August 15, 2015
Photos by Ron Lyon

When former MTV VJ and radio DJ Riki Rachtman brought his world-famous Cathouse to Irvine on a hot August day, it was like traveling back in time to the carefree days of the 1980s in Hollywood — when the hair was big, the guitars were loud, and bands who played the Strip were getting signed left and right. Thousands turned out to watch performances on two stages, rub shoulders during VIP meet-and-greets, and check out a vendor village, a chopper motorcycle show, tattoo shops, go-go dancers, and more. Even with the sweltering heat, leather and studs were everywhere, and the fans partied like it was 1986.

The marathon show started at 2:00 and didn’t end until a little after 11:00. Which is pretty understandable when you consider who was on the bill: Extreme, Cinderella’s Tom Keifer, Ratt’s Stephen Pearcy, Sebastian Bach, L.A. Guns, Faster Pussycat, Tracii Guns and Rudy Sarzo’s new band Gunzo, BulletBoys, Autograph, Little Caesar, Pretty Boy Floyd, Dokken, Tuff, Jetboy, Junkyard, Bang Tango, Saigon Kick, Trixter, Enuff Z’nuff, Black ‘N’ Blue and Dangerous Toys. Former Gun’s N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke led an all-star jam that included original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley to close the night.