Ratt Fans Boo as Stephen Pearcy Struggles Through Another Show
Fans at Ratt’s concert in St. Charles, IL on Friday (Oct. 5) can be heard booing frontman Stephen Pearcy as he’s seen struggling through the show, just a few days after he apologized after a low-quality performance which he blamed on mixing prescription drugs with alcohol.
On Sept. 27 he commented on the band’s show in Huntington, N.Y., the previous night, saying, “I am dealing with a pain management issue due to a bad knee that is scheduled to be replaced in January. And last night I made the critical error of adding alcohol to my pain meds while on stage, and it destroyed my performance.” He added, “I sincerely apologize to Ratt fans, my band, Live Nation, my friends, and family."
You can watch some video clips from the October 5 show below:
Pearcy seemed to be in a similar position during Friday’s show, with clips showing examples of slurred and missed lyrics, an apparent difficulty with movement, and regular reliance on the drum riser. He also left the stage on several occasions, with his bandmates attempting to cover for him.
Last week, bassist Juan Croucier – the only remaining original member alongside Pearcy – told the crowd that the frontman was “in a lot of pain” but the band had decided, “there’s no way we’re canceling this show… because we love you guys.”
Ratt revealed their “new breed” lineup in July, with Croucier saying in an interview soon afterwards, “The group has been through a lot in recent years, some of which is not exactly flattering, and we're out to sort of change that and give it a level of class. He added, “all Stephen and I are trying to do is keep the group moving forward in a positive way and give the Ratt fans what they love, and what we love as well.”
Ratt’s next scheduled performance is on Oct. 12 in Orlando, FL., with four further shows booked until Oct. 25.