Steel Panther - 17th June @ The Big Top, Sydney (Gig Review)

Steel Panther
The Big Top, Sydney
17th June, 2016
Supported by Black Stone Cherry
The staggering amount of men wearing tight leather pants, bandannas wrapped around their hair and faces covered in copious amounts of lipstick could only mean two things; I was about to walk into a Steel Panther concert or a Village People after party. Luckily, it was the former and exponentially more fun than the latter (probably).
Before all the aforementioned glam rock gentleman could let loose though, support band Black Stone Cherry were set to play their brand of heavy southern rock n’ roll for the crowd, of which I am wholeheartedly glad that I witnessed. Personally, not something that I’d listen to in my free time, but credit where credit is due, this Kentucky four piece knows how to rock. Energetic and engaging, every member of the band did their part in giving the screaming crowd song after song of heavy southern riffs, reverberating, impactful drumming and some of the catchiest vocal hooks this side of Pacific. Without a doubt, Black Stone Cherry put on a great show for all their fans and newcomers alike.
But if that was a great show, Steel Panther were about to bestow upon us all an astoundingly amazing show. The start signalled by the panther roar in ‘Eyes of a Panther’ the larger than life personalities burst on stage in all of their hyper sexual glory, wasting no time in thrusting their hips in the front row’s faces and licking every surface of their respective instruments. The hits from their first album, Feel the Steel, kept coming (ha!) and were peppered throughout the whole setlist, much to the delight of the crowd, but that’s not to say they neglected their latest, All You Can Eat, as fan favourites like ‘Just Like Tiger Woods’ and ‘Ten Strikes You’re Out’ elicited just as much cheering and boob flashing.
However the most explosive moments of the show were when bandmates Satchel and Michael Starr respectively chose members from the crowd to accompany them on stage. Beginning with Starr’s choice for my personal guilty pleasure, ’Asian Hooker’ (the song, not hookers) and a serenade of ‘Girl From Oklahoma’ which with proper Steel Panther finesse, was a band wide affair of sexual couplets and bad jokes. The climax of this fan engagement cumulated during ’17 Girls in a Row’ where, by far more girls than the song’s namesake graced the stage and amidst the ridiculous antics of the band, decided to rip off their tops and dance with no abandon.
One cannot deny that Steel Panther undoubtedly put the ‘tits’ back into ‘heavy metal’, as well as the hair, the leather and even the fun, as they showcase time and time again with their staggering live performances. “We are Steel Panther and we play HEAVY METAL” has never been so true, and so equally enjoyable.
—Dylonov Tomasivich
Setlist —
- Eyes of a Panther
- Tomorrow Night
- Just Like Tiger Woods
- Fat Girl (Thar She Blows)
- Asian Hooker
- Gold Digging Whore
- Let Me Cum In
- Ten Strikes You’re Out
- Guitar Solo
- Girl from Oklahoma
- 17 Girls in a Row
- Glory Hole
- Death to All but Metal
Encore
- Community Property
- Party All Day (Fuck All Night)