MONROE, CT — Leather boots, concert T-shirts and other ’80s metal garb could be seen among the massive crowd of music fans gathered at Z-Topia in Stevenson Friday night, the first of the two day Jam at the Dam weekend.
SteelHeart opened, followed by FireHouse, then Warrant took to the stage. Saturday’s lineup will feature George Lynch and The Mob, Dokken and Ace Frehley.
“I grew up with the music, because of my older siblings, but couldn’t go to any concerts,” Gabby Cannons of Seymour said Friday. “I can see tonight’s lineup for Monroe, but tomorrow’s lineup is a little more surprising.”
Among Friday’s crowd was Alan Vaglivelo, who serves on the Monroe Board of Education in town. While growing up in Milford, he remembers taking the train to New Haven whenever a heavy metal or punk rock band was playing.
“I was a big metal guy in high school,” Vaglivelo said. “I’ve seen some of these bands live. Warrant and the ones tomorrow night. Ace Frehley, the legend. I was pretty shocked to see Ace Frehley come to Monroe.”
“I followed all of them,” First Selectman Terry Rooney said. “Every single band here was part of my childhood. I was a guitar player. George Lynch is still one of the best guitar players in America in my opinion.”
The first selectman thanked the Zwally family, who owns Z-Topia, 1545 Monroe Turnpike, for believing Monroe could be a destination for such high profile talent.
“I’m telling a lot of my friends, ‘can you believe the bands we grew up with are in Monroe?'” Rooney said. “It’s amazing. Ace Frehley? Kiss? These are globally recognized names here in Monroe. Who would ever think?”
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