Road Reports Archive

Dokken / Whisper Alley
Marquee Theatre . Tempe, Arizona, USA

As we make our way through the parking lot to the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, I can’t help but notice the absence of people in the parking lot. There are always people running late, purposely showing up late, or just hanging out. Doesn’t seem to be too many tonight. Even got a descent parking spot for a change.

Whisper Alley was just finishing their set when we got inside. Seemed like a fairly decent performance for a cover band. The attentiveness of the crowd to the band did seem to be nothing more than listening to a loud radio in the background. Few of the people in the front were appreciating the band’s energy as well.

Once the lights went down, the crowd roared with approval. Dokken came out roaring. Crowd favorites Unchain the Night, Dream Warriors, and Kiss of Death started off the night’s set. During each of the song’s chorus, the crowd sang back as loud as the PA. The Hunter, Just Got Lucky, and Alone Again (with an extended intro) followed next.

And this is where it gets ugly.

Why do badly dressed 45 – 50 yr old guys find the need to suddenly start doing the Twist? Complete with a white leather belt! And the funniest part was how badly his girlfriend wanted to get away. He chased her half way across the floor of the Marquee before she finally stopped, and he stopped doing the Twist. By then the band stopped Breaking the Chains and told the crowd that they were done and were leaving. This got everyone’s attention. Apparently a fight had broken out in front of the band and they were not supportive of this behavior. A fight? At a Dokken show? Up front?? Once the crowd settled down, the band continued with Paris is Burning.

Next up was Too High to Fly. During this tune, Don took a moment to warn of the perils of drug and alcohol abuse. The concern was appreciated, but it seemed like he went on and on and on and on and on … ironic that the crowd found this a good time to hit the bar before the next song.

In between Too High and the speech, the band launched in to a much too long jam/solo session. While its good to highlight the band’s individual talents, most crowds nowadays would rather have another couple of songs instead.

The remainder of the set list included It’s Not Love and Tooth and Nail, both crowd pleasers and the crowd sang back with every word, often louder than Don.

The number of drunks and just plain idiots tonight was nauseating. One “woman” was having her friends carry her out, but she was so big and lifeless they dropped her. The thud was heard over Dokken’s amps (which were suffering from a little feedback tonight). I’m sure she’ll think its her hangover the next day.

If only she had listened to Don’s earlier warning …..

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