Steel Panther’s “Spreading the Disease” Tour
By Seth M
Do you catch yourself singing all those great 80s hair metal songs (and maybe even breaking out the air guitar) at the top of your lungs when they come on the radio? C’mon, ‘fess up, you know you do. It doesn’t matter if you loved the hair bands or hated them; the songs live on, and anyone who was a teen of the 80s will always have a little Aqua Net coursing through their veins. Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Whitesnake, Poison, even Van Halen: 80s rock still kicks ass and one band is sticking a needle in the arm of the genre, keeping it going as over-the-top and contagious as ever.
Who is this band? I give you…Steel Panther.
If you’ve never heard of or seen Steel Panther, you are truly missing out on some major fun. I’ve caught this band a bunch of times over the years and they are currently on their “STD” (or “Spreading the Disease”) tour, so I got to experience their metal antics once again when they stopped in Huntington, NY.
Steel Panther isn’t just a great live band, they are a great show. This hair band circus features guitarist Satchel, bassist Lexxi Foxx, drummer Stix Zadinia, and lead singer Michael Starr. Some people have dismissed the foursome as nonsense and a joke, nothing more than a spoof on the 80s. Well, these people would be right except for three things: the band rocks, their songs are hilarious, and you’ll be singing along and loving every minute of it.
With songs like “It Won’t Suck Itself,” “Asian Hooker,” and “Community Property,” you will be rocking out 1987-style with a beer in your hand and a Spandex-clad chick in your sites ~ all the while laughing your ass off. I am still amazed at how Starr and the guys get through lyrics like the ones from “Girl from Oklahoma” (“Hair on your nipples, zits on your box, in Oklahoma City you’re considered a fox. What did you have to do for that backstage pass? ‘Cause I found a Poison laminate inside of your ass.”)!
SP’s sets are examples of true showmanship. Between the songs (and yes, all the songs have lyrics that classy!), Lexxi fixing his makeup, Satchel’s guitar solo from behind the drums and the guys playing paper rock scissors to decide who has to jump off the drum riser next, you can’t help but be thoroughly entertained.
The 14 song set on this tour included the following Steel Panther hits:
Supersonic Sex Machine
Tomorrow Night
Fat Girl
Asian Hooker
Just Like Tiger Woods
Turn Out the Lights
If You Really Really Love Me
It Won’t Suck Itself
Girl From Oklahoma
Community Property
Eyes of a Panther
Death to All but Metal
Party All Day (Fuck All Night)
17 Girls in a Row
The Steel Panther guys are always high on energy, know how to get the [sometimes topless] audience involved, and have perfected the 80s hair band mega-personas; it’s spot-on, genius satirical homage backed by talent and great senses of humor. You WILL want more. So if you haven’t seen this band, GO while they are “Spreading the Disease” across America. And for those of you on the West Coast, you can typically find them doing their residency at House of Blues on Saturdays in Las Vegas and Mondays in Los Angeles.
All photos by and courtesy of Seth M