Day two of the 2011 Empire Rock Fest held July 22 & 23, 2011 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota kicked off in similar fashion as day one with a local Sioux Falls act taking the stage to start things off. Unlike day one, Saturday’s line-up only had the one local act (compared to three on Friday) while the rest of the day consisted on known national & regional acts.

DRIVEN

Local cover band DRIVEN took the stage at 12:30 PM under the second day of the blasting sunshine and extreme humidity. Although this Sioux Falls act plays predominately cover songs, they are still a good live band that commands attention. Their 45-minute set consisted of numbers ranging from METALLICA to TOOL, GODSMACK and even “Fight for Your Right” by the BEASTIE BOYS to keep things interesting.

JOHN CORABI

Next up was an acoustic set from former front man from THE SCREAM, MOTLEY CRUE, and UNION John Corabi. Although it was just him and an acoustic guitar it is still clear that Mr. Corabi has the stage presence to keep the crowd captivated. The set contained songs from his previous band efforts in this new interpretation.  I was extremely pleased to hear the songs from THE SCREAM “Man in the Moon”, “Father, Mother, Son”, as well as the great UNION song “Love (I Don’t Need it Anymore)”.  What made this set unique was Corabi’s ability to explain the thoughts behind each of the numbers as well as his charismatic banter with the crowd. Be sure to get his new release when it becomes available later this summer that includes many of these great songs re-recorded acoustically.

SCARLET HAZE

Now back to the loud music. SCARLET HAZE, a female fronted Minneapolis, MN based band that startles the fence between classic hair rock and current radio modern rock had the crowd fully mesmerized within minutes of hitting the stage. This was fascinating as they were the one original act that didn’t have the benefit of radio hits the crowd was familiar with. What they did have was Kat Perkins on the mic. This band has the stage presence to match anyone on the bill and the songs to back it up all day long. Keep your eyes out for this band as stardom is just around the corner. Songs “Reach Down” and the killer mid-tempo “Hero” are hits. Go to Itunes or wherever you get your music and buy immediately. Proceeds for the song “Hero” also are going towards Japanese Tsunami relief so there you go. Get some great new music and do your part to help your fellow man/woman. Be sure to stay tuned for the full-length interview from Empire Rock Fest with Kat Perkins coming to Rockeyez soon.

SCARLET HAZE

BOMBAY BLACK had a tough act to follow, but had the benefit of playing the previous two festivals and as a result has become a local favorite during that time. If you like hair rock with a heavier edge, this band is worth checking out. Their latest release “Love you to Death” is a great addition to your catalog.

BOMBAY BLACK

Following BOMBAY BLACK at 8 PM was quite possibly the biggest surprise of the entire festival as well as maybe the best overall performance of the weekend by Slaughter. If you have seen other live reviews from early shows this summer that have been less than stellar one might have low expectations for this early 90’s chart topping act. If this night’s show is any indication they are back in overdrive.  The addition of possibly the most entertaining drummer currently in the rock business Zoltan Chaney has made an already good live band into a great live band. SLAUGHTER made my day by playing “Mad About You” from the “Stick it Up To You” release that has been absent from the set list in recent years. This song still has a special place in my heart as it was SLAUGHTER’s set opener when I first saw them in 1990 opening the KISS “Hot in the Shade” tour.

SLAUGHTER

QUIET RIOT followed and blazed through a 60-minute set of songs that would make any fan of the group’s early greatest hits drool with excitement and jam like it was the early 80’s all over again. Trust me they did! I am still not sure if that sight was a good thing or not, I will spare the gory details .

SLAUGHTER

The band looked and sounded good as it rocked through “Slick Black Cadillac”, “The Wild & The Young” and all hits you would expect to hear such as “Cum on Feel The Noise”, and “Bang Your Head”.  My only disappointment was the exclusion of some of the strong newer songs from the 2001 S/T release or “Alive and Well” for example. New members Mark Huff (vocals) and Alex Grossi (guitar) fit right in and played/sang the songs in a way that would make the late Kevin DuBrow proud. A little South Dakota trivia here for you that includes Mr. Grossi and myself. Although there is no badge or metal to be received, I have had the distinct honor or seeing him play in the great Rushmore state three times in a year with three different bands. It was QR this time, but I also saw him live in action with BANG TANGO as well as ADLER’S APPETITE. Is that worth anything?

QUIET RIOT

Last, but not least was the festival headliner CINDERELLA.  This is one band that seems timeless and never lets its fans down. Songs like “Shake Me”, “Nobody’s Fool”, and “Somebody Save Me” sound as good in 2011 as they did in the 80’s. Now we just need a new release to follow (please).

All in all this was a great weekend of rock-n-roll in America’s upper plains. A special thank you goes to the Empire Rock Fest new management team for a job well done and for taking a chance on an event of this magnitude during these current economic times. Attendance for the festival was respectable, but makes one wonder how long this will continue as bringing in this type of line-up can’t be a cheap endeavor. Let’s keep our fingers crossed we are sharing more fond memories of another great Empire Rock Fest this time next year!

Festival Website:

http://empirerockfest.com/

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