Back to the 80s With Hairball!

Story and Photos: Spencer Fleming

Stir Cove was rocking with the sounds of the 80s Friday (5.15.26), when the legendary hair metal tribute band Hairball took the stage!

I had heard about Hairball over the years but our paths had never crossed. My good friend Joe DeSanti aka "The Review Junkie" has shot photos of them several times and had nothing but good things to say. When I saw they were coming to Stir Cove I knew I had to be there to see what all the fuss was about.

After catching the show I could definitely see myself going again. The lights, the sounds, the pagentry were amazing! Let's get into it.

Before Hairball the crowd was treated to one of the best bands in the Midwest, Evandale! It's been a hot minute since I caught an Evandale set but they always bring the heat, and Friday was no exception. Eddie and the boys were firing on all cylinders from the jump. The band got the crowd whipped into a frenzy early with a phenomenal cover of "Carry On My Wayward Son" by Kansas. The crowd was singing back every word and quickly showed Evandale they were ready to party. Evandale gave the crowd a proper whooping with over 30 minutes of southern-tinged rock and roll!

Fans were coming up to the band all night after their set to congratulate them and offering to buy them adult beverages. Evandale has a good handful of shows over the summer so give them a follow on their socials so you can catch the next one!

After Evandale it was time for the main event, Hairball! The band had a huge drum riser with lights, pops of fireworks, and of course huge flames. The crowd had really filled in by now and there were thousands of fans ready to feel the wind flowing through their teased out hair.

Hairball kicked things off with a mini Motley Crue set with "Kickstart My Heart" and "Girls, Girls, Girls". The front row was rocking with horns in the air as the guys in Hairball cranked the time warp all the way back to the 80s.

Next, we were taken to Detroit Rock City with a set of KISS songs complete with makeup, spikes, and even a flaming sword! The band had us fully immersed and we were ready to rock and roll all night.

Throughout the night Hairball covered so many great classic rock bands from Led Zeppelin, to Loverboy, to Alice Cooper, and even Rush! It was quite the spectacle and I'm glad I was finally able to catch it.

A huge thanks to Stir Cove for setting up photo access. If you haven't peeped their lineup you definitely should. This season is going to be one for the books. Sooo many good shows are coming and there's something for everyone. Let us know what you're most excited for in the comments!

Thanks for reading and we'll see you at the next one!