CLARKSTON, MI – Bret Michaels wore three hats, er, bandanas that night. He was the headliner, master of ceremonies and fan.
The Poison frontman brought his “Parti Gras 2.0” to Pine Knob on Friday, August 23. And he brought with him legendary Eagles guitarist Don Felder, country star Chris Janson, former Foreigner lead singer Lou Gramm, and Twisted Sisters’ Dee Snider.
Pine Knob actually hosted the first-ever Parti Gras concert last summer. For that show, Michaels brought Jefferson Starship, Night Ranger, Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath, and former Journey lead singer Steve Augeri. And he says he’ll do a 3.0 in 2025.
The late-arriving crowd was treated to a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer when Felder took the stage just before 7 p.m.
The crowd filled up quickly as he played 45 minutes of mostly Eagles hits, including “Take it Easy,” “One of These Nights,” and “Hotel California.”
The variety show continued with Janson admitting that he was the only country artist at a rock concert.
Chris Janson performs at Parti Gras 2.0 at Pine Knob in Clarkston, Michigan on Friday, August 23, 2024.Photo by Edward Pevos | MLive
His 45-minute set included hits “Fix a Drink,” “Good Vibes,” and “Buy Me a Boat.” He also played a mashup of “Great Balls of Fire” from “Redneck Life” and a snippet of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.”
His set was energetic and interactive. He had fun and made sure the crowd did too.
And that’s exactly what Bret Michaels does. At 61, he’s still a bundle of energy as he took the stage shortly after 9 p.m. and started playing some Poison hits like “Talk Dirty to Me” and “Ride the Wind.”
“It’s nice to live in one of the greatest cities and really have one of the most incredible, welcoming people… Michigan, we love you.”
Then he brought out Felder and Janson and the three of them sang “You’re Mama Don’t Dance” together.
Michaels then introduced another Rock Hall legend, Gramm, who played three of Foreigner’s biggest hits: “Cold as Ice,” “Hot Blooded” and “Jukebox Hero.”
Lou Gramm performs at Parti Gras 2.0 at Pine Knob in Clarkston, Michigan on Friday, August 23, 2024.Photo by Edward Pevos | MLive
Michaels seemed to enjoy watching from the side of the stage as much as the fans did.
Next came more Poison hits with “Look What the Cat Dragged In”, “Something to Believe In” and “Unskinny Bop”.
As always, Michaels, the son of a military veteran, brought a number of local veterans on stage during his song “Something to Believe In,” calling them the true rock stars of the show. It’s always a touching and inspiring part of his concerts.
Next up was another rock star, Snider, who launched straight into “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” The crowd loved it so much that he sang part of the song with the crowd without any music.
Dee Snider performs at Parti Gras 2.0 at Pine Knob in Clarkston, Michigan on Friday, August 23, 2024.Photo by Edward Pevos | MLive
Snider then performed “I Wanna Rock” before Michaels joined him in a cover of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” Snider received perhaps the loudest applause of the evening.
And whether he wanted to or not, Michaels asked him to come back on stage for “Nothin’ But a Good Time,” even though there were still a few songs left.
Before that, you guessed it, Poison’s biggest hit “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn” was played before Michaels performed the last song of the evening.
What can be said about this concert other than that, like last year’s “Parti Gras”, it was just plain fun, a variety show where you didn’t really know what to expect next, and it was exactly what the audience paid for.
