BRET MICHAELS ACOUSTIC AT HARD ROCK CAFÉ TAMPA

Hard Rock Café in Tampa is having a June Acoustic month.  Bret Michaels came to play to a sold out crowd.      Yes, that Bret Michaels!  80’s Poison lead singer, Rock of Love star, PetSmart spokesman, Celebrity Apprentice winner and entrepreneur.  Bret has done a great job on selling Bret Michaels and his secret of selling himself is that he is truly a nice guy.  He is clearly a people person and you can feel his vibe.  Friendly and flirty but not disrespectful, I watched him chat with couples and the many female fans who came for the show.   

Bret played Poison hits as well as solo songs including his new album “True Grit” single release “Girls On Bars”. He has a few of his friends playing on tracks on the album including Joe Perry from Aerosmith, Gary Rossington, Ace Frehley (ex-KISS) and Miley Cyrus.  There is lots of audience interaction and sing-alongs.  Even though this was acoustic, there was the BMB (Bret Michaels Band) on hand to throw in some keyboards, drums and bass.  I would say this was a semi-acoustic set. Two of Poison’s biggest hits, “Something to Believe In” and “Every Rose Has it’s Thorn” were primarily acoustic and sounded great.  Bret will be back to Orlando in September for his 5th Pinktober show at the Hard Rock Hotel supporting breast cancer month.  Bret being a Type 1 diabetic supports many causes in including diabetes and our troops whom he has performed for many times. He did say that they were talking about Poison going on the road next year.  Playing over 200 gigs a year, he really is a “Road Dog”.

The Hard Rock Café has music going on most nights.  For special events like Bret’s show the Café is closed to the public.  Otherwise, they have a standard Hard Rock Café menu and are open until midnight. 

photos property of Vicky Sullivan, Rock the Lens Phography & The Sarasota Post