Last year saw the birth of Bret Michaels’ Parti-Gras Tour and he brought a lot of big names out on the road with him. Enter 2024 and the tour is back with another massive lineup- country star Chris Janson, Dee Snider, Lou Gramm and Don Felder all joining Michaels on the Summer amphitheater trek and they hit Noblesville yet again for another party.
Former Eagle Don Felder got the night off in a chill, jammed-out classic rock and roll anthem session that got the crowd on their feet during a set that was loaded with virtually every Eagles classic.
After country star Chris Janson finished up a country-loaded, rock-inspired set that had the Indiana fans losing their minds, AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck blasted over the speakers and Bret Michaels took the stage for the first part of his set- a three-song stand of “Talk Dirty to Me,” “Ride the Wind” and “Your Mama Don’t Dance,” during which Janson joined him on stage for a harmonica-fueled duet.
Michaels took a break from the show and introduced original Foreigner singer Lou Gramm to the stage, who sounded vocally just as good as he did in the 70’s and 80’s and belted the notes out with little effort and the crowd was losing their minds as soon as “Cold as Ice” started.
“Juke Box Hero” saw the crowd singing so loud, you could barely hear Gramm, producing a moment that gave you goosebumps and chills. After this, Michaels took the stage again after a heartwarming embrace with Gramm, bringing military veterans and First Responders to the stage during “Something to Believe In.”
The party cranked back up for the next two song of “Unskinny Bop” and “Fallen Angel” before he brought Dee Snider of Twisted Sister to the stage, which is where the crowd quickly found out that they hadn’t seen anything yet.
As the band kicked into “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” Snider ran around the stage like a kid off of their ADHD meds, never slowing down until the end, hitting the fans with a three-song set that also included “I Wanna Rock” and a cover of “Highway to Hell.”
He told a story about how the Spongebob Movie wanted to use “I Wanna Rock” but change the lyrics but he gave in when he found out how much they were paying him and he also brought Michaels onstage for the AC/DC cover.
Snider is the living, breathing, embodiment of walking adrenaline and it was the most intense three songs of all time and was hands-down the highlight of the night.
After Snider yelled “I’ll be right back!” and ran off the stage, Michaels took the stage again with a local girl named Cheyene, who joined him on acoustic guitar for “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn” before he closed the night out with “Nothin’ But a Good Time,” inviting every artist on the tour to join him on stage for one final party of the night.
In the end, this was the epitome of a summer party. It was a bunch of friends getting together for a night of fun, rock and roll and unity.
-Reggie Edwards