It's not Poison's greatest lineup, setlist or even performance. But, by golly, Seven Days Live -- captured at London's Hammersmith Apollo in April 1993 on the band's Native Tongue tour -- packs a nostalgic wallop. Reportedly slated for release by Poison's record label at the time, the video never saw the light of day, probably because no one cared much about Poison or any of its hair-metal brethren after Nirvana and Pearl Jam arrived on the scene. But viewing this well-filmed concert with the benefit of hindsight -- knowing that Poison would not make another record for seven years, that replacement guitarist Richie Kotzen would steal drummer Rikki Rockett's girlfriend and be banished from Poison forever, that frontman Bret Michaels' career would still be relevant enough for me to interview him for a major metropolitan-area newspaper in 2003 and that Poison would be sharing a double bill with Cinderella (!) in 2006 -- Seven Days Live presents the band right before the fall.
Tellingly, this performance, which takes place in a venue much smaller than the arenas Poison was used to playing, lacks the stage antics and light acrobatics of previous Poison tours, and it shows the band to be more of a workhorse unit: heavier, dirtier and grittier. Michaels clearly relishes the spotlight and seems pleased with the presence of Kotzen, who is much more of a finesse player than C.C. DeVille could ever hope to be. But it's weird watching a guy who would later play with the likes of Gregg Bissonette and Todd Rundgren handle the solo on "Talk Dirty to Me."
There is no bonus material here, although a present-day interview with band members recalling the Native Tongue tour could have been revealing. Nevertheless, the 82-minute Seven Days Live stands as a slice of hair-metal history, one recorded near the end of an era. It ain't always pretty, but it's more entertaining than you'd expect. In fact, it's worth seeking out just to see Poison and a mandolin (played by Kotzen during the intro to "Stand") on the same stage together.
Track Listing:
1) The Scream
2) Strike Up the Band
3) Ride the Wind
4) Good Love
5) Body Talk
6) Something To Believe In
7) Stand
8) Fallen Angel
9) Look What the Cat Dragged In
10) Until You Suffer Some (Fire & Ice)
11) 7 Days Over You
12) Unskinny Bop
13) Talk Dirty To Me
14) Every Rose Has Its Thorn
15) Nothin' But A Good Time
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