TVD Live Shots:
Poison and Tesla at Oracle Arena, 6/13

Less than 24 hours after the Golden State Warriors sealed the deal for the NBA Championship, Oakland’s Oracle Arena re-opened its doors for another sort of event. Poison is currently on tour with Def Leppard but somehow managed to squeeze in a headlining show.

Any sign of the previous night’s festivities were gone from the arena by the time openers Tesla took the stage at 8PM for a generous 60 minute set. Hailing from just down the road in Sacramento, Tesla is pretty much treated as a local band in the Bay Area and the crowd this night was definitely on its feet and singing along.

The stage crew made quick work of the change-over and had Poison taking the stage a few minutes ahead of their scheduled 9:30PM set time. While small, the crowd was enthusiastic and, when the band finally took the stage to “Look What the Cat Dragged In,” pushed forward from their seats to crowd the barricade and stage extension.

Billed as a 30th anniversary reunion of the original lineup, Brett Michaels (vocals), Rikki Rockett (drums), Bobby Dall (bass), and C.C. DeVille (guitar) let loose from the first notes of what proved to be a high-energy set with everyone in the band making full use of the space available and giving plenty of attention to the folks up front. These guys clearly were enjoying themselves.

Not surprisingly, the nostalgia factor ran high. Having not released an album of new material in a decade, Poison opted to stick to their first three albums where they’ve had the most commercial success. But as a band that doesn’t tour a whole lot, it would be hard to imagine them passing on the likes of “Unskinny Bop” and “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” for deeper cuts and rarities.

Despite the size of the venue, the show ultimately proved to be a surprisingly intimate affair where even the casual Poison fan was guaranteed “nothin’ but a good time.”

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

Poison

TESLA

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

POISON SETLIST:
Look What the Cat Dragged In
Ride the Wind
Talk Dirty to Me
Cry Tough
Something to Believe In
Your Mama Don’t Dance (Loggins & Messina cover)
Fallen Angel
Unskinny Bop
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Nothin’ but a Good Time

ENCORE
Rock and Roll All Nite (KISS cover)

This entry was posted in TVD San Francisco. Bookmark the permalink. Trackbacks are closed, but you can post a comment.
  • SUPPORTING YOUR LOCAL INDIE SHOPS SINCE 2007


  • Alternative Text Alternative Text Alternative Text
  • Alternative Text Alternative Text Alternative Text