Justin Nuoffer
Steel Panther
12/1/24 – The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
©Justin Nuoffer/Nuoffermedia.com
On a Sunday evening in Milwaukee, WI the winds blew that cold and crisp Lake Michigan air throughout the city, but the line forming behind the hauntingly famous Rave/Eagle’s Ballroom to see Steel Panther started hours earlier. Folks were dressed in their best 80s costumes, metal gear, or just for a night out. Everyone hugged a little closer to each other or took turns running and sitting in each other’s cars for bits of warmth. Car stereos blasted various hair metal bands while the wait was happening. The chill, though, was worth the wait… we all knew that Steel Panther would heat the room with laughter in no time.
Once the doors to the venue opened, the line moved quickly across the street and into the basement to for security checks. From there, everyone is shuffled up into the box office. Once into this space, you could head into the smaller Rave Bar on the right-hand side or the Craft Beer Lounge on the left. The Rave Bar held the merch area, which was bustling from the moment the doors opened. From the Craft Beer Lounge, the back hallway with more bars and servers wraps around the main general admission floor. The general admission floor is spacious and above it, the VIP seating section fills up quickly. These historic walls were ready to absorb another incredible performance.
If you have never been to a Steel Panther performance then you’ve missed out. The band is comprised of skilled musicians who are hysterical and live up to the glam-metal billing—fronted by Michael Starr, a Diamond David Lee Roth-type frontman. He owns the vibe and gives every 80s cliche maximum effort. Off to his right on bass is the newcomer, Spyder. He fills in the role of the dumb bassist and butt of all jokes perfectly. Along the back of the stage, Stix Zadinia was perched up high behind his drum kit. Standing to Starr’s left was the guitar virtuoso Satchel who has an extensive history working with other artists such as Paul Gilbert. The band is a well-oiled machine from the very first note of “Eyes of the Panther”. The anthemic masterpiece sent the energy level instantly into the stratosphere. After cruising through the opener and “It Won’t Suck Itself,” Steel Panther took a bit of a break for band introductions and to crack a lot of jokes at Spyder and Stix’s expense.
The middle of their set is always the backbone of their live shows. As they polished off “The Shocker” with hand gestures and waves Michael Starr yelled, “And now for the best-looking guitar player, Satchel!” and then left the stage with Satchel all alone. The accomplished guitarist and jack of all trades launched into one solo after another. He even ran up behind the kick drum to incorporate it into the various classic metal hits he tore the chorus’ from. Hits such as “Eruption”, “Rock You Like A Hurricane”, “Breaking The Law”, “Crazy Train”, and “Iron Man”. As the rest of the band re-emerged they once again busted out the comedy and cracked jokes. They pulled a woman on stage to serenade then realized she was underage. They proceeded to crack underage jokes and sang to her before escorting her back out into the crowd. However, as the joke backfired the first time they brought up another woman who was over the age of 18 and proceeded to crack jokes while they sang “Girl From Oklahoma” as an acoustic. This song is always the one with the most crowd participation. Everyone was singing and laughing at every turn. Steel Panther have that factor to make every performance an event.
Just when you think Steel Panther couldn’t up the ante, they yelled to bring a bunch of girls on stage. As Satchel started counting out loud how many were on stage he stopped at seventeen and the crowd screamed, knowing “17 Girls in a Row” was next. The girls on stage danced and danced even through the next song, “Eatin’ Ain’t Cheatin’”. The band once again acted the part of every cliche 80s hair band and remained extremely humorous, but they weren’t done yet. Searching and talking to people in the front row they managed to someone to come on stage and play “You Really Got Me” by The Kinks with them as a whole band. The guitarist they found ripped and even surprised Satchel while shredding the guitar solo. The crowd gave an ovation of the highest order. It was an impressive display.
Closing out the evening was equally as fun. The comedy show turned back into a concert quickly. With the typical Steel Panther purple and pink stage lighting dropping from overhead, the final two songs before the encore were upon us and they were perhaps two of the most well-known tracks from Feel The Steel, “Community Property” and “Death To All But Metal”. After all, it was a celebration of the greatest metal album of all time. During the encore, the audience started to chant “Glor-ry-hole,” the famed song off of their third release All You Can Eat. An eruption of joy filled the room. People danced and moved around the general admission floor. Along the VIP rails fans hung over the edge, screaming the lyrics. Every ounce of energy was exuded and with an arena-style breakdown to end it and smiles were the only thing left behind.
With the night coming to a close the fans slowly worked their way toward the merch booths or the foyer. After a night full of glam metal, big hair, and laughs it was easy to walk away feeling good. Steel Panther has been doing this for a long time, but they remain on the top of their game. Celebrating Feel The Steel after fifteen years felt good. It means the world can still laugh and not be uptight. Serious musicians just having fun. A concept that is honest and needs to be embraced more.
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