LIVE REVIEW: Stephen Pearcy in Lincoln, RI (08.08.26)
There’s nothing quite like the vibe of a Saturday night concert, and that can especially be said after last weekend’s show with Stephen Pearcy in Lincoln, Rhode Island, as part of his Undercover Tour. The iconic frontman brought his former band Ratt’s most famous hits to the Bally’s Event Center for a special 90-minute, intimate performance that gave fans a chance to experience some of his biggest songs in a more personal environment.
This being my fourth time seeing him and his solo band perform, I came into the show with a huge sense of excitement. At the past three shows, I had seen Pearcy perform on a stacked bill with other 80s “hair metal” acts at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, and had never seen him up close. What I got on Saturday was unexpected. The band was loud, tight, and genuinely powerful at times. It wasn’t just Pearcy and his band doing their greatest hits; this was five guys giving their all, as if they had something to prove.
Since leaving Ratt in the year 2000, Pearcy has toured with his solo band year-round, performing a full set of nonstop Ratt classics. Ever since the launch of his solo career, beside him has stood lead and rhythm guitarist Erik Ferentinos. Currently, other band members include bassist Matt Thorr (a co-writer on the famous Ratt song “Back for More”), Blas Elias (founding drummer of the glam metal band Slaughter), and most recently, Joel Hoekstra (former guitarist for Whitesnake and touring guitarist for Trans-Siberian Orchestra).
To kick off the show, Pearcy and his band launched right into “Wanted Man,” track one from Ratt’s debut album, 1984’s “Out of the Cellar.” As the crowd continued to fill the seats, the band performed “In Your Direction,” my personal favorite, “I’m Insane,” “Lack of Communication,” and “Lovin’ You Is a Dirty Job,” perfectly balancing the setlist. Furthermore, the band played some songs I had heard but forgot over time: “Nobody Rides For Free,” “I Want A Woman,” and “You Should Know by Now.”
Unlike many of their peers, I have always felt that Ratt had never released one bad album and, in fact, seeing Pearcy perform reminded me of how much I like Ratt. These days, the only Ratt albums that I listen to are the “big two”—Out Of The Cellar and Invasion of Your Privacy—but that’s mostly because I’ve purchased both CDs. I’ll definitely be picking up the CD for Dancing Undercover and Reach For The Sky because hearing Pearcy play songs from many of the Ratt albums other than the “big two” cemented for me how much I like anything that Ratt have come up with. Accordingly, it really did not matter what songs that Pearcy and his band would play on this night, as I would enjoy whatever Ratt songs they had to offer.
From then on, it just seemed that the concert kept getting better and better. Pearcy repeatedly told the audience how great we were singing, and he made a few comments about how he and lead guitarist Erik Ferentinos had not visited Rhode Island since 2008 at a local club gig. And after all of the short conversations between him and the audience, it made me realize that you have to hand it to Pearcy. The guy looks like he’s in great shape for someone who just turned 70, and that can especially be said when comparing his physique to some of his peers out there.
The great setlist kept moving along with “Slip Of The Lip” to celebrate forty years of the album “Dancing Undercover,” and an awesome guitar solo by Joel Hoekstra, where he threw probably a dozen guitar picks into the audience for some younger kids. And then came the mega hits. “You’re In Love” created a massive sing-along, “You’re In Trouble” shook every seat from that powerful bass, and was followed by “Lay It Down.”
Pearcy must have noticed me singing along quite loudly because during “You’re In Trouble”, he turned the mic over to me to sing the words “You’re in trouble! What are you gonna do?” And man, that was awesome. It felt like we time traveled back into the 80’s for a small club gig. And the fact that Pearcy’s band made it so tight helped that matter. You see, I was supposed to see Ratt’s reunion tour in 2020 with Slaughter, Skid Row, and Tom Keifer of the glam metal band Cinderella, but that got canceled for obvious reasons. And although the band at the time had two out of the five original members (Stephen Pearcy and bassist Juan Croucier), Pearcy’s solo band feels more superior.
Finally came the encore, with “Back for More” and Round and Round,” probably two of their most listened-to songs ever. And even after hearing both of them constantly, they always hit the spot. Overall, the crowd knew every word! As for myself, I favor the later era of Ratt more than their greatest hits, but the song is likely the reason a good percentage of the crowd came to the show!
That night, with my ears ringing, my heart full of joy and my voice a little hoarse from singing with strangers, I left grateful. For the band. For their songs. For the crowd. For the way music, when it’s done right, can still split you wide open and stitch you back together all at once. And if they come through New England this year or next year? I certainly won’t miss out on another phenomenal show by them.
Featured image by: Kristi Adair
