Steel Panther managed to pack the house at Bogart’s on a Wednesday evening. Many in the crowd were dressed in the best 80’s glam rock attire, leopard print pants, denim, studs and high hair. Steel Panther is a band that pays tribute to big hair glam rock groups that dominated the 80’s. Not a simple satire band, Steel Panther can deliver some kick ass metal tunes.
The band was in town as part of their re-erections tour, their first time back in Cincinnati since 2019. The band was tight and energetic in their opening song, “Eyes of the Panther,” you could just tell how excited they were to perform on stage again. Despite being in the middle of the work week, the audience was lively and loudly shouted the lyrics back at the stage.
While Steel Panther’s gimmick of raunchy 80’s sleaze and excess may be a turnoff to many, their audience gets it. They are there for the jokes of cocaine use, groupie abuse and falsetto vocals. It’s what makes a Steel Panther show special. The stage banter and jokes on stage are just as, if not more entertaining as the music itself. You can feel that the band is having a great time doing what they do.
Steel Panther loved interacting with the crowd. At one point they brought a fan up stage to see if he could play a bass line with the band, stating that anyone could play better than their bass player. A young lady was (embarrassingly) serenaded for the song “Community Property” and a large group of women were brought on stage as the band played, “17 Girls in a Row.”
The 80’s rock area staples were all there. A drum solo (with the drummer doing his best Def Leppard impression), an over the top ridiculously long guitar solos and of course the power ballad.
Other songs performed during the show were, “Asian Hooker,” “Poontang Boomerang,” “Gloryhole,” and their heavy metal anthem, “Death to All but Metal,”
Steel Panther is a band that is so over the top and ridiculous, they let you get lost in the moment, forget all of your troubles and just kick back and enjoy the show. People laughed, danced and sang along to the evening’s crazy antics. If you are every feeling nostalgic for the 80’s, go to a Steel Panther concert or spin one of their records.
