WHITE LION: FORCED TO DROP OFF POISON/RATT TOUR DUE TO LEGAL BATTLE OVER NAME

Here’s what’s kind of amazing to me about all these hair metal bands splitting into two factions and running around touring under the same name: the audience for these bands isn’t exactly huge, and it’s clearly in the band’s best (financial) interests to compound that audience. These guys aren’t Axl Rose; their band name isn’t enough to sell out Madison Square Garden without their original line-ups. They should just play their gigs and then not talk to one another off-stage, like Aerosmith or Poison. I mean, I doubt I’d see L.A. Guns without Tracii Guns (I did that once already, and it was as bad as you’d think), and I doubt I’d see L.A. Guns with Phil Lewis, but I KNOW I’d go see L.A. Guns with Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis (got all that?).

As if to prove my point, White Lion have lost their slot as the opening act on the Poison/Ratt tour this summer because of the legal dispute over the band name, singer Mike Tramp claims: “Our information is that [promoter] Live Nation’s decision [to remove White Lion from the bill] was based upon a threatened lawsuit by former White Lion guitarist Vito Bratta. Even though Live Nation believed Vito’s lawsuit to be frivolous and had confirmed that Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion, they did not want to spend ‘one dollar’ on litigation.” Of course, Tramp and Bratta could both be touring this summer if they would just put their differences aside for a cause higher than themselves: money.

No word yet if Whitesnake or Great White will be replacing White Lion on the tour.

-AR