RATT LIVE!
May 10, 2010 at Irving Plaza, New York, NY.
by Trevor Portz
Staff Writer
After a lengthy recording hiatus and a slew of lineup changes that eventually resulted in the core members reconciling, Ratt are finally back in action with an excellent new album, Infestation, and a tour to back it. Still in its early days, stop number five brought the band to NYC, and though they may not have the ’80s power to fill Madison Square Garden, the tightly-packed crowd at Irving Plaza certainly let it be known that there’s no shortage of Ratt-hungry metal fans in the Big Apple.
Opening act September Mourning was a very strange choice for the event, as they are little more than a Hot Topic-swathed, pseudo metal/industrial gang of Marilyn Manson worshipers. Having recently completed a tour with the aforementioned Manson, one would expect them to be, at the very least, a bit tighter as a band, but instead their performance felt more like an outtake from a high school talent show. The only beacon of hope for the band is lead vocalist Emily Lazar, whose presence and talent save the band from being totally forgettable. It would do her well to attempt something a bit more original if she intends to reach true heights of celebrity. Regardless, whoever chose September Mourning as an opening act for Ratt needs some serious therapy.
After a reasonably fast set change, the lights went down, and the main event began. Kicking things off with back-to-back Invasion of Your Privacy tracks “You’re In Love” and “Lay It Down,” it was as if the time machine to the days of metal radio dominance had been turned on. Things continued down the flashback highway with classics from all of Ratt’s classic releases (save 1999’s self-titled error in judgment), though the set tended to stay on the main road, never really diverging into rarely heard, deep album cuts. It would have been great to hear a long unplayed gem such as “Got Me On The Line” or “One Good Lover.” But alas, it was not to be.
The biggest set changes came, unsurprisingly, in the form of tracks from Infestation. Four new songs were played, including single “Best of Me,” and the best track they’ve done in 20 years, “Eat Me Up Alive.” The tracks worked well in the live environment, and easily blended in—stylistically and quality-wise—with the rest of the set list. It was at least nice to see the guys steer clear of the Kiss idea of almost completely avoiding new material live.
Considering the slew of great songs the band chose to include, and the fact that they played them excellently (with the exception of Pearcy avoiding many of the higher vocal parts), it was quite surprising that the show had very little overall energy. The band did not seem exceedingly excited to be there, and most of the time it appeared everyone was just going through the motions rather than giving it their all. Perhaps it was the small stage, or just the band being a little older, but they definitely lacked the power that took them to the top of the charts in their heyday.
As noted, technically, most everything was top-notch. Warren Demartini did a stellar job of bouncing between shred-worthy solos and blues-heavy jamming. Shockingly, however, it was recently-recruited guitarist Carlos Cavazzo that truly stole the show. A true fretboard master, each solo seemed a perfect balance of speed and melody, and on newer tracks, such as the previously noted “Eat Me Up Alive,” it appeared that Warren took a back seat to let Carlos go wild. It was nice to see the solo limelight shared, but also seemed a bit odd for Warren allow himself to be overshadowed.
Overall, Ratt’s performance was solid, albeit little uninspired. Former Hanoi Rocks front-man Michael Monroe had performed in New York the night before, and his performance was incredibly energetic and over-the-top, a far cry from Ratt’s general lethargy. Coming from almost the exact same time period, it seems Ratt have no excuse for not turning up the energy level a few notches. But pumped-up or not, Ratt are clearly still capable of delivering the goods, even they come in a more laid-back package.
Set List (in a rough semblance of order):
You’re In Love
Lay It Down
Lack of Communication
I Want A Woman
Lovin’ You’s A Dirty Job
Slip of the Lip
Nobody Rides For Free
Back For More
Way Cool, Jr.
Wanted Man
Take a Big Bite
Eat Me Up Alive
Last Call
You Think You’re Tough
Best of Me
Round and Round