Michael Monroe Delivers Rock ‘n’ Roll Clinic in San Diego: Photos

Nestled
among
the
foothills
of
the
Laguna
Mountains
40
miles
inland
from
the
San
Diego
beaches,
Ramona,
California
is
the
last
place
one
might
expect
to witness
a
rock ‘n’
roll
clinic
from
one
of
the
genre’s
greatest
unsung
heroes.

Then
again,
for
the
past
45
years,

Michael
Monroe
has
been
anything
but
predictable.

The
finnish
rock
icon
and
former

Hanoi
Rocks
frontman
is
in
the
midst
of
his “Jet
Propelled
From
Overseas
to
the
USA”
tour,
his
first
trek
across
North
America
in
nine
years.
The
brief
jaunt
launched
at
the
beginning
of
April
and
will
conclude
this
weekend
with
back-to-back
Sunset
Strip
sellouts
at
the
Whisky
a
Go
Go
and
the
Rainbow
Bar
and
Grill’s
anniversary
party.

Monroe
eased
into
his
West
Coast
home
stretch
at
Ramona
Mainstage,
a
1940s
movie
palace
that
was
restored
and
converted
into
a
live
music
venue
at
the
turn
of
the
century.
You
can
see
photos
from
the
show
and
a
set
list
below.

READ
MORE:

Michael
Monroe
Says ‘There’s
Nothing
Cool
About
Dying
Young’

It
was far
from
a
sellout
—
there
were probably
between
100
and
150
fans
at
the
Wednesday
night
show,
to
give
a
charitable
estimate.
But
that
didn’t
stop
Monroe
from
delivering
a
breathlessly
entertaining,
90-minute
marathon
performance
that
served
as
an
ear-splitting
reminder
of
the transcendent power
of
rock ‘n’
roll
at
its
finest.

The
intimate setting
made
it
all
the
more
special
when
Monroe
roared
out
of
the
gate
with
his
1989
classic “Dead,
Jail
or
Rock ‘n’
Roll.”
The
audience
had
clearly
waited
a
long
time
for
this
moment,
and
Monroe
didn’t
let
them
down.
He
howled
lustily
and leapt across
the
stage
like
a
live
wire,
resplendent
in
his
embroidered
red-and-black
vest
and
skintight
jeans.
When
the
stage
could
no
longer
contain
him, Monroe prowled
the
tables
lining
the
side
of
the room,
making
it
back
in
time
to
rip
a harmonica
or
saxophone solo
or
reapply
his
makeup
in
a
compact
mirror.
(“It
helps
me
sing
better,”
he
quipped.)

READ
MORE:

Michael
Monroe
Details
Hanoi
Rocks’ ‘Oriental
Beat’
Reissue

Monroe’s
21-song
set
mixed
solo
cuts
(with
an
emphasis
on
his
latest
album,
2022’s I
Live
Too
Fast
to
Die
Young!),

Demolition
23
gems
and Hanoi
Rocks
classics
such
as “Boulevard
of
Broken
Dreams,” “Don’t
You
Ever
Leave
Me”
and “Motorvatin’.”
His
longtime
guitarist
Steve
Conte
(formerly
of
the

New
York
Dolls)
traded
fiery
riffs
and
solos
with
Rich
Jones,
while

Slash
bassist
Todd
Kerns provided
stellar
backing
vocals.
Drummer Karl “Rockfist”
Rosqvist
(who
also
plays
with
Danzig)
laid
a
rock-solid
foundation,
pounding
his
kit
with
punk
fury
and
hard
rock
precision.

In
an
alternate
timeline, Hanoi
Rocks
could
have
become
one
of
the
biggest
bands
of
the ’80s
and
Monroe
could
be
a
household
name.
But
if
he’s
bitter
about
the
hand
he
was
dealt,
he
certainly
didn’t
show
it
at
Ramona
Mainstage.
Whether
there
are
two
people
or
200,000
people
in
the
crowd,
Monroe’s
gonna
keep
kicking
ass
like
he’s
always
done. More
than
40 years
into
his
career,
he’s
still
not
fakin’
it.

Michael
Monroe,
4/9/25,
Ramona
Mainstage,
Ramona
Set
List
1. “Dead,
Jail
or
Rock ‘n’
Roll”
2. “I
Live
Too
Fast
to
Die
Young”
3. “Murder
the
Summer
of
Love”
4. “Last
Train
to
Tokyo”
5. “Young
Drunks &
Old
Alcoholics”
6. “Man
With
No
Eyes”
7. “Old
King’s
Road”
8. “Trick
of
the
Wrist”
9. “’78”
10. “Ballad
of
the
Lower
East
Side”
11. “Don’t
You
Ever
Leave
Me”
(Hanoi
Rocks)
12. “One
Man
Band”
13. “Horns
and
Halos”
14. “Boiler
(Me
Boiler ‘n’
Me)”
(Hanoi
Rocks)
15. “Boulevard
of
Broken
Dreams”
(Hanoi
Rocks)
16. “Motorvatin'”
(Hanoi
Rocks)
17. “Hammersmith
Palais”
(Demolition
23)
18. “Malibu
Beach
Nightmare”
(Hanoi
Rocks)
19. “Up
Around
the
Bend”
(Creedence
Clearwater
Revival)
20. “Taxi
Driver”
(Hanoi
Rocks)
21. “I
Feel
Alright
/
Radar
Love”
(The
Stooges
/
Golden
Earring)