Eighties music lives! Here comes Hairball

Published 10:05 am Thursday, July 9, 2009

For those looking to rock and roll all night — well almost all night — Rose Creek Fun Days is the place to be Saturday.

The headlining band for this year’s festival is Hairball, an 80’s tribute group that combines the glam and jam of bands such as AC/DC, Poison and Guns N’ Roses.

The show costs $10 and will be held at the Rose Creek Municipal Park beginning at 8:30 p.m.

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“It seems like 80’s music doesn’t die, and a lot of teenagers are familiar with it because of their parents and then latch onto it,” said Dean Bendtsen, president of The Creek Club, which organizers Rose Creek Fun Days.

Hairball’s popularity has skyrocketed the past few years — a band made up of touted musicians who even have a Vegas offer — and Bendtsen said it was their following that made a difference.

“We had a lot of people in the area who felt that they would be a good band to get,” he said. “They put on quite a show. They’re not just a bunch of guys standing there.”

Hairball was created eight years ago as a tribute to 80’s acts that combined music with flashy costumes and an entertaining stage show.

The band first had a comedy element to it — the parody of Journey front man Steve Perry, for instance, would feature a big fake nose — but a few years ago that part of the show was dropped.

“When I left, the comedy died,” said Mike Findling, the band’s manager and one of the original frontmen of the group. “It was the choice of the group … and it was the right move. In the last two years, they’ve just exploded.”

Hairball will be performing two, 90-minute sets Saturday weather permitting, and Findling said fans can expect everything from Queen to Ozzy Osbourne music, complete with costumes.

“The AC/DC’s unbelievable,” he said. “And the Guns N’ Roses goes over well, especially “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”

Findling said what makes Hairball stand out from other 80’s tribute bands is the talent level of the musicians, of who only the drummer was a member of the original lineup.

“The players in the group are world class,” he said. “Any one of those guys could play in any national band. The quality of musicianship is top notch. That’s what sets the group from the rest. It’s not just the idea behind the group and the impersonations, but they’re really good.”

Concertgoers can expect roughly 20 different costumes from Hairball, with the show open to all ages.

Rose Creek Fun Days begins with the popular kickball tournament at 4 p.m. Friday and wraps up Sunday with softball and beanbag tournaments. Concession stands are open all weekend and will include steak sandwiches, walking tacos, pizza, brats, hot dogs, nachos and more.

As for 80’s music and Hairball, the genre just may never die.

“Never say never,” Findling said. “I just did, didn’t I?”