After a decade of rock 'n' roll, the members of Great White still have a savage bite on stage, but for an evening at least they lost their killer instinct. Perhaps it was the heat, made worse by the asphalt of the Fairpark Grandstand. Or perhaps it was the relatively small crowd that turned out for KBER's annual rock festival that left the band less than enthused. Whatever the reason, their way-too-short set didn't satisfy.
The problem wasn't quality but quantity. This is a talented, professional band whose members seemed to realize they were a little too good for the gig they were playing. In short, Great White was a fish out of water.Great White's hour was filled with great rock 'n' roll, but by 8:45 the show was over and it just wasn't enough. After a too-brief encore, consisting of a single song, the band was finished and so was BEARFEST '94.
Although the concert was scheduled to start at 1 p.m., an overlong sound check got everything running late, trying the patience of the fans who had been at the venue since noon.
Locals Hard Knocks played first, getting a decent response from the sun-soaked crowd. Next was Joey C. Jones, followed by AC/DC clones Back In Black. Back In Black did a good job of imitating the Australian rockers, but the excitement just wasn't the same. The high point was a rousing rendition of "Dirty Deeds." Classic AC/DC is fun even when it's not being played by Angus Young and the boys.
After Tuff played a solid set, Great White finally took the stage. The difference between these rock veterans and the rest of the bands was apparent from the start. Their sound was sharper, their stage presence more pronounced and their musicianship superior.
The crowd was enthused from the first note to the last, singing along and dancing. Even on tracks from the band's oldest albums such as "Shot in the Dark" and "Great White," the crowd knew the music and responded with yells and whistles of appreciation. These were diehard Great White followers who, judging from their age, hadn't jumped on the bandwagon but had built it.
The members of the band were cool, calm and comedic as they played, sitting on stools, joking with each other and smiling at the crowd. After a good mix of old classics and material from their newest disc, "Sail Away," they settled in for a brief segment of acoustic material.
They played an outstanding rendition of the Led Zepplin classic, "Babe I'm Gonna Leave you." The aging Robert Plant probably couldn't handle this song with the velvety power that vocalist Jack Russell did. They followed that with their own classic "Rock Me," which is another perfect showcase for Russell's voice to reach all-out wails as well as slow, drawn-out grinds.
The finned ones then played through a list of their greatest hits, including "Twice Shy" and "Sail Away."
The show had just reached a new elevation when it abruptly ended. The band appeared to be having a lot of fun and was passing it on to the crowd. Russell had everybody singing on "Save All Your Love." Even security and technicians joined in when Russell shoved the mike in their faces. The crowd was hopping, and suddenly it was finished.