to recognize military veterans through his dedication of “Something to Believe In,” the ballad off Poison’s third studio album, Flesh & Blood (1990). This third act was then anchored by the Poison tune “Unskinny Bop,” followed by a cover performance of the Lynyrd Skynyrd hit, “Sweet Home Alabama.” With prompted shouts of “Dee, Dee, Dee,” Michaels then turned the stage over to the immediately recognizable Dee Snider for the fourth act of the evening.
For me, this was the highlight of the festival. Snider was simply fantastic, as the consummate frontman emphatically blew through performances of the Twisted Sister classics in “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock,” a track that Snider also jokingly apologized for ruining when he changed the lyrics to “Goofy Goober Rock” for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004). In his defense, Snider laughed with the audience that “Hey, I had kids in college I had to pay for! I am an expensive whore.” Before turning the microphone back over to Michaels, Snider capped off his 3-song mini-set with “Highway to Hell,” the iconic AC/DC rock anthem.
With the night drawing to a close, Michaels momentarily slowed the show down with the chart-topping power ballad “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” pulled from Poison’s second studio album, Open Up and Say… Ahh! (1988). Then with Snider and Janson re-joining Michaels, the trio put an exclamation point on the night with the Poison fan favorite tune “Nothin’ but a Good Time.”
Parti-Gras was an enjoyably exhausting evening of classic rock anthems, offering up a musical celebration that spanned decades. You can continue to catch Michaels on tour through the end of the year, where he will wrap up on Saturday, December 28th, at the Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks, Nevada.
Bret Michaels Band:
Bret Michaels – Lead vocals, guitar
Pete Evick – Lead guitar, vocals
Norman Voss – Bass, vocals
Meri Schaefer – Drums, vocals
Rob Jozwiak – Keyboards, vocals
Dean Cramer – Rhythm guitar
Becci Clark – Background vocalist
Setlist:
1.) Talk Dirty to Me (Poison song – Michaels)
2.) Ride the Wind (Poison song – Michaels)
3.) Your Mama Don’t Dance (Loggins & Messina cover – Michaels/Janson/Felder)
4.) Cold as Ice (Foreigner song – Gramm)
5.) Hot Blooded (Foreigner song – Gramm)
6.) Juke Box Hero (Foreigner song – Gramm)
7.) Something to Believe In (Poison song – Michaels)
8.) Unskinny Bop (Poison song – Michaels)
9.) Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd cover – Michaels)
10.) We’re Not Gonna Take It (Twisted Sister song – Snider)
11.) I Wanna Rock (Twisted Sister song – Snider)
12.) Highway to Hell (AC/DC cover – Snider)
13.) Every Rose Has Its Thorn (Poison song – Michaels)
14.) Nothin’ but a Good Time (Poison song – Michaels/Snider/Janson)
Follow Don Felder Online
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Elliott is a music photographer covering shows in Atlanta, Georgia, and the surrounding area. The highlight of his photography career was back in the early ’90s, when he sold Neil Diamond the rights to his negatives from a show and then purchased a set of tires for his 1979 280ZX during college with the money.
