Poison's Disappointing Setlist

As promised last week when I first posted their setlist, this is my official rant on Poison’s decision to bring the same tired show to the table, only with fewer songs than before. I am so glad I decided not to attend this concert. While seeing Cheap Trick would have been a nice experience, Poison’s set mixed with the fact that Def Leppard’s Joe Elliot supposedly can’t hit the notes anymore, would not have been worth the money.

Let’s dissect the song selection, shall we?

Look What the Cat Dragged In
Are you kidding me? They have opened every single concert since 1999 (that’s TEN YEARS folks) with this freaking song. And I thought Kiss was repetitive.

I Want Action
Good song. Overplayed in concert.

Ride the Wind
Not much to complain about here. While a different song from Flesh & Blood would have been much cooler (especially Life Love’s A Tragedy), this is a fan favorite and a great song.

I Won't Forget You
Again, another great song, but they should have chosen something different. They only performed 11 songs and 3 of them were power ballads. For 11 songs, that’s too many ballads. They could have cut this one out and replaced it with Sexual Thing or if it had to be something from this album, how about Blame It on You?

Mama Don't Dance
This song is played at every freaking Poison show and it’s not even theirs. Yes, it’s a great song and they do a fantastic version of it. Time to play something else.

Fallen Angel
This is just one of those songs they have to play. It’d be like going to a Springsteen concert and not hearing Born to Run.

Something to Believe In
Expected. I don’t think it’s necessary to play this song, but I could be in the minority. I like it, but I’ve heard it live too many times. Could have substituted Let It Play or something from Crack a Smile instead.

Unskinny Bop
Awesome song that never gets old. No complaints about this one.

Every Rose Has It's Thorn
Totally expected. If they didn’t play it, mutiny would erupt.

Talk Dirty To Me
Typical closer (or close to the end of the show song). Has to be played, I understand. Could have shocked the crowd and opened with it. That would have mixed things up a little at least and really got their performance off to a solid start. And that would have eliminated Look What the Cat Dragged In from opening yet another Poison concert.

Nothin' but a Good Time
Same as above. Will always be played at every Poison concert, usually in the closer or encore position. This too could have opened the show and really turned things over on its head, but I understand it being the big show closer.

That’s it, eleven rocking songs as they warm up the crowd for Def Leppard. Something just doesn’t seem right to me. Why is Poison even opening for anyone? When I first heard about this tour, I honestly thought it was a double bill. It never dawned on me that Poison would be the opening act. Same with Cheap Trick, but I don’t know their concert history well enough to know if they could sell out a show on their own.

So, Poison in 2009, is a tired, opening act, that won’t record any new music, won’t mix up their setlist, and is in serious danger of returning to the “whatever happened to…?” bin. It’s a real shame. Here’s hoping that next year they go out on their own tour and follow the Guru’s advice. They should consult me about the setlist so I could set them straight and give the fans the Poison show of a lifetime.

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.