Back for its third year running, Rokisland Festival returned to Key West, Florida for four days of action-packed music, sunshine, and more. Taking place from 17th - 20th January 2024 and featuring star turns from headliners Night Ranger, Cinderella man Tom Kiefer, Bret Michaels' star-studded Parti-Gras and more, the event proved a huge hit once more with the bands, fans, and organisers alike.
Photo: Patrick Tewey.
Despite battling challenging monsoon-like weather conditions for its launch party the previous day, with skies clearing the event proper kicked off on Wednesday 17th January, with Norwegians Wig Wam the first to take to the stage. Welcoming attendees to the idyllic Coffee Butler Amphitheatre, the four-piece played a well-received set as the outdoor venue filled up.
They were followed by Rokisland favourites Winger, who really got the party started in the Southern Florida paradise. With main man Kip Winger proving his usual compelling self, he wowed the crowd with a subtle lyric change in 'Down Incognito', saluting; "me and my amigos all down at the Rokisland Festival!" Guitarists Reb Beach and John Roth meanwhile set the stage alight with their blistering solos and consummate musicianship across hits like 'Seventeen' and power ballad 'Miles Away'.
With the atmosphere rising, Mr. Big took things to the next level. Playing only the third show on their farewell 'The Big Finish' world tour, the rock heroes dazzled with a hits-filled set that included all their biggest songs including 'Addicted to that Rush', 'Green Tinted Sixties Mind', and of course, 'To Be With You'. Dedicating 'Take Cover' "in the spirit and for the love of our dear departed member, mister Pat Torpey", it was a touching tribute to the drummer who passed away in 2018.
The night however, belonged to Night Ranger. Returning to headline following their penultimate slot at the inaugural event in 2022, the US AOR stars were treated like heroes, as they took to the stage under the stars and stripes. Opening, appropriately with '(You Can Still) Rock in America', the band led by Damn Yankees' man Jack Blades stole the show with their anthemic rock, deft musicianship and world-class showmanship.
Going on to take in a few choice covers from his time in Damn Yankees - 'Coming of Age' and 'High Enough', as well as an off the rails take on Ozzy Osbourne's 'Crazy Train' - featuring ex Ozzy man, Brad Gillis on guitar', the band seemed to be having as much fun on stage as the fans, with Gillis declaring; "this is our first show of the year, and I've got to say, this is a blast!"
They were followed by Rokisland favourites Winger, who really got the party started in the Southern Florida paradise. With main man Kip Winger proving his usual compelling self, he wowed the crowd with a subtle lyric change in 'Down Incognito', saluting; "me and my amigos all down at the Rokisland Festival!" Guitarists Reb Beach and John Roth meanwhile set the stage alight with their blistering solos and consummate musicianship across hits like 'Seventeen' and power ballad 'Miles Away'.
With the atmosphere rising, Mr. Big took things to the next level. Playing only the third show on their farewell 'The Big Finish' world tour, the rock heroes dazzled with a hits-filled set that included all their biggest songs including 'Addicted to that Rush', 'Green Tinted Sixties Mind', and of course, 'To Be With You'. Dedicating 'Take Cover' "in the spirit and for the love of our dear departed member, mister Pat Torpey", it was a touching tribute to the drummer who passed away in 2018.
The night however, belonged to Night Ranger. Returning to headline following their penultimate slot at the inaugural event in 2022, the US AOR stars were treated like heroes, as they took to the stage under the stars and stripes. Opening, appropriately with '(You Can Still) Rock in America', the band led by Damn Yankees' man Jack Blades stole the show with their anthemic rock, deft musicianship and world-class showmanship.
Going on to take in a few choice covers from his time in Damn Yankees - 'Coming of Age' and 'High Enough', as well as an off the rails take on Ozzy Osbourne's 'Crazy Train' - featuring ex Ozzy man, Brad Gillis on guitar', the band seemed to be having as much fun on stage as the fans, with Gillis declaring; "this is our first show of the year, and I've got to say, this is a blast!"
Photo: Patrick Tewey.
Day two (Thursday 18th January) returned Key West to it's usual sunny disposition, and with temperatures soaring to 24°C / 76°F, with Enuff Z'Nuff took the island on a 'Magical Mystery Tour', with a set crammed with Beatles classics as well as their own hits including a gloriously melodic 'New Thing'.
With glam favourites L.A. Guns following, the crowd were treated to the blistering fretwork of guitarist Tracii Guns across a slew of late '80s sunset strip anthems including an evocative 'Over The Edge', and uproarious 'Sex Action'. New song 'You Betray' proved as 'eavy as vocalist Phil Lewis promised, while their teasing cover of AC/DC's 'Hell's Bells' was way too brief. Signing off to a huge applause, Lewis tantalisingly quipped; "we'll do this again next year, yeah!?"
Introduced as - among other things - a; "rock and roll hall of famer and New York Times best-selling author", Don Felder offered something a little different with his county rock, blues, and quintessential Americana sound proving utterly timeless. Firing through the Eagles' back catalogue from 'Already Gone' to 'One of These Nights', he quipped; "I can tell we're going to have a good party tonight! An engaging raconteur throughout, it was of course, the closing 'Hotel California' that proved not just a highlight of his set, but the festival as a whole.
Putting in the performance of the day however, Tom Kiefer delivered a masterclass in glam rock majesty. Admitting; "we've been missing out on this shit here, man!", the Cinderella main man dazzled with a catalogue of classics including a rock-rolling 'Hot & Bothered', and lighters-in-the-air moment 'Heartbreak Station'. Draped in a dizzying array of the most gorgeous Gibson guitars this side of Joe Bonamassa's personal collection, Kiefer delivered the riffs that made his former band megastars.
With "the one about the first time you had your heart broken" 'Nobody's Fool', 'Shake Me', Shelter Me', and of course 'Gypsy Road' all appearing, Kiefer's set sealed what was a night of rock and roll classics. Signing off, the beleaguered star said; "Music really is the universal language. We get to come out here and have this time with you, and this is like, sacred fucking time now."
With glam favourites L.A. Guns following, the crowd were treated to the blistering fretwork of guitarist Tracii Guns across a slew of late '80s sunset strip anthems including an evocative 'Over The Edge', and uproarious 'Sex Action'. New song 'You Betray' proved as 'eavy as vocalist Phil Lewis promised, while their teasing cover of AC/DC's 'Hell's Bells' was way too brief. Signing off to a huge applause, Lewis tantalisingly quipped; "we'll do this again next year, yeah!?"
Introduced as - among other things - a; "rock and roll hall of famer and New York Times best-selling author", Don Felder offered something a little different with his county rock, blues, and quintessential Americana sound proving utterly timeless. Firing through the Eagles' back catalogue from 'Already Gone' to 'One of These Nights', he quipped; "I can tell we're going to have a good party tonight! An engaging raconteur throughout, it was of course, the closing 'Hotel California' that proved not just a highlight of his set, but the festival as a whole.
Putting in the performance of the day however, Tom Kiefer delivered a masterclass in glam rock majesty. Admitting; "we've been missing out on this shit here, man!", the Cinderella main man dazzled with a catalogue of classics including a rock-rolling 'Hot & Bothered', and lighters-in-the-air moment 'Heartbreak Station'. Draped in a dizzying array of the most gorgeous Gibson guitars this side of Joe Bonamassa's personal collection, Kiefer delivered the riffs that made his former band megastars.
With "the one about the first time you had your heart broken" 'Nobody's Fool', 'Shake Me', Shelter Me', and of course 'Gypsy Road' all appearing, Kiefer's set sealed what was a night of rock and roll classics. Signing off, the beleaguered star said; "Music really is the universal language. We get to come out here and have this time with you, and this is like, sacred fucking time now."
Photo: Patrick Tewey.
Day three (Friday 19th January) saw Trixter open up the evening with a laid back semi-acoustic set filled with infectious melodies and glorious harmony singing.
Mixing things up, Jefferson Starship took in hits from their inception as Jefferson Airplane - a trippy 'White Rabbit' - to their '80s explosion as Starship, in 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' and 'We Built This City'. Going from '60s psychedelia to AOR, theirs was one of the most varied set of the weekend.
Introduced by host Eddie Trunk as "one of the greatest voices in rock", Parti-Gras kicked off with Lou Gramm performing the hits of Foreigner. As 'Feels Like the First Time' gave way to 'Double Vision', it was clear that Eddie wasn't wrong. Greeting the crowd, the singer declared; "its a fine night for a rock and roll party!" before delivering a storming 'Jukebox Heroes'.
Parti-Gras master of ceremonies Bret Michaels then arrived onstage in an explosion of colour, air jets, and good old rock and roll, with an electric 'Talk Dirty to Me'. "It's good to be in Florida with my friends!", he exclaimed as the party kicked off proper, with Poison hits 'Your Mama Don't Dance', 'Unskinny Bop' and more following.
Not to be outdone by Michaels' entrance, Dee Snider arrived onstage in a tornado of energy, exuberance, and expletives! "Everyone says 'hell yeah, but it strikes me as more of a 'fuck yeah' situation!", he exclaimed, with all subtleties out the window. Playing the best of the Twisted Sister catalogue; from 'We're Not Gonna Take it' to 'I Wanna Rock', as well as a fun take on "{what} I consider to be the international heavy metal anthem" AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell' - for which Michaels' returned - it was an absolutely storming set.
With a selection of the day's artists taking to the stage for closing 'Nothin But a Good Time', the Parti-Gras ended on a spectacular high.
Taking to socials the following day and echoing what Tom Kiefer had said the previous evening, Bret Michaels gushed; "sincerely could not have asked for a better night and better family, friends, fans, bands and crew. I've always said that music is a universal language meant to excite us, unite us and not divide us. It truly happened last night."
Mixing things up, Jefferson Starship took in hits from their inception as Jefferson Airplane - a trippy 'White Rabbit' - to their '80s explosion as Starship, in 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' and 'We Built This City'. Going from '60s psychedelia to AOR, theirs was one of the most varied set of the weekend.
Introduced by host Eddie Trunk as "one of the greatest voices in rock", Parti-Gras kicked off with Lou Gramm performing the hits of Foreigner. As 'Feels Like the First Time' gave way to 'Double Vision', it was clear that Eddie wasn't wrong. Greeting the crowd, the singer declared; "its a fine night for a rock and roll party!" before delivering a storming 'Jukebox Heroes'.
Parti-Gras master of ceremonies Bret Michaels then arrived onstage in an explosion of colour, air jets, and good old rock and roll, with an electric 'Talk Dirty to Me'. "It's good to be in Florida with my friends!", he exclaimed as the party kicked off proper, with Poison hits 'Your Mama Don't Dance', 'Unskinny Bop' and more following.
Not to be outdone by Michaels' entrance, Dee Snider arrived onstage in a tornado of energy, exuberance, and expletives! "Everyone says 'hell yeah, but it strikes me as more of a 'fuck yeah' situation!", he exclaimed, with all subtleties out the window. Playing the best of the Twisted Sister catalogue; from 'We're Not Gonna Take it' to 'I Wanna Rock', as well as a fun take on "{what} I consider to be the international heavy metal anthem" AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell' - for which Michaels' returned - it was an absolutely storming set.
With a selection of the day's artists taking to the stage for closing 'Nothin But a Good Time', the Parti-Gras ended on a spectacular high.
Taking to socials the following day and echoing what Tom Kiefer had said the previous evening, Bret Michaels gushed; "sincerely could not have asked for a better night and better family, friends, fans, bands and crew. I've always said that music is a universal language meant to excite us, unite us and not divide us. It truly happened last night."
Photo: Patrick Tewey.
And so to Saturday (20th January) and the unofficial '90s Day' featuring Bowling For Soup, Lit, Buckcherry and Stone Temple Pilots, and something of a departure for the traditionally '80s glam metal event.
With singer Jaret Reddick having already made an appearance at Parti-Gras to lend vocals to Bret Michaels Band's 'Nothin But a Good Time', - as well as enthusiastically singing along, side stage to every song during Lou Gramm's set - Bowling For Soup were welcomed with open arms as the final day got underway. Blasting through their catalogue of pop punk anthems, they went down a storm, earning a lot of new fans in the process.
Lit then confirmed rumours of a guest appearance when singer A. Jay Popoff told the crowd; "this is all kind of last minute. It's one of those 'Field of Dreams' moments..." before welcoming Vince Neil - and Trixter's Steve Brown - to the stage for a seat-of-the-pants take on Mötley Crüe hit 'Smoking in the Boys Room'.
Buckcherry followed, with supremely-toned front man Josh Todd leading the five-piece through a sleaze rock set featuring songs about cocaine, hookers, and general rock and roll mayhem.
It fell to Stone Temple Pilots to close out what had been, as usual, an absolute blast of an event. With lithe front man Jeff Gutt prowling the front of the stage, as well as snaking along the front barrier, the grunge behemoths were mesmerising. With the DeLeo brothers laying down the riffs to the likes of 'Plush', and 'Interstate Love Song', it was an alternative music fan's paradise, as the festival came to an end.
With a multitude of events surrounding Rokisland from welcome parties to VIP events to side gigs in the local bars, the festival really is an unforgettable experience. And with more than $120,000 raised for local charities by auctioning bespoke Rokisland guitars signed by the bands that had performed, the festival also gave something back to the local community, ensuring a warm welcome when it returns.
For more on Rokisland, visit the event's official site.
With singer Jaret Reddick having already made an appearance at Parti-Gras to lend vocals to Bret Michaels Band's 'Nothin But a Good Time', - as well as enthusiastically singing along, side stage to every song during Lou Gramm's set - Bowling For Soup were welcomed with open arms as the final day got underway. Blasting through their catalogue of pop punk anthems, they went down a storm, earning a lot of new fans in the process.
Lit then confirmed rumours of a guest appearance when singer A. Jay Popoff told the crowd; "this is all kind of last minute. It's one of those 'Field of Dreams' moments..." before welcoming Vince Neil - and Trixter's Steve Brown - to the stage for a seat-of-the-pants take on Mötley Crüe hit 'Smoking in the Boys Room'.
Buckcherry followed, with supremely-toned front man Josh Todd leading the five-piece through a sleaze rock set featuring songs about cocaine, hookers, and general rock and roll mayhem.
It fell to Stone Temple Pilots to close out what had been, as usual, an absolute blast of an event. With lithe front man Jeff Gutt prowling the front of the stage, as well as snaking along the front barrier, the grunge behemoths were mesmerising. With the DeLeo brothers laying down the riffs to the likes of 'Plush', and 'Interstate Love Song', it was an alternative music fan's paradise, as the festival came to an end.
With a multitude of events surrounding Rokisland from welcome parties to VIP events to side gigs in the local bars, the festival really is an unforgettable experience. And with more than $120,000 raised for local charities by auctioning bespoke Rokisland guitars signed by the bands that had performed, the festival also gave something back to the local community, ensuring a warm welcome when it returns.
For more on Rokisland, visit the event's official site.
