Poison Front Man to Make Bristol Appearance

Rock comes to town.
Star of VH1’s “Rock of Love with Bret Michaels” and Poison front man Bret Michaels will appear at the State Line Bar & Grille in Bristol, Tenn., on Aug. 9. His band Evick will perform throughout the night until Michaels appears at about 11 p.m.
At press time, there was no word regarding if Michaels will sing or simply speak.
Michaels’ glam metal band Poison broke nationally in 1987 with their first hit, “Talk Dirty to Me.” Subsequent guitar-growling hits included 1988’s “Nothin’ But A Good Time” and their rollicking cover of Loggins & Messina’s “Your Mama Don’t Dance” in 1989.
However, Poison’s biggest success came with its quietest tune, 1988’s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” For three weeks beginning Christmas Eve 1988, Poison’s love lost opus held the number-one spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart.
Three more Top 10 singles, including Poison’s last Top 10, 1990’s “Something to Believe In,” followed. By 1994, Poison’s days of charting singles were over.
Grunge rock led by such bands as Nirvana and Pearl Jam supplanted hair metal and bands such as Poison and Motley Crue as rock’s new and in-vogue style.
As a result, hair metal wilted like untended flowers. Bands split up. Careers changed. Some such as Cinderella’s Tom Keifer moved to Nashville and sought songwriting gigs.
Then there was Michaels.
In 1998, he directed, wrote and starred in the film “A Letter from Death Row.” The film’s soundtrack doubled as Michael’s solo debut album.
Michaels’ fortunes turned upward when he served as a judge in 2005 for CMT’s “Nashville Star,” a country answer to Fox’s “American Idol” singing competition television show.
Also in 2005, the heavy metal singer shifted from yowls to y’alls with his own country-inflected album, “Freedom of Sound.”
Such increased exposure led to Michaels’ own television show, “Rock of Love with Bret Michaels” on cable television network VH1. The competitive dating show, which features bachelor Michaels amid a bevy of rock music-geared women who compete for his “love” debuted in February 2007.
Currently on tour with Poison, which began a tour with Def Leppard and Cheap Trick in June, Michaels’ career appears as busy as ever.
Meanwhile, his Bristol stopover offers a rare chance to see a genuine rock star intimately in the 300-capacity State Line on State Street.

IF YOU GO
Who: Bret Michaels and Evick
When: Aug. 9, 7 p.m.; Michaels will appear at about 11 p.m.
Where: State Line Bar & Grille, 648 State St., Bristol, Tenn.
Admission: $55
Info: (423) 652-0792
Web: http://www.bretmichaels.com
Audio: http://www.new.music.yahoo.com/bret-michaels/tracks/
And: http://www.evick.com

TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at .