By Joe Puccio

Once fairly rare, package tours have become quite the commodity for Generation Xers in recent years. In the current unsettled economic climate, musical acts simply cannot gross the same amount of money they did during the notably more lucrative 1980s and 1990s.

Take ‘The Stadium Tour,’ for example. In the summer and fall of 2022, metalheads packed venues across North America to witness English icons Def Leppard, hedonistic heavyweights Motley Crue, spandex poster boys Poison, and punk infused pioneers Joan Jett & the Blackhearts play to voracious crowds following the COVID-19 pandemic.

A bit further back, in 2011, AOR powerhouses Journey, Foreigner, Styx, Night Ranger, and Sweet joined forces on ‘The Eclipse Tour,’ a highly successfully collaboration of arena rock mainstays that proved the old “more bang for your buck” adage true.

Fast forward to 2024 and while admittedly not quite as high-profile as the aforementioned others, good luck convincing the several thousand in attendance at the Catholic Health Amphitheater at Bald Hill on August 10. The Farmingville, New York amphitheater hosted a trio of pop metal luminaries as glam sensation Warrant headlined an evening saturated with MTV hits and terrestrial radio anthems, bringing along the unofficial queen of rock ‘n’ roll, Lita Ford, as well as melodic rock favorite Firehouse.

Appropriately dubbed ‘Let The Good Times Rock,’ Warrant’s set consisted of material taken almost entirely from the Los Angeles outfit’s two double platinum albums, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich and follow-up Cherry Pie. No surprise, of course, as both records contain an abundant combination of heavy guitars mixed with catchy choruses – two elements that virtually guaranteed success 35 years ago.

“Sure Feels Good to Me” and “Love in Stereo” provided a bombastic one-two punch of epic proportion before the quintet slowed things down with the poignant “Bed of Roses.” Lead vocalist Robert Mason, formerly of Lynch Mob, then facetiously dedicated “You’re the Only Hell Your Mama Ever Raised” to guitarist Joey Allen before a lovely rendition of “I Saw Red,” one of the group’s strongest power ballads.

A plethora of rousing numbers, including the tongue in cheek “Down Boys,” the lyrically robust “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” their most commercially successful single “Heaven,” and the vastly underrated “Big Talk,” rounded out the setlist before “Cherry Pie” capped the night off with aplomb.

Batting in the leadoff spot was FireHouse, an exceedingly tight southeastern unit perhaps most notable for reaching stardom at the tail end of the 80s hair metal cycle. New lead singer Nate Peck, who took over as frontman following the tragic death of C.J. Snare to colon cancer earlier this year, blended in splendidly, supplying just the right amount of confidence, swagger, and most importantly, technique.

The terse 30 minute performance was highlighted by energetic opener “All She Wrote” and the touching “Love of a Lifetime” before the snappy “Don’t Treat Me Bad” took the finale spot.

It’s undoubtedly a tough call but MVP honors just might be awarded to Ford. The gifted guitarist/vocalist/songwriter amazingly hit senior citizen status last year – a shocking statistic for those privileged to witness her live show.

An electrifying rendition of seminal Elton John tune “The Bitch Is Back” was naturally fitting while a powerful punky version of her 1976 Runaways classic “Cherry Bomb” brought her throngs of followers to their feet.

Ford’s highest charting single, 1988’s “Close My Eyes Forever,” was originally a duet with heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne. In the Prince of Darkness’ absence, fellow guitarist and bandmate Patrick Kennison beautifully pinch hit, launching a home run in his trade off on vocal duties with the singer.

But the song that everyone was waiting for was strategically saved for last. “Kiss Me Deadly,” in all its semi-sophomoric lyrical glory, defined the era in which it was born in. An infectious track as any, Ford belted out “I went to a party last Saturday night, I didn’t get laid, I got in a fight, uh-huh, it ain’t no big thing” with her trademark vigor. Ford’s connection with her audience is undeniable and it was evident on Long Island. Let the good times rock, indeed.