What do you get when you cross Smell the Glove-era Spinal Tap with a load of 1975 Ted Nugent, a henry of early ‘70s Lemmy Kilmister, and an 8 ball of mid-‘80s Tommy Lee, then dress the band up in peak “Macho Man” Randy Savage garb, surround them with alluring ballerinas, and give them all the Bolivian marching powder they can hoover? No, it’s not the first decade of Van Halen – solid guess though! You get Steel Panther, the self-proclaimed GREATEST HEAVY METAL BAND EVER, who went On the Prowl on November 1st at Harrah’s in Atlantic City. The glam metal savants are in the home stretch of their world tour celebrating 15 years since their first album, Feel the Steel, and went down on the shore to show that it’s never too late to party like tomorrow is the end of the world. (Or at least like it’s 1987.)
The band consists of lead singer Michael Starr – allegedly a septuagenarian, though he doesn’t look a day over 69 – guitarist Satchel – his solos have been known to melt lady parts – mustachioed drummer (and occasional keyboardist) Stix Zadinia, and bassist Spyder, creator of Boobie Bites and the latest to join the band following the post-pandemic departure of founding bassist Lexxi Foxx. They like their music excessively loud, their women inadequately clothed, and their tongues firmly planted in cheeks; and their legions of loyal fans can’t get enough of their “Anything Goes” mentality – they eat it up
The boys played a tight set featuring songs from each of their five studio albums. They opened with “Eyes of a Panther,” the tamest of the three singles from FTS, and invited a few of Atlantic County’s finest ecdysiasts to join the fun. (They also played some of the less family-friendly tunes, celebrating the longevity of their genre and exploring the ins and outs of monogamy vis-à-vis property law.) Satchel offered an eye-watering masterclass in shred, including an unaccompanied guitar solo that would have made both Nigel Tufnel and Edward Van Halen proud, complete with all the dive bombs and pinch harmonics you could ever want. When he wasn’t wielding his signature Charvel, he and Spyder donned matching red sparkly axes, bopping along in unison a la KISS and Van Halen. Their set would go on to cover the important stuff: the outer bounds of friendship, mystery and intrigue in relationships, and the transformative power of love. In typical Steel Panther fashion, they invited audience participation all throughout the night, and before long, the ride was over.
Here’s to another 15 years of feeling the steel!
