Steel Panther & Buckcherry Bring Their “Northern Exposure” Tour to Montreal’s MTelus [Photos]

When Steel Panther is in town, the one thing that you can bet on is a night full of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll, probably in that order. I usually like to incorporate a lyric into my show reviews, but let’s be honest. If you know Steel Panther, then you know there are a few lyrical passages that don’t include one of George Carlin’s words that you can’t say on television. Or all seven. It is common knowledge that KISS likes to rock and roll all night and party every day. Steel Panther likes to party all day as well, though they use a rather more colourful word to describe what they like to do when the sun goes down.

Before getting to our headliner, we were treated to two pretty good performances. Up first was Kurt Deimer. A true jack of all entertainment trades, when he isn’t up performing on the stage, he also shows up in various Hollywood films. His set was short, but very loud. I don’t think I had even felt so much bass before in my life. Had anyone gone into cardiac arrest at this show, a few seconds in front of the speakers would have been far effective than any defibrillator. With only an EP and a few singles to his name, Kurt Deimer is just getting started, but we look forward to hearing more from him. He sure seemed to be impressed with the crowd, even taking a stroll among the people while singing. He promised to be back soon, and I will be looking forward to his return.

The second band to hit the stage was our co-headliner for the evening, Buckcherry. The band that claims to put the danger back into rock n’ roll came out with guitars blazing. They opened their set with “Roar Like Thunder,” the lead single from the upcoming album to be released in June of the same name. What followed was another nine songs of rock n’ roll fun. Singer Josh Todd was on fire. Hitting the stage in a rather dapper suit, the further we got into the show, the less he seemed to be wearing until his full torso of tattoos was on display by the end of the set.

We got a little taste from all of their albums while Buckcherry finished with a wild flourish that included ”Say F@ck It,” which had everyone on the floor bouncing up and down. This was followed by a revved up version of Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ‘69” before Buckcherry brought their set to a close with a medley of songs that began and ended around their big hit, “Crazy Bitch.” It was a great performance.

Never one to be shown up, we knew that Steel Panther were about to take things up a notch as soon as the roadies brought out the dancing poles. With all of the big hair, spandex and jokes, one tends to forget that they are actually an awesome band. Michael Starr is a great front man who can hit any note and knows how to perfectly ride the line between funny and offensive. On guitar, Satchel rivals any other player out there, and the rhythm section of Spyder on bass and Stix Zedina on drums never let up on the beat, while often also serving as the punch line to the jokes of their fellow bandmates.

A Steel Panther show comes with a few little extras. The banter between songs tends to be a little blue, and they rapidly fill the stage with any willing female member from the audience for “17 Girls in a Row.” All the added hijinks aside, it’s the songs that are great fun and what keep their fans coming back for more. The “Northern Exposure” tour also doubles as a 15th anniversary celebration of their debut album, Feel The Steel. The band opened their set with one of the heavier songs of that album, “Eyes of a Panther,” as their rock n’ roll roller-coaster gets off to full speed. They also close their set with three other Feel The Steel hits. “Community Property” and “Death To All But Metal” get everyone good and excited before the night reaches its climax and happy ending with the fun sing-along goodbye of “Glory Hole.”

The fans left the show in need of a cigarette and a shower, but also feeling very satisfied after an evening of rock and roll excess. Steel Panther and Buckcherry’s “Northern Exposure” tour is wrapping up soon, but both bands will still be touring over the rest of the year. Be sure to check them out for a rock n’ roll party like none other.

Steel Panther (w/ Buckcherry) @ MTelus (Montreal, QC) on May 6th, 2025

45 photos