Nearly 35 years ago, Quiet Riot pulled off a feat akin to an amateur golfer outdueling Tiger Woods to win The Masters. Or a rookie actor beating out Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks to win the Oscar for Best Actor.
Emerging from the early 1980s Los Angeles heavy metal scene, Quiet Riot rose from relative obscurity to the top of the charts with their 1983 debut album Metal Health. Behind the strength of the aggressive title track (which encouraged metal heads to “bang your head”) and the heavy-yet-melodic Slade cover “Cum on Feel the Noize,” Quiet Riot became the first metal band to have a No. 1 album. Just as significant, they blazed a trail for dozens of L.A. metal acts that would follow in the wake of Metal Health’s success.
Today, only drummer Frankie Banali remains from the iconic lineup, but he’s surrounded himself with a cast of talented musicians (including American Idol alum James Durbin on vocals). Together, they keep Quiet Riot’s music alive, while fans young and old keep banging their heads.
Golden Nugget, 8 p.m. July 21, starting at $20.71 plus tax and fee. 866.946.5336
