Rock The Park @ Harris Park, London, Ontario
Thursday, July 22, 2010
By: Gus Griesinger
One of the great rock festivals of the summer has taken place in western Ontario every year for the past 7 years. This year welcomed an amazing collection of rock bands that included 3 Doors Down, Collective Soul, Thornley, and Crash Karma. Even steady rain didnt cause one person to move from the front of the stage on Thursday as 3 Doors Down completed their set.
Friday and Saturday offered a whos who of classic rock performances. Friday, former Canadian Juno winner, Alannah Myles started off the festivities 4:30 promptly. Looking frail, the singer joked after her 1st track Our World/Our Times, saying If you dont like what you see, why the hell did you come to see Alice Cooper? If you dont like what you see, then close your eyes cause Im here to sing, she quipped. She went on to say that she is still suffering from a car accident and horse back riding accident. However, unlike her body, her voice hasnt lost much.
Next up was the band who stole the show on Friday in my opinion; Night Ranger. The band played a strong set led by original members Jack Blades (bass), Brad Gillis (guitar) and Kelly Keagy (drums). The band never sounded better, and between their sound and showmanship, they left a lot for the other bands to live up to throughout the rest of the festival.
Peter Frampton was next up and played a solid set that included his hits and a different but interesting cover of Soundgardens Black Hole Sun. He chatted about how Chris Cornell was one of the best singers on the planet and played the last chorus with his voice box.
The evenings headliner was Alice Cooper. Even after all of these years, its refreshing to see Alice still be relevant and entertaining as he had numerous costume changes and his show provided a whole new experience from the last time I saw him. Chicago Blackhawks and London, Ontario native, Brain Campbell, brought the Stanley Cup home to London for the day and brought it on stage during the song "Under My Wheels." Brian held the Cup over his head and passed it over to Alice to mimic like he was drinking out of the most cherished trophy in North American Sports. He briefly held it over his head for a bit before passing the cup back to Brian. He paraded around stage with it as Alices band members took a spot next to him posing for various photos. He started out with Schools Out and closed with the same song when Peter Frampton joined him onstage for the encore and reprise of the song.
Saturday brought more rain but, fortunately, it ended right before longtime legend Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels took to the stage. The band played a no frills set that included a cover of the Rolling Stones Sympathy for the Devil and his own classic, Devil With a Blue Dress. Next up was Canadian icons April Wine. They were delayed with some technical difficulties but once they started Anything You Want off of 1982s studio album called Power Play, they delivered the goods and showed why they are still loved all over their native land.
The band that may have stolen the show from the bands I witnessed was Seattles favorite daughters, Ann and Nancy Wilson Heart. The band continues to get better and better every time I see them. Its a wonder how at age 60, Ann Wilson still sings the way she does. The band played a thunderous B-side to open up their set, Cook with Fire off of 1978s Dog & Butterfly album. The song featured all members (save Ann) pounding on tom-tom drums. The band will be delivering a new CD called Red Velvet Car (Go here: for one of the first reviews of that CD) on August 31, 2010. Three songs were performed off of the CD: Red Velvet Car, WTF, and Nancy took vocals on Hey You.
The show and festival closer, Lynyrd Skynyrd, was as tight and fun loving as ever. This band, who endured more tragedies than most bands put together, are still professional and go about their business by giving fans the hits just as they deserve. Even though guitarist Gary Rossington is the sole original member, the rest of the band proved to be a cohesive unit as the Skynyrd Nation went home a happy bunch.
This festival is the brain child of David and Lindsey McIntyre whose daughter Bethany died from Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD.) With a great production team of Don Jones behind them, they have been able to raise close to 1 million dollars since the 1st Rock The Park back in 2004. For more information on Bethanys Hope or to donate, please go to: http://www.bethanyshope.org/.
Set Lists for Friday:
Alannah Myles:
Our World/Our Times
Love Is
Song Instead of a Kiss
Love of Mine
Black Velvet
Night Ranger:
This Boy Needs to Rock
Sing Me Away
Coming of Age (Damn Yankees cover)
Secret of My Success
Sentimental Street
Eddies Comin Out Tonight
4AM
When U Close Your Eyes
Dont Tell Me You Love Me
Sister Christian
(You Can Still) Rock in America
Peter Frampton:
Four Day Creep
Its a Plain Shame
Show Me the Way
Lines on my Face
Restraint
All I Wanna Be
Vaudeville Nana and the Banjolele
Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden Cover)
Nassau Baby/I Love Your way
Ill Give You Money
Do You Feel Like We Do
Encore:
I Want It Back
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (George Harrison-Beatles Cover)
Alice Cooper:
Schools Out
No More Mr. Nice Guy
18
wicked Young Man
Ballad of Dwight Fry
Go to Hell
Guilty
Cold Ethyl
Poison
From the Inside
Nurse Rozetta
Be My Lover
Only Women Bleed
I Never Cry
The Black Widow
Vegenace is Mine
Dirty Diamonds
Billion Dollar Babies
Killer
I Love the Dead
Feed my Frankenstein
Under My Wheels
Encore:
Elected
Schools Out (reprise)
Set Lists for Saturday:
Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels:
Rock N Roll
Jenny Take a Ride
When You Were Mine
Latin Lupe Lu
Cest la Vie
Shake a Tail Feather
Gimme Shelter (Rolling Stones Cover)
Devil With the Blue Dress
April Wine:
Anything You Want, You Got It
Before the Dawn
Just Between You and Me
Enough is Enough
Tonight is a Wonderful Time to Fall in Love
Last Time Ill Ever sing the Blues
Say Hello
Lady Run, Lady Hide (acoustic)
Slow Poke
Fast Train
I Like to Rock
Roller
Gypsy Queen
Heart:
Cook with Fire
Heartless
Never
Straight On
These Dreams
Hey You
Kick It Out
Red Velvet Car
Alone
WTF
Magic Man
Crazy on You
Barracuda
Encore:
What Is & What Should Never Be (Led Zeppelin Cover)
Love, Reign oer Me (The Who cover)
Lynyrd Skynyrd:
Working for the MCA
I Aint the One
Skynyrd Nation
Whats Your Name?
Down South Jukin
That Smell
I Know a Little
Simple Man
Gimme Back My Bullets
Tuesdays Gone
Gimme Three Steps
Call Me the Breeze
Sweet Home Alabama
Encore:
Free Bird
We would like to thank Brad Jones and Gianna Conte of Don Jones Productions for allowing Backstageaxxess.com to attend and cover such a wonderful event!
Editors Note: We were unable to attend the 1st day on Thursday so no photos shown are from that day. Also, for whatever reason, we werent able to obtain a Lynyrd Skynyrd photo pass on Saturday. So the photos we do have were taking from outside the photo pit.
