Story by James West, The-Rocker.com

Photos by Danette West, TheRockerChic.com

It’s great to live in what I call The Triangle Of Rock; The Rocker Chic and I live about an hour or so from LA, an hour or so from San Diego, an hour from Palm Springs, and for those special concerts, about four hours to Vegas baby!

Last week we made the trek through the hot desert to Las Vegas to see one of the Rocker

Chic’s favorite bands FireHouse, and the whole experience lived up to HOT expectations both literally and physically!

FireHouse Sizzles In Las Vegas!

Pulling into Baker, California for a fill up on the old Honda meant we were about half-way to Sin City. “Everything is what it is” should be the town’s saying as the visitors there are quick to do their pit stop business and get back on the road to escape from the scorching heat found there most of the year. It was a nice and toasty 112 degrees during our journey that day. It felt like fate as we were on a way to see a band called Firehouse after all, but then fate reared its ugly head…

Picking up speed to tackle getting over a couple of huge hills The Rocker Chic noticed there was no cold air coming out of the AC vents. I slowed down to give the engine a break, but it didn’t help matters by that point as nothing but hot air from the depths of hell kept coming out of the vents. So, for the next two hours we went old school and rolled down the windows and took what wiff of cooler breeze we could get. This wasn’t the HOT time in Vegas I was wanting or expecting! Lol But, of course you’re reading a story from a couple who where married at the Hotter Than Hell Wedding Chapel in Hot Las Vegas by a minister dressed as the Demon Gene Simmons. We played some FireHouse songs during the ceremony, so maybe this was Vegas’ way of welcoming back the bride and groom!

Blessed By The AC Gods!

Another Hot omen came the day of the show when the power went off for a few hours at our hotel and the Vegas heat started creeping into our room. I started to wonder whether we would ever even make it to see FireHouse or if a different kind of Firehouse would be coming to see us! Luckily the God of A-C blessed us with hotel air once again and we parked the Honda and got a lift from some friends to take us to the concert.

The venue was at the Golden Nugget Showroom on historic Fremont street in Las Vegas. The Rocker Chic scored us some incredible seats as we were only four rows back from the stage with the band right there in our face for the entire show!

Usually we worry about how much zooming in we have to do with our cameras to get descent photos, but in this case, we couldn’t zoom out enough! Ha!

FireHouse reached stardom during the early 1990s with hit singles like "Reach For The Sky", "Don't Treat Me Bad" and "All She Wrote", as well as their signature power ballads "I Live My Life for You", "Love of a Lifetime" and "When I Look Into Your Eyes". At the 1992 American Music Awards, FireHouse won the award for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist. They were chosen over Nirvana and Alice in Chains. This says a lot as the

Grunge movement would soon take over the world for a few years.

As the 1990s progressed, the band remained very popular in Asia, mainly in countries like Japan, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore. They also maintained popularity in South America and Europe. The Rocker Chic and I noticed several fans from Asian countries and even Brazil at the show. FireHouse have sold over 7 million albums worldwide since their debut.

Beware The Stare of C.J. Snare!

Seeing Firehouse for the first time in 2018 felt to me like I was witnessing a Firehouse show for the first time back in their heyday, minus the big hair and spandex of course! The band was full of energy from the get go; especially singer C.J. Snare, who wasn’t afraid to “become one” with his audience. Maybe it was Vegas, maybe it was the small theater-type setting, but one thing was for sure, C.J. Snare didn’t care! He was there to entertain, and he was all over the place; often times leaving the stage and mixing with the crowd and giving high-fives and singing along with the fans. Of course, it’s a rock show, so there were also several older C.J. groupies vying for his attention also, and he was glad to oblige them, no matter how much the effects of time had treated them, LOL

I also appreciated the band not minding the cell phones; they actually welcomed them, and several times C.J. would snatch one and take videos from the stage for the fans. The rest of the band was receptive also as they know how important social media is in keeping the livelihood of their legacy alive and well in this day and age.

I admit I know FireHouse mostly for their ballads, so I was also pleasantly surprised at how proficient guitarist Bill Leverty, drummer Michael Foster, and bassist Allen McKenzie were that night and how much the band could also Rock! They can deliver the goods just as well as the Poison’s, Loverboy’s and Night Ranger’s of their era. Bill really shined during “All She Wrote,” “Don’t Treat Me Bad,” and the guitar solo-led “Reach For The Sky”. I was also very impressed with the power of Michael’s drumming throughout the whole show. Again, maybe it was the small venue setting, but you could feel the power from the drums smacking you in the chest through most of the set!

The Rocker Chic Gets A Gumption!

The Rocker Chic finally got the gumption to make her way dead-set center for closer video and shots of C.J. and the band during the finale with me tagging along to shoot some pics of her voyage. I think this is the closest she and I have gotten to a band with the exception of maybe Winger (also seen in Vegas) during our concert experiences together. Being in ‘the pit’ with the band always elevates your show experience, and luckily C.J. Snare didn’t try to snatch my wife up during the celebration! Although he just happened to start singing “Don’t Treat Me Bad” while she was standing in front of him!

FireHouse was on fire that night, and in the end, it was worth going through Hell’s inferno to go see this great 80s/90s band still rockin’ in the city where I married my ‘Love Of A Lifetime’! The band is due back in Sin City in January, and I highly recommend you brave the heat of both the city and the band to go check them out. Just beware of the stare of C.J. Snare! LOL