Warrant Is Most Definitely Back

Warrant! They’ve lost their cherry, but that’s no sin — they’ve still got the box that the cherry came in. The classic lineup recently wrapped up some warm-up gigs for the band’s upcoming tour, and thankfully Jani Lane sounds like he’s in good condition. I will always love these guys, if mostly for Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, which I consider the best hair-metal album of all time. (Occasionally Appetite For Destruction overhears me saying this and threatens to kick my pussy ass, at which point, I back off and pay respect, secretly knowing that I’ll never love it the way I love DRFSR.)

One of the great things about DRFSR is how the band attacks contradictory themes with the same ridonkulous relish. They’re stoked to be rich, but they’ve only got 32 pennies in a Ragu jar! They want to go where the down boys go, but they’re happy living in the sticks! In the middle of the night, in the pouring rain, Jani’ll be there for the girl who thinks she isn’t pretty no more, cuz he knows they’ll find a way! “Hookers! Whores! A teenage slut on the bathroom floor! I’m in love! I’m in love! I’m in love! I’m love! Oh yeah!” These schizos would seize any fucking day they got, livin’ just to live it up. And when they threatened that big talk needs to be backed up, it sounded like a damn Irish jig. And if they lacked G N’ R’s misanthropic edge, a lot of great bands do, and I’m glad.

Jani and the band were at odds for a while, and Celebrity Fit Club and tales of Jani puking all over the bar at solo gigs didn’t bode well for a reunion. So I’m glad to see they’re back and playing Walker, Minn., before kicking off a summer tour with Cinderella and Lynch Mob.

Tour dates!! July 2, Stockton Arena, Stockton, Calif. July 3, Viejas Casion Concerts in the Park, Alpine, Calif. July 4, Gibson Amphitheater, Universal City, Calif. July 5, Sunset Station Casio, Henderson, Nev. July 7, El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas July 8, Dos Amigos, Odessa, Texas July 11, Azteca Music Hall, Amarillo, Texas July 12, Rocklahoma, Pryor, Okla. July 13, Kay Yeager Amphitheater, Wichita Falls, Texas July 17, Verizon Amphitheater, Houston July 19, Time Warner Amphitheater, Cleveland July 20, First Midwest Bank Amphitheater, Chicago July 21, DTE, Clarkston, Mich. July 22, Pier Six Pavilion, Baltimore July 25, St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Fla. July 26, Pompano Beach Amp, Pompano Beach, Fla. July 27, Hard Rock Live, Orlando, Fla. July 29, Ozark Empire Fair, Springfield, Mo. August 1, Clearfield County Fair, Clearfield, Penn. August 3, Brookhaven Amphitheater, Farmingville, N.Y. August 10, Iowa State Fair, Des Moines

Here’s “So Damn Pretty (Should Be Against The Law)” from the awe-inspiring Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich Live! video. If there’s one thing Warrant wanted you to know with gigs like this, it was that they’d really love some post-show blow jobs.

Now if only they’d wear the leather trenchcoats again, because those baggy t-shirts aren’t quite cutting it.

WARRANT: Footage Of Nashville Concert Available On YouTube [Blabbermoluth] Warrant – Down Boys [YouTube] Warrant – Heaven, Live In Walker, MN [YouTube] Warrant – So Damn Pretty (Rare Version) [YouTube]