Review: A blazingly quick dose of Poison

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WEST VALLEY CITY -- To paraphrase one of Poison's biggest hits, there ain't nothin' wrong with a good time, and all the critical barbs the glam-rock icons weathered throughout their career mean nothing when thousands of people still show up to see Poison's shows nearly two decades after the band's commercial heyday.

The quartet is less glammy in 2006 than in 1986, with the tight spandex pants replaced by jeans and sprayed-to-the-sky hair cut short or held in a bandanna -- except for guitarist C.C. DeVille, whose hands seemed to tousle his locks as often as they flew across the neck of his Flying V during the band's rapid-fire set.

Lead singer Bret Michaels worked overtime praising the crowd and Salt Lake City for supporting the band through the years, and the appreciation was returned in kind by a crowd well-lubricated and ready to party all night.

Or at least until curfew, which came all too soon after the band had delivered just over a dozen songs, plus some solo stints for DeVille and drummer Rikki Rockett. Poison didn't really leave out any of its hits, but the set flew by in such a blur of fireworks, lasers and MTV-tested singalongs that the encore felt more like the halfway point of a typical show.

No one was complaining at show's end, though, thanks to the band's decision to deliver hit after hit in quick-fire succession, relying on its first two albums to fill the set list. "Look What the Cat Dragged In," "I Want Action" and "I Won't Forget You," all from the band's 1986 debut, were early inclusions in the set. And the lone encore song, "Talk Dirty to Me," was a perfect closer, the band holding onto its first pop hit until the last possible moment.

In between, the band showcased DeVille's chops, and singing voice, on "I Hate Every Bone in Your Body But Mine," and featured the band's more sensitive side on the lighter-inducing "Something to Believe In" and "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."

Anthems such as "Fallen Angel," "Nothin' But a Good Time" and "Unskinny Bop" helped amp up a crowd that had warmed up with Poison peers Cinderella, and had Poison's fans leave the venue satisfied.

Contact Dan Nailen at nailen@sltrib.com or via his blog "Urban Spelunker" at http://www.sltrib.com/blogs. His phone number is 801-257-8613. Send comments about this review to livingeditor@sltrib.com.

Review Poison Where: Usana Amphitheater, West Valley City When: Tuesday The bottom line: The glam-metal icons delivered a well-received but all-too-brief show celebrating 20 years of glammy rock and roll.