Big Hair, Bigger Memories

Last Saturday night at Taste of Des Plaines, we caught a live show by Hairbangers Ball—a tribute band so gloriously loud, theatrical, and committed to the era of Aquanet and eyeliner that for a minute, it felt like time cracked open.The show was free, the crowd was packed, and the music? A full-on sonic time machine. They didn’t hold back either—Def Leppard’s “Rock of Ages,” Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker,” Ozzy’s “Crazy Train,” Ratt’s “Round and Round,” Van Halen’s “Jump,” Mötley Crüe’s “Kickstart My Heart,” and Lita Ford’s “Kiss Me Deadly” all made the setlist. And yes, it was exactly as epic as it sounds.

Guitars screamed. People danced. Some of us quietly wept into our lemonade slushies because this music still hits like it did when we were seventeen.

The smells were...festive. Think grilled onions, assorted beverages, and probably some decades-old cologne clinging to a leather vest. It was like stepping into a scented time capsule—if the capsule also had a fog machine and a guy in zebra-print pants.

I didn’t know how much I missed this music until it was blasting through my rib cage again. That era wasn’t subtle—it wore its heart (and heartbreak) on its sleeve, screamed its feelings through Marshall stacks, and made sure no one left a power ballad with dry eyes.

Hairbangers Ball didn’t just play the music—they channeled it. And for a little while, we got to remember who we were when this music first grabbed us by the soul and said, “We’re gonna feel something tonight, and we’re gonna feel it LOUD.”

Videos coming soon once I figure out how to make Blogger speak fluent Facebook. Stay tuned.