Let's face it, if we had to bet on a band to survive the '80s with their integrity intact, it probably wouldn't have been Poison [ tickets ]. But as much a champion of the big flair and bigger hair of the era as they were a testament to the feel-good lyrics and feel-better escapism of hard rock's glory daze, they've managed to not only outlast a scene in which many wrote them off as disposable, but they've done so while emerging as the genre's sustained champions.

Poison demonstrated why Sunday night (8/12) in Irvine, CA, where they delivered a set that may have been short, but was nonetheless sweet, packing all the hits and theatrical firepower one would expect from the hard-rockin' veterans, while dodging a few near misses along the way.

Opening with the guitar crunch and bottom-end punch of "Look What the Cat Dragged In," frontman Bret Michaels rose from the Verizon Amphitheater stage on a platform atop the drum riser, his signature strut as much a Poison trademark as his at-times campy delivery of the vocals. Case in point, "I Want Action," where the frontman eases into a half-spoken David Lee Roth-like dialogue: "Hey sweetheart, slide on in here… No, not in the front, jump in the back… Why? There's something back there C.C. wants to show you…" At which guitarist C.C. Deville rips into a short shred of a solo that is matched in kind by an eruption from the crowd.

A bit campy, maybe, but fun as all hell, and that's really all Poison have ever professed to be, promising nothing but a good time from the start, and delivering it throughout their 14-song set.

Despite an exceptionally strong finish, Michaels showed some wear at the start of the show, coming up a bit raspy on "Ride the Wind" and proving a little hoarse while trading some early banter with the enthusiastic Orange County crowd. Considering all the saliva-swapping he's subjected to (poor guy) on his VH1 reality show and guilty-pleasure television hit of the summer "Rock of Love," we'll cut him some slack … Call it an occupational hazard.

One of four songs performed from their 1986 debut "Look What the Cat Dragged In," and the first of the night's three ballads, "I Won't Forget You" was rearranged, opening with Michaels on an acoustic guitar before evolving into a mid-tempo, country-rock jangle. "Something to Believe In" and "Every Rose has its Thorn" were delivered in their more traditional forms, the latter culminating with a shower of sparks that rained atop the stage.

When a female fan jumped onstage during "Every Rose," Michaels responded with the same characteristic aplomb that marks his reality show: Distracted from the song's close, he botched the ending, fumbling with his eyes as his conservatively-dressed fan fumbled with the lyrics. It was that practically-rehearsed spontaneity that captures Poison at their most engaging.

Not quite as engaging was the setlist, which, despite Michaels' repeated references to the band's 21-year career, only featured 10 Poison songs, as well as two solos, C.C. Deville's spastic solo romp "I Hate Every Bone in Your Body but Mine," and three covers from their newly-released "Poison'd" cover album.

The Romantics' power-pop classic "What I Like About You" offered a taste of Poison at their modern-day best, blasts of pyro accenting a performance that had zest and spirit to spare, and delivered with the passion of a younger band paying homage to their heroes. Delivered with a bluesy zip, "Your Mama Don't Dance" has been a staple in their set since first appearing on "Open Up and Say … Ahh!" in 1988, and Tom Petty's "I Need to Know" rocked convincingly into a Rikki Rockett drum solo.

Keyboards helped inject "Unskinny Bop" with the infectious swagger of Southern-fried swamp rock, the band picking up a momentum that carried through crowd-sing-along "Every Rose" and into energized closers "Fallen Angel" and "Talk Dirty to Me." But it was encore "Nothin' But a Good Time" that offered the most rousing blast from Poison's past, the party anthem being performed amidst a shower of confetti so thick, the stage became a blur.

It was a fitting finale to a show that, while hardly a test of stamina at 75 minutes, delivered on Poison's promise.

Recently reunited with frontman Stephen Pearcy, Ratt [ tickets ] delivered a well-received set in support. While it's a toss-up as to whether or not they're a better technical band with Pearcy in the mix, there's no mistaking the electricity that charges when he shares a stage with guitarist Warren DeMartini and drummer Bobby Blotzer, as was evident as the band blitzed through a set that closed strong, "Body Talk" revving into their classic staple "Round and Round."

Throwback newcomers Vains of Jenna [ tickets ] opened the night.

Poison Setlist:
"Look What the Cat Dragged In"
"I Want Action"
"Ride the Wind"
"I Won't Forget You"
"What I Like About You"
(guitar solo)
"I Hate Every Bone in Your Body but Mine"
"Something to Believe In"
"Your Mama Don't Dance"
"I Need to Know"
(drum solo)
"Unskinny Bop"
"Every Rose has its Thorn"
"Fallen Angel"
"Talk Dirty To Me"

Encore:
"Nothin' But a Good Time"