The Metal Files

Lita Ford is still out there rockin’.  Later tonight she’s playing on the outskirts of Austin with Def Leppard and Poison.  No way in hell would you catch me at that show.  But today at 1PM, she played an acoustic set at Waterloo Records.  I first heard about this last week and was hoping I could catch it, but wasn’t quite sure.  We happen to eat lunch downtown and were about to ride by the record store.  I called a friend that I knew would be there and asked if he’d take me back to work afterwards.  “Yes!”  I told my boss to pull over and let me out.  “See you later!”

I get in and see some good friends (don’t any of us have day jobs? – hahahaha).  There were 2 acoustic guitars and 2 mics set up on the stage.  Lita comes out with a second guitarist and they go through 4 songs.  She talks a little between songs, does a little Q&A and tells some insight about the Runaways and Joan Jett.  When she introduced her guitarist, Mitch Perry, my mind started running as I knew that name.  The dude played in Talas, Asia, Schenker and some other stuff that we are all familiar with.

After her set, half of the crowd left and the other half of us stayed for the autograph session.  I think there were about 100 or so people there.  I was near the back of the line and purchased her new CD while waiting to have something to sign.  I really wish I had brought the book.  Lita’s signature would have been great in it, but a more obscure guy like Mitch Perry would have been great!  I love getting the obscure ones as much as the mainstream artists.  When it came my turn to shake hands and get my CD signed, I was talking to Mitch about the book and he asked me to send him a link to where he could pick one up.  I got to Lita and before she could say anything, I may have stammered a bit and said, “July 1988, The Boathouse, Norfolk, Virginia opening for Yngwie.  I was there.”  She replied with, “Holy fuck!”  Not much more needed to be said.   I was 18 at that show.  During one song, one of her boobs came out of the corset looking thing that she was wearing.  She was mid-solo and just looked down, smiled and shrugged it off and fixed it after the solo.  We were all cheering.  “Lita’s titty!”

She was really nice and snapped a picture with me.  Her voice sounded good and she still looks like “Lita.”  No Back In The Cave…that’s my jam.

I’m really glad I went.  No question.