who likes 80's hair metal?

[Adam West]

Luv me some 80's metal!
Don't forget Stryper! In God We Trust was one of my favorites . . .
I think Poison would be the Poster Child for this genre
I remember when Grunge hit . . . it was like the radio was playing Whitesnake one day and then poof' they were all gone . . . . a conspiracy that rivals the JFK Assassination

I was just talking with a good friend of mine a few weeks ago about rock concerts we attended together back in the 1980's. He mentioned seeing a group that was a one hit wonder back in the 1980's and probably more of a local phenomenon called "Kix". They were from Maryland and had two semi-popular songs "Midnight Dynamite" and "Cold Shower".

Around 1985, we saw Stryper and Kix play together at the Warner theater in Washington D.C. It is a pretty small venue for a concert but they still had the speakers full blast. I still remember that concert being by far the loudest concert I ever attended. The acoustics in there just amplified the already loud sound and had a migraine and couldn't hear for a few days after the concert....good times.

[HardyGirl]

The question should be - who doesn't like 80's hair metal ?!

Uh...me! Sorry guys, not my thing.

[huedell]

So are you looking for a Blackie Lawless Custom? complete with spark spewing crotch? . . . I played the W.A.S.P. live cd non-stop for about a year . . . .

Blackie...or customs of any of the singers from the bands I mentioned
would be great. However....."So many custom wants, so little time."

[English Paul]

Metallica, Anthrax, Iron Maiden, Suicidal Tendencies......That's what I listened to.

The Motley Crues, Bon Jovis and the like were not my thing at all, and in the UK, these were the bands that were considered 'hair metal'. Bouffant hair and make up? Not for me thanks. I was slightly dubious about GNR too. One day it was all hair, next day jeans and t's.

[bgiles73]

I was just talking with a good friend of mine a few weeks ago about rock concerts we attended together back in the 1980's. He mentioned seeing a group that was a one hit wonder back in the 1980's and probably more of a local phenomenon called "Kix". They were from Maryland and had two semi-popular songs "Midnight Dynamite" and "Cold Shower".

Around 1985, we saw Stryper and Kix play together at the Warner theater in Washington D.C. It is a pretty small venue for a concert but they still had the speakers full blast. I still remember that concert being by far the loudest concert I ever attended. The acoustics in there just amplified the already loud sound and had a migraine and couldn't hear for a few days after the concert....good times.

Kix was a good band too! Love the songs "Blow My Fuze" and "Don't Close Your Eyes". Metal Church, Megadeth, Danzig, The Black Crowes, Dangerous Toys, Iron Maiden, AC/DC and Judas Priest were all good too! Ozzy is an all time favorite too. I mentioned Sabbath already though. Oooops, forgot about Dio!

[huedell]

Metallica, Anthrax, Iron Maiden, Suicidal Tendencies......That's what I listened to.

The Motley Crues, Bon Jovis and the like were not my thing at all, and in the UK, these were the bands that were considered 'hair metal'. Bouffant hair and make up? Not for me thanks. I was slightly dubious about GNR too. One day it was all hair, next day jeans and t's.

Back in the day for a year or so around '85 was the only time in my life
that "image" may have affected my tastes...I really liked the long-hair
bands ...make-up or otherwise and didn't listen to anything that wasn't
"hair metal" or close to it...before that time (Prince, Michael Jackson,
Men At Work) and after that time (Beatles, Ramones, Cheap Trick)
image did not play a part in the music I liked.

Altho', as you can see most of the "after" period was based on bands
from the past...I haven't been much for "newer bands" since the 90s.

During the 90s I found Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains and stuff like that
a bit dry....I was listening to RHCP, Primus, Weezer and The Presidents OTUSA.

My "serious lyric" rock did not come from the 90s...I think
THE DOORS, PINK FLOYD and other classic rock
covered that aspect of rock for me....and still does.

[nvmbrsdoom5]

I like some hair metal, of course. But I like just about all kinds of music anyhow. Some bands looked ridiculous but still had some great songs, which is really what it was all about for me anyhow. Image-wise I always wanted to be more of a James Hetfield than a Bret Michaels type.

And as an aside, since it was mentioned....I think that whole "grunge killed metal" thing has been a bit of a fallacy, really. It was a factor for sure, but I think more than anything the scene burned itself out regardless. Most of the albums that the bands were releasing around that time (and even a bit before) paled in comparison to their previous works, and were doomed to fail regardless of the presence of Nirvana and co. Also, at the same time, bands like Mr. Big, Warrant, Skid Row, Pantera, and others continued to sell millions of records both during and well after the onset of Grunge.

And for the record I love some of the grunge/alternative music of that era too!

[The Toyroom]

Anybody see any of these hairbands in concert back in the day? Saw Winger once, Bon Jovi twice and Skid Row thrice...

[MegoMark71]

Go see hot tub time machine, it took me back. And Motley was my favorite hair band as my first concert was Deep purple and Motley. I am surprised i only saw Priest mentioned once. And anyone remember a band called Prong?

[huedell]

Of course back in my "hair band" few years (1985-1988) I saw some of my
favorites in concert...

and I saw some hair bands during or after 1988 not because I liked them
but because tickets were free or they were opening for DAVID LEE ROTH
who I didn't take a break from until about 1990....I can't stand much of
anything POISON has done but ended up seeing them more than once due
to circumstances.

In those years I also saw AUTOGRAPH, RATT/BON JOVI (I was there for
RATT), W.A.S.P./BLACK SABBATH (I was there for WASP),
IRON MAIDEN/YNGWIE (I don't really know WHY I went to that one...MAIDEN
is tolerable but I only went for something to do. I guess)

I saw ROTH with POISON and I saw him with CINDERELLA (I actually was a
fan of CINDERELLA's first album before they went too bluesy for my tastes).

I saw QUIET RIOT. I saw OZZY/METALLICA (I was there for OZZY).
I saw KISS twice.

I think I saw a BULLET BOYS/WINGER/ETREME show and
me feel so icky that I never went to another hair band show for about
7 years.

Starting around 1995...I saw many hair bands reformed or whatever up to
now. And I had never seen TWISTED SISTER or MOTLEY but in the 90s
and 2000s had my chance.

[MegoMark71]

I almost forgot one of my favs, Faster Pussycat. I must have seen FP 10 times between them with Motley and then with Whitesnake. House of pain was one of those monster ballads all hair bands did for the girls

[LonnieFisher]

I've seen lots of them.
Slayer
Iron Maiden (three times)
twisted sister
scorpions
girls school
black sabbath(with Dio singing)
Dio
flock of seagulls
Missing Persons
Kiss
Joe Satriani
Steve Vai
Mercyful Fate
Ice House
prong
van halen
david lee roth(with steve vai on guitar)
exodus
anthrax
manowar
blue oyster cult
death angel
so many others...

[LonnieFisher]

And anyone remember a band called Prong?

I'm listening to "snap your fingers, snap your neck" right now!! Prong!!!

[SeattleEd]

Great list Lonnie.
Flock Of Seagulls where/are a Australian post-punk/new wave band as was Missing Persons but they hailed from Hollywood.
Icehouse was just an Australian rock/pop new wavish band along with INXS.

I've seen lots of them.
flock of seagulls
Missing Persons
Ice House

Black and Blue was another cool band from Seattle.
Growing up in Hollywood I did see quite a few hair metal bands along the strip back in the day. Towards the tail end of the scene(when Gazzari's bit the dust) most were relegated to playing clubs out in the valley or O.C. That's when Grrl rock and grunge and indy garage punk took over.

[BlackKnight]

Skid Row

I saw these guys at the tail end , of when they went into nothingness. Maybe around 96/97-ish ?...
I bought a ticket for like 15 bucks..., so did my Brother. I wasn't expecting Much ...., It was a very small venue, compaired to stuff like an Event show ..., but was still 100 times as big as a Dive Bar show.

Man ..., these guys were off the hook. They Played Damn Near a 3 hr set, and played everything, and I mean everything, and then some.

Sebastian joked at 1 time, when He went to take his shirt off, and throw it in the crowd, He stated he couldn't discard his shirt into the crowd anymore,... because he no longer had that kinda Money ..., He then threw it off to the side of the Stage, and picked it up after the show. It was kinda funny.

But they seriously rocked...., 1 of my most favorite Shows ever.


My Favorite Sid Row song .., is "Get the F Out" . .... That song is Fantastic.


BTW ..., IMO Sid Row is and rather was a Bit different than Just a "Hair Band" . Make No Mistake..., they were Metal...., and Most of thier Songs were far Heavier, than Most bands even listed in this thread. They don't really deserve the staple "Bubble Gum, Hair Band Rock" Nod ..., they were More, Most of thier tunes I believe at the Time of Relevance, were not even played on Radio Stations, atleast not here ...., I think only like 4 ever were , at the time.