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As with anyone else listening to hard rock in the early 80's, I was a huge fan of Quiet Riot. They seemed to have come out of nowhere and tore it up, both on the music charts and live. Love 'em or hate 'em, you know you still sing along to Cum on Feel the Noize.

Unfortunately, last night I saw a cover band.

Now don't get on me thinking I am sort of purist. I'm not one of those people yelling "It's not Quiet Riot without Kevin....." or whatever. Everything has changed about the music and nothing is the same. No feel, no emotion, no soul. That's at least how it came off to me from the stage on March 4th at Club Red in Tempe.

Yea, you're right, Frankie is one hell of a cool guy. He strolled in to Naked Dave's Music (which is walking distance from Club Red) earlier in the day just to say hi. Down to earth? The guy defines it. Onstage, it seemed like the band was just going through the motions. Proficient? Uh yea, these guys are pro's. But there didn't seem to be anything behind the music. It was almost like punching a time clock but not as boring.

They pulled off all their hits, and I was touched when they pulled out Thunderbird, the band's dedication to Randy Rhoads from Metal Health. They pulled it off so well I actually got chills, the first time of the night I felt something from the stage.

It appeared that the band that stole the show was local giants Dagger. High energy and an attention demanding presence captivated the packed club. The band let loose with Evil Wicked Mean & Nasty, Top of the World, Facedown, Nightmares and In for the Kill. The crowd was captivated the entire time and didn't let up until the band was done.

On the second stage that night was a promising band called Snake City Playboys, an original band out of Phoenix with an 80's vibe. No, not a hair band, just straight up riffs. I am One, Back for One More, Cocky, Live it Up and Girl Got No Shame kept the crowd moving and cheering for more. If they do things right, expect this band to make a name for themselves.