Firehouse Dokken Kingdom Come Night Ranger’s hunky Brad Gillis Big Cock Lita Ford Steelheart

When the tickets said Rocklahoma was a “rain or shine event,” they weren’t kidding! Originally a three-day outdoor festival, a fourth day was added as special incentive for fans buying three-day tickets and a fifth was added to benefit local charities. With over 150 bands playing over five days, Rocklahoma is the biggest U.S. festival of its kind. Tickets were sold in every state and on every continent except Antarctica.

Day 1. The massive main stage was a site to behold. Built to withstand the elements, it would be put to the test before the festival was over. There were also two huge sides stages where bands played during set changes.
Up first was the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp. For a price, ordinary fans got to meet, practice, perform and hang out backstage with a group of rock stars. After jamming with their “students,” “teachers” Kip Winger, Mark Slaughter, Elliot Easton (The Cars), Dave Ellefson (Megadeth), Alan White (Yes) and Earl Slick performed an All-Star Jam.
Firehouse was next with a fantastic set. followed by the always entertaining Jackyl. On the side stages, Bang Tango, Faster Pussycat and The Texas Hippie Coalition kept the party going. Headliner RATT sounded amazing — one of Stephen Pearcy’s best performances ever.

Day 2. Despite an early rainstorm, fans braved the mud and rain to see opener Jetboy. In a rare treat for U.S. fans, House of Lords played a fantastic set. Vain, Enuff Z’Nuff (with Steven Addler), L.A. Guns (Tracii Guns) and Dokken followed. Thanks to the amazing Angel Down album and a killer new band, Sebastian Bach came across as both current and relevant. Houston’s Six Minute Century and STARZ’ Bobby Messano were notable side stage acts. Bret Michaels ended the show with one big party.

Day 3. XYZ sounded great. Armored Saint had one of the festival’s heaviest sets. Kingdom Come was another rare treat for U.S. fans. Lenny Wolf still has an amazing voice. The always rock solid Night Ranger was followed by Living Colour. Unfortunately Extreme went on forever, causing Houston’s Krucible to cut songs from their excellent side stage set. Other highlights included Metal Church’s Ronnie Munroe and The Gypsy Pistoleros. The main reason many fans attended Rocklahoma was Triumph’s return. They were amazing and by far the festival’s highlight.

Day 4. Fans headed to the side stage at 10 AM to see Big Cock, a great band with a terrific sense of humor. Every Mother’s Nightmare and Tora Tora followed Pretty Boy Floyd’s killer set. Other rare treats were Black N Blue and Trixter, who hadn’t played in 14 years.

Suddenly, the skies turned dark as five storm cells converged. Six inches of rain fell in 45 minutes, and both side stages were blown over by the reported 90 mph wind. Thankfully, nobody was seriously injured.

As they say, “The show must go on.” Once the lightning stopped and an onsite weather expert gave the OK, promoter Rob Miller and crew got the main stage back up and running. Protected from the elements by the gigantic structure, Lynch Mob played for fans that braved the pouring rain. The energetic KIX put on a fantastic show, but this night belonged to Lita Ford. This was Lita’s first show in 15 years, and it seemed like she stepped out of a time warp. Lita looked and sounded amazing! She showed no signs of rust, and her new band kicked ass. Warrant’s Jani Lane doused himself with bottled water and sang from the stage’s edge where rain was coming in. “If you guys can stand out in the rain for hours, then I can come out here and get wet with you.”

Day 5. By the next day, three large beer tents were converted into stages. Everyone scheduled to play, was given the chance. Thankfully, the rain was over, but the mud made getting from place to place challenging.

The day started with killer sets from AXE, Zebra and UFO. Steelheart’s charismatic frontman Miljenko Matijevic rode his motorcycle onstage and nearly stole the show. Easily the festival’s most powerful vocalist, he worked the crowd like no one else and left them chanting for more.

Another band might’ve been intimidated following a performance like that. Not Ace Frehley, who just kicked ass! Tesla’s Jeff Keith gave his home-state crowd all they could handle. It’s hard to find a better live band than Tesla. Queensryche closed Rocklahoma in style, playing Operation: Mindcrime in its entirety to celebrate the 20th anniversary of this masterpiece. Bullet Boys, Dirty Penny and Ron Keel played after-show parties in the converted tents.

Overall, Rocklahoma was an unforgettable experience. Rob Miller, his staff and crew performed miracles, taking everything “Mother Nature” could throw at them and coming out on top. Despite the rain, mud, heat, sore feet, ruined socks and shoes, five hour drive and only getting three or four hours sleep each night in a tent, it was all worth it to see so many great bands that I may never have the chance to see again.

To sum things up — Rocklahoma was the best time I ever had being completely miserable!