Dokken at the Toy Tiger

By Laura Karnes

Popular Eighties metal band Dokken rolled through the Toy Tiger in December for the first show of their tour in support of a new album, Dysfunctional.

If you are in your mid- to late twenties and remember the metal bands of the Eighties, then you will remember Dokken well. The band had a string of hits from the albums Tooth and Nail and Under Lock and Key. They were on a hiatus when the band members went their own ways and into other musical endeavors in the late 80s/early 90s. Longtime fans of Dokken will remember guitarist George Lynch's band Lynch Mob and bassist Jeff Pilson's stint with Dio.

Judging by the crowd reaction, there seemed to be many people happy that the original members of Dokken worked through their differences and got back together to make some great music.

Dokken opened the show with "Tooth and Nail," which got the crowd into the fist in the air/ready to rock mood. The band kept the mood up, continuing with old favorites "Unchain the Night," "When Heaven Comes Down," and "Into the Fire." They also did a couple of newer tunes, "Too High to Fly" and "The Damned," the latter from their latest release.

Dokken also had some surprises in store.

Bassist Jeff Pilson took over the vocals on the song "Just got Lucky," while Don Dokken took over Pilson's bass.

Dokken ended an excellent night of music, finishing the show with a couple of their classics, "Alone Again" and "In My Dreams," with a surprise add-in jam from the Led Zeppelin tune "Dazed and Confused."

Don Dokken's voice was in fine form and the entire band played a excellent show and seemed to have a good time doing it.

Dokken has grown as a band since it was first formed. They no longer worry about stage clothes, poufy hair, or the rest of the cliché looks associated with Eighties bands. They seemed pretty happy just playing music and having fun while doing it, which is the way it should be.

Local band Miss Joshua opened the show with a bluesy, heavy rock sound.