KELSEYVILLE — Lake County said good-bye to the summer in style with Konocti Harbor/Konocti Presents hosting another X.S. Weekend full of extreme sports and head-banging music. Fireworks at the end of the three-day party signified the closing of Summerfest 2008.
Thousands swarmed Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa to take part in the biggest party of the summer. Guests were entertained throughout the daytime hours with high-flying extreme sports demonstrations on land, sea and by air. Die-hard party animals continued the celebration late into the night rocking out at some of the summer”s hottest concerts and dancing with a couple of Lake County”s own rising rock ensembles.
Glam metal band “Poison” kicked off X.S. Weekend on Friday with “Dokken” and Sebastian Bach (former frontman for “Skid Row.”) With temperatures reaching triple digits, Konocti Field Amphitheater filled to only about half prior to the sun falling behind the mountain that shades the venue.
Don Dokken cursed the California sun but praised the troopers in the audience braving the heat for the sake of rock ”n” roll. He assessed that it was only the hardcore, true partiers who showed up on Friday to get the X.S. Weekend started.
Bach also cursed the heat and praised the brave. As with all the weekend”s performers, Bach praised the men and women in the armed forces fighting overseas and thanked them for the sacrifices they are making for the sake of freedom.
“If they weren”t doing what they are doing we wouldn”t be doing what we”re doing,” Bach said.
Bach opened the show with a cover of “Aerosmith” favorite “Back in the Saddle.” With a full-metal band behind him, Bach continued the set with songs made famous when he fronted for Skid Row. “18 and Life,” “I Remember You” and “Monkey Business” got the crowd pumped for more. “Youth Gone Wild” drew a fanatic reaction from the audience and when Bach spotted a couple of youngsters with “Youth is Wild” signs, he invited them to bring their signs up to stage where the signs remained throughout the performance of the song. An unidentified youngster from back stage also joined Bach and his band on stage for delivery of the song.
Dokken opened with “Tooth and Nail” then they crept on “Into the Fire.” Jon Levin on guitar laid down a guitar solo in “Dream Warriors” and Don Dokken called for the crowd to unite in “Alone Again.”
“Breaking the Chains” was dedicated to Don”s Uncle Bud, who was in the audience. Don commended his uncle for being in his 70s and still riding strong on his Harley.
Although it took until the sun went down to fill Konocti Field Amphitheater, bikini tops and high heels were abundant throughout the night. Wild women roamed the venue hopeful of catching Poison frontman Bret Michaels, who hosted the Skinny Dip Model Search following the concert.
The women may have caught Michaels and the rest of the band earlier that day, as Michaels said they had arrived early in order to enjoy a few hours on the lake before the show.
Poison hit the stage with a commercial plug for Michaels” new album followed by a viewer”s warning concerning content of the evening”s show. As emergency lights flashed and a big pyrotechnic bang sound, the band got down and dirty from the gate with “Look What the Cat Dragged In.”
The momentum of the Live, Raw & Uncut show continued with “I Want Action.” Michaels introduced “Ride the Wind” with his harmonica. Following the song, he pulled the crowd closer and went into “What I like About You,” a cover featured on the “Live, Raw & Uncut” album.
The set continued with a selection of hardcore favorites such as “Your Mama Don”t Dance,” “Unskinny Bop” “Fallen Angel,” “Talk Dirty to Me” and “Every Rose.” Michaels dedicated “Something to Believe In” to the troops fighting for freedom overseas.
“Thank you,” he said, “for the freedom to do what we get to do here.” Michaels added that he recently enjoyed the privilege and said it was an honor to play for the troops fighting in Iraq.
When Poison closed its set with “Nothing But a Good Time,” confetti covered the audience from one end of the venue to the other.
On Saturday night, one of the biggest tours of the season hit Konocti Field Amphitheater. “3 Doors Down,” “Staind” and “Hinder” were joined by the “Sick Puppies.”
Sick Puppies, a new band out of Sydney Australia, brought the mesh of music to precede the evening”s line up. The house was packed by end of their show with Hinder enjoying an already-pumped up crowd.
Hinder portrayed the band a little differently than it did last year during the “Bad Boys of Rock” tour. The band”s “Extreme Behavior” was suitable for all ages in the audience.
Staind followed with a haunting performance. Frontman Aaron Lewis has a knack for including the crowd and treating the people in the audience like close, personal friends. Everybody in the crowd was drawn together swaying in the night to songs such as “Outside” “It”s Been Awhile” and “Epiphany.”
A loud train whistle blared through the night as 3 Doors Down entered the spotlight with the first track off its new self-titled album. The introduction was indicative of the wild show in store. The band”s delivery of “Kryptonite” was an interesting, eerie version of the hit single. Frontman Brad Arnold belted out “He spent his nights in California” and the crowd went wild wondering “if I could Be Like That.”
The entire set, which was filled with flashes of pyrotechnics, had the crowd on its feet, swaying to the music and punching fists in the air. Fans got another taste of the new album with “Let Me Be Myself.” More new music was introduced with “The Champion In Me,” which Arnold said was written for the U.S.A. Olympic Team.
The show ended with a massive burst of pyrotechnics that had drummer Greg Upchurch brushing embers from his back.
Heavy metal legendary band “KISS” closed out the extreme weekend. The band played to the crowd in the fashion expected from the rock demons. There was fire spitting, flame throwing, explosions and a blanket of confetti that could barely be seen through.
Frontman Paul Stanley (Starchild) along with the Demon Gene Simmons, Catman Eric Singer and Spaceman Tommy Thayer delivered a full-blown KISS show that was attended by new fans and old. Many parents were seen in the audience accompanied by their children; some of whom were decked out in KISS costumes and makeup. The show took fans on a savage ride of music that played out for nearly two full hours.
At one point, Stanley took a flying glide above the crowd to a stage erected in the audience. He belted one out from the temporary platform amid a sea of screaming fans.
The Catman delivered an amazing drum solo. Not only were the beats that he threw down impeccable, the visual affect from the lights bouncing off the chrome of his drum set, was spectacular. Thayer”s guitar solo was equally dynamic as he enticed his instrument to cast relentless shredding sounds.
X.S. Weekend included day-long demonstrations in extreme sports. By land, motocross freestyle team Liv Fast (www.livfast.com) wowed audiences as they did 360-degree flips in the air and twisted themselves and their bikes every which way. By sea, jet ski and wake board stuntmen did much of the same only on water. And by air, HardCore Skydivers drifted into the party.
In addition, hundreds enjoyed a scenic tour around the lake in the 12th annual “Takin” it to the Streets” motorcycle road rally and poker run. Proceeds from the run benefit athletic programs in schools throughout Lake County.
X.S. Weekend and Summerfest ended with a spectacular fireworks display over beautiful Clear Lake and a dance party with Lake County bands “SK2” and “Rogue.”
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her direct at 994-6444 ext. 11.
