As Bret Michaels said onstage Friday evening, the NFL Draft brings all football fans together as one big family. But night two of the three-day event opened with some decidedly Pittsburgh flavor, with a performance from hometown heroes Bret Michaels and Wiz Khalifa.
Right on time at 5:15 p.m. Friday, as fans were flocking in the direction of the stage, a video played on the big screen that showed Michaels and Wiz Khalifa talking about how important the city of Pittsburgh is to them.
Poison lead singer and Butler native Michaels took the stage with genuine enthusiasm. He quickly got the crowd on his side by playing Poison’s high-octane party jam “Nothin’ but a Good Time,” a perfect selection given the fun-loving atmosphere.
“It’s good to be home!” Michaels declared as he took the stage. “Tonight, one big family, NFL, we are undefeated, all of us tonight!”
The song was an ideal opener, with booming drums and an elecrifying guitar solo. Fans inside and outside of the theater threw their hands in the air and sang along to the infectious chorus.
“Tonight, we dedicate this show to all our hometown heroes, our veterans, our active duty and everyone who gives us our freedom. … We love you!” he said.
Next up, he brought out another artist with Pittsburgh roots. KELS, who sang the national anthem on Thursday night to open night one of the Draft, joined Michaels onstage for a rocking version of “Your Mama Don’t Dance” by Loggins and Messina, which Poison covered on their 1988 album “Open Up and Say … Ahh!”
“She can sing, it is unbelievable the soul,” Michaels said of KELS. And he wasn’t lying — KELS blew the roof off with her bluesy runs that complemented Michaels’ grittier voice surprisingly well.
Another great sing-along song came in the form of Poison’s biggest hit and the king of power ballads, “Every Rose Has its Thorn.” Michaels seemed entirely enchanted with getting to see so many other teams’ jerseys in the crowd.
“The energy here is unreal!” Michaels shouted.
Michaels checked off as many of Poison’s hits as possible in such a short set, keeping the energy going with the band’s first entry on the Billboard charts, true headbanger “Talk Dirty to Me.” Michaels provided the necessary swagger and the Bret Michaels Band provided all of the rock.
Then they turned the stage over to rapper Wiz Khalifa.
There was no other option than for Wiz Khalifa to start right in with his first hit “Black and Yellow,” a song that’s become an essential theme song for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The crowd, it must be said, was even more hyped up for Wiz than they had been for Michaels.
“Pittsburgh, make some noise!” he yelled, then echoed Michaels with a “It’s good to be home!”
Naturally, the ever-growing audience obliged him with a rumbling cheer.
He launched next into his 2014 song “We Dem Boyz,” which also got lots of approval from the spectators. Then, following a similar rhythm to his predecessor’s set, he slowed things down with massive 12-weeklong No. 1 hit “See You Again.” Everyone sang along to the recorded chorus sung by Charlie Puth.
Wiz wrapped with “Young, Wild and Free,” a feel-good groove that fit the warm Pittsburgh evening like a glove.
“I love my family, I love God, I love my job, I love you guys, and I love smoking weed!” Khalifa shouted out to the crowd before the song’s conclusion.
But wait — there’s more!
Michaels returned — along with fresh Steelers first round draft pick Max Iheanachor — to sing a version of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” that was seemingly identical to the original, except changed to “Sweet Home Pennsylvania.” The slight tweak made some of the song’s political lyrics feel … a bit out of place, but the crowd ate it up.
Terrible Towels and hands waved all the way back, and the stage rocked with electric energy.
The NFL Draft is a great opportunity to show off some of Pittsburgh’s superstars, and Friday’s performance made a solid case for the ‘Burgh’s musical talent — and as a city to which its stars love to return.