Ratt And Roll No More For Stephen Pearcy

I saw Ratt here in Lubbock at a little club called Abbey Road.  "Round And Round" had just started to take off. At the show Stephan Pearcy proudly proclaimed that it was their last club show.  Well for at least a decade or more, it was.

Ratt's history always been marred by infighting.  The death of a member Robbin Crosby due to a heroin overdose (after admittingly contracting HIV from intravenous drug use) didn't help because he seemed to be a bit of the glue that held the band together.

Stephen Pearcy has left the band at least twice before but he announced today that he's done. This can't be too surprising, a quick look at the bands Wikipedia shows that the band has had OVER 50 members in the last 20 years. Apparently the only thing keeping the name alive has been founding member Warren DeMartini.  What sucks is that the current lineup did feature founding members Juan Croucier and Bobby Blotzer (as well as Carlos Cavasos from Quiet Riot).

It's my bet that the band will continue with former member John Corabi or someone else on vocals, but Pearcy is done.  It's even said by some that it's past due because he's blown out his voice somewhat.

That night I saw Ratt there was one other thing that happened.  During their performance the roof of the club (the acoustical tiles) caught fire.  That night, in retrospect, could have been the end of us all.  Nearly 20 years later, it's the end of the "real" Ratt.