Firehouse / Bullet Boys – Media Entertainment Center – Medina MN – February 11th 2023

The Medina Entertainment Center presents Firehouse and Bullet Boys

Review and photos by Tommy Sommers

Wow, Marq Torien Still sounds like he did the first time I saw him perform in 1988. The last time I saw the BulletBoys who were the first record came out. No one knew who they were, and the tickets were only $5. They sold out the State Theater which is about a 2500 seat theater in Minneapolis without even having a hit. I’ll never forget that because I thought it was so incredibly clever to do. A few months later “Smooth Up in Ya” was all over MTV.

Fast forward 30 plus years and here I am at the Medina Ballroom seeing them again. They put on a great show last night and one of the things I always appreciate about artists that do this, Marq mentioned several times how much they appreciated people coming out to see them and support rock’n’roll. In these times with inflation and all the other things going on, it’s great that people still love to get out and see live music. And I for one appreciate that a band is aware and mentions that.

Their set list covered all their releases including a brand-new song they just wrote titled “Holy Fuck”. it fit in well with all their other material much to my surprise they played the 75-minute set that included an incredible guitar solo by Ira Black and a drum solo by Fred Aching. I believe one of the reasons they sound so good live is their bass player, Brad Lang. A seasoned veteran that has incredible background vocals add a lot to the song in the same way Michael Anthony did for Van Halen.

Headliners Firehouse is a band I’m very familiar with. Not only with their heyday in the 1980s but I’ve seen them so many times live over the last five years, they must be one of the hardest working bands out there today. They always put on a great show, and I enjoy seeing them. Last night was special. About the third song in when they were playing “Shake and Tumble”, I was standing towards the back of the room getting some stage shots. And I found myself in the middle of a group of fans that we’re having the time of their lives. Don’t get me wrong every time I see Firehouse play their fans always show up to support them. But last night this large group of fans was jumping up and down singing at the top of their lungs and having a fantastic time. It just struck me as a great moment in live music. It was so nice to see fans of a band that have been around since the 1980s excited to see their band play live and really respond to the music. It’s also important to note that the lead singer of Firehouse,  C.J. Snare sounds just like he did when the band first started.

If you’re not familiar, they have several top ten hits that you will know. Plus, a lot of the other songs in their set always feel familiar. This is a great double bill that I believe is out all spring. If you love 80s rock and roll, it’s worth a trip to see both bands play live.