Winter Rock Fest At The Dort Financial Center In Flint, MI
Flint, MI (Jan. 4, 2025) – On the opening weekend of 2025, a legion of rock fans celebrate the New Year at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, MI for Winter Rock Fest featuring April Wine, Warrant, Dokken and SteelHeart.
The Dort Financial Center in Flint is a sports entertainment events venue known for their vast variety of events that range from an RV show, concerts, the Shrine Circus along with local high school and college graduation ceremonies. But it’s best known for the ice hockey excitement by the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League.
With the wintery cold temps dropping outside the hockey arena, the atmosphere inside was heating up as the crowds rushed to their seats for a night of classic 80’s rock. Due to weather conditions throughout the mid-west deteriorating, some of the bands had complications getting to the venue at their scheduled arrival times. This led to a delay with sound check amongst the bands and the opening of the doors which also help elevate the temperature in the venue with a few concert goers.
The show begins with the glam metal band SteelHeart as the first to take the stage. The band’s vocalist, Miljenko Matijevic came out to center stage with a mission to fire this crowd up and never backed down. Starting out with two Steel Dragon covers “Blood Pollution” and “Livin’ The Life,” the crowd stood out of their seats and remained standing and cheering as he continued with “My Dirty Girl.”
Matijevic founded the band in Norwalk, CT in 1989 with a promising future ahead, until a near-fatal show accident in 1992 changed the direction for him and the band. With multiple head injuries and other complications, Matijevic has had a long road of struggle to get back to where he once was before the incident. With many calling him and the SteelHeart band a one hit wonder with their 1991 single “I’ll Never Let You Go,” that doesn’t seem to bother the masses that attend their shows and be entertained.
Wrapping up their portion of the show, SteelHeart ends with the 2001 show tune “We All Die Young” from the movie Rockstar. The movie featured songs written by Matijevic with Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Anniston acting in the film. Matijevic sang all of Wahlberg’s parts in the movie.
Joining Miljenko on stage, SteelHeart also includes Joe Pessia (lead guitar), Mike Humbert (drums) and Kevin Chow (bass guitar).
SteelHeart setlist:
- Blood Pollution 2. Livin’ The Life 3. My Dirty Girl 4. Gimme Gimme 5. Cabernet 6. I’ll Never Let You Go 7. We All Die Young
Next on stage, is the heavy metal band Dokken. Lead guitarist, Jon Levin begins the journey with a series of guitar riffs as the band’s frontman Don Dokken slowly swaggers to center stage for a “Kiss Of Death.” With his dry raspy voice Don continues with “The Hunter” before “Breaking The Chains.”
After welcoming the crowd, Dokken takes a moment to tell of the time spent with Freddy Krueger (Robert England). Besides the times spent together, he emphasizes on the fun they had making of the 1987 song and video of “Dream Warriors.”
Don raises the energy by telling the crowd that he is a gear head and “when we were driving into Flint, it was sad to see so many foreign cars in this GM city…That’s fucked up…Cars should be made in the USA.”
Dokken continues their set with “Alone Again” and “In My Dreams” before a shortened version of “Unchain The Night.” The song is cut short due to trying to make up time from the delayed start of the show from travel conflicts of the bands getting to Flint.
Joining Don and Levin on this Los Angeles band includes Chris McCarvill (bass guitar) and BJ Zampa (drums).
Dokken setlist:
- Kiss Of Death 2. The Hunter 3. Breaking The Chains 4. Into The Fires 5. Dream Warriors 6. Alone Again 7. In My Dreams 8. Unchain The Night
The third round of live music for the evening comes from the Hollywood glam band Warrant. The band hits the stage with high energy and guitar frenzy as they open with “So Damn Pretty (Should Be Against The Law)” and their 1989 debut single “Down Boys.”
With the crowd dancing and singing to each song, the band fed off the energy and responded with continuous guitar riffs from the band’s three guitarists and dancing by lead vocalist, Robert Mason. Joining Mason in the band is Joey Allen (leading guitar), Steven Sweet (drums), Robbie Crane (subbing for Jerry Dixon on bass guitar) and unknown on rhythm guitar.
The band continues on with “Sometimes She Cries,” “D.R.F.S. R.” and “I Saw Red” before thanking all our first responders and veterans. Calling out to the crowd, Mason asks the crowd to take out their cell phones and light up the arena as a tribute to the late Jani Lane while everyone in the arena sings the band’s signature single “Heaven.”
The set ends with more guitar slashes and fancy footwork during the hits “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” and an intro by “We Will Rock You” to conclude with “Cherry Pie.”
Warrant setlist:
- So Damn Pretty (Should Be Against The Law) 2. Down Boys 3. Big Talk 4. Sometimes She Cries 5. D.R.F.S.R. 6. I Saw Red 7. Heaven 8.Uncle Tom’s Cabin 9. We Will Rock You (intro) / Cherry Pie
The last performance for the evening is by the Canadian rock band, April Wine. They open their show with their 1982 classic, “Anything You Want, You Got It” and fall into place with “Enough Is Enough” and “All Over Town.”
The band formed in Novia Scotia in 1969 under the leadership of Myles Goodwyn, the lead vocalist, song writer, guitarist and producer until his death in 2023. Today’s roster is made up of Brian Greenway (guitar and vocals since 1977), Richard Lanthier (bass guitar and vocals since 2011), Roy Nichol (drums and vocals since 2012) and Marc Parent (vocals and guitar since 2022). Although none of the members are original and sometimes linked as a tribute band, three of the four spent at least a decade with Myles touring and understanding the April Wine way of thinking and acting. For many in the crowd, it is the music and respect to Goodwyn that continue to bring them back to the show.
With the crowd still dancing and singing along, the band continues their show with songs from their ninth studio album, Nature Of The Beast from 1981. Some of those songs include “All Over Town,” “Big City Girls,” “Crash And Burn” along with their most successful single for the band, “Just Between You And Me.” April Wine ends their set with “Sign Of The Gypsy Queen” before exiting off stage. After applause and loud cheers, the band returns for the only encore of the evening as they perform “Roller” from 1979 as their final song of the night.
April Wine was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Music Industry Hall Of Fame in 2009 and was inducted into Canada’s Music Hall Of Fame in 2010. While in Flint, they didn’t receive any awards or be inducted into any Hall Of Fames, but they were awarded with a standing ovation by a crowd with loud cheers and applause. That was enough for the band as they exited the stage and prepare to head to the next city on the tour schedule.
April Wine setlist:
- Anything You Want, You Got It 2. Enough Is Enough 3. All Over Town 4. Say Hello 5. Big City Girls 6. Before The Dawn 7. Weeping Willow 8. I Like To Rock 9. Crash And Burn 10. Just Between You And Me 11. Sign Of The Gypsy Queen Encore: Roller
The evening was a success with the crowd as a good way to start off the 2025 concert calendar with four credited rock bands that wrote their own pages in the 80’s and 90’s rock music history books. Check out the links below to follow along with news and tour schedules of the bands and their possible returns or the next show being held at the Dort Financial Center.
Words by: Leslie Reasoner
Photos by: John Reasoner
April Wine
Warrant
Dokken
SteelHeart
Dort Financial Center
