By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
The hair flew, the guitars screamed, the leather jackets bounced and the Madison St. Plaza in Decatur rocked Thursday night, courtesy of a rousing performance by Hairbangers Ball, a band out of Chicago bringing back the “hair bands” music of the 1980s.
The six bandmates – two women, four men – brought forth the hits of numerous bands from the era of long hair and hard rock.
There was a threat of rain early on, but the threat didn’t bring any rain – unlike the previous week – and once again the plaza was bulging with fans out for a night of entertainment.
They weren’t disappointed. The Hairbangers rocked for nearly two and a half hours (only one short break) and brought an amazing diversity of major hits to the Chamber of Commerce event.
Guns & Roses? Sure. Motley Crue. Sure again. Whitesnake, of course, Ratt? Yep. Poison? Yep again. And there was more, lots more. Van Halen, AC/DC, KISS, Twisted Sister, the Scorpions, Def Leppard – they were all heard from.
So were two bands from earlier this season on the plaza, Journey and Bon Jovi. And the women weren’t left out, with the music of Joan Jett and Pat Benatar booming loudly.
As the evening continued, people flocked to the front of the stage to dance and sing.
And the concert-goers got a little extra. The night’s sponsor, the Oasis Pub (the Mirage), sweetened the band’s pot at 9 p.m., which brought another half hour of rockin’.
The Hairbangers, who date to 2001, had been here once before, in 2022, thanks to a chance meeting. Chamber Executive Director Craig Coshow had met a band member at Indiana University, and before long the band was playing the Madison St. Plaza.
Bellmont High School junior Riley Thieme got the evening started with some sweet music of her own.
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