The time was 8:15 and Don Dokken took to the stage, wine glass in hand and acoustic guitar in tow. He was not alone; joining him on a twelve-string acoustic was Kelly Keeling. I'd never heard of him before, but a quick look at his credits finds a player who has performed on albums with Alice Cooper, John Norum, Michael Schenker Group, Trans Siberian Orchestra, and, of course, Dokken.

Anyway, the two went on to perform a 35 minute set of Dokken classics, separated by interludes of Don cracking wise. The jokes even started before they began playing. His target? Bret Michaels and Rock of Love. Don claimed to be able to find better looking women at the grocery store. He also said that one of his reasons for doing the tour was to see Queensryche every night for free! Not a bad deal if you ask me.

What made the performance so good, besides my familiarity with the music, is that they were not trying to be good; they were just having fun. Well, that and the arrangements sounded pretty good, more fun than the acoustic versions that appeared on Dokken's One Live Night album. They were up there, warts and all, playing songs and having a good ol' time. At one point, I am not sure which song it was, but Kelly messed up the solo, saying he can't play it on a twelve string. So, he made Don play one, and it didn't sound half bad.

With the limited playing time they had, they were not able to play all that many songs. I am going to try and remember them, please forgive me if I forget one or two and screw up the order. Here goes:

1. Into the Fire

2. Just Got Lucky

3. Breaking the Chains

4. Alone Again

5. It's Not Love

6. In My Dreams

Read more at Draven99's Musings.