STEEL PANTHER Announces August/September 2024 U.S. Tour

With their recent U.S. headline tour now wrapped and before the band heads over to continue their global domination in Europe, California glam metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER have announced the final batch of headline dates in the U.S. as part of their "On The Prowl" world tour 2024. The band will return to the road in the United States on August 23 in Buffalo, New York and continue through September 14, where it will wrap up in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The 15-date trek will make stops in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire (August 24-25); Portland, Maine (August 30); Baton Rouge, Louisiana (September 8) and Augusta, Georgia (September 14),to name a few. Additional information on all ticket and VIP packages, including meet-and-greets, exclusive merch items, early entry and more for all tour dates can be found at steelpantherrocks.com.

STEEL PANTHER said: "Some of you thought the 'On The Prowl' tour was over. Some of you thought you missed your chance to see us live. Some of you just forgot what day of the week it is. In any instance, being so wrong has never felt so right. We're back, bitches, and you don't want to miss this one."

"On The Prowl" August/September 2024 dates

Aug. 23 - Buffalo, NY – Electric City
Aug. 24 - Hampton Beach, NH – Wally’s
Aug. 25 - Hampton Beach, NH – Wally’s
Aug. 27 - Harrisburg, PA – XL Live
Aug. 28 - Dewey Beach, DE – Bottle & Cork
Aug. 30 - Portland, ME – Aura
Aug. 31 - Bar Harbor, ME – Criterion Theatre
Sep. 01 - Albany, NY – Empire Live
Sep. 04 - Fort Wayne, IN – Piere’s Entertainment Center
Sep. 06 - Lexington, KY – Manchester Music Hall
Sep. 07 - Springfield, MO – Gillioz Theatre
Sep. 08 - Baton Rouge, LA – Varsity Theatre
Sep. 10 - Destin, FL – Club LA
Sep. 12 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room
Sep. 13 - Augusta, GA – The Miller
Sep. 14 - Jacksonville, NC – Hooligan’s Live

STEEL PANTHER recently had another career first as they have moved their brand into the world of skateboarding. The band has spent the past year designing an official skateboard deck complete with band illustration on the bottom, custom grip tape and fluorescent green wheels. The "Build A Board" bundle sells for $124.99 (trucks and bearings are not included) for the STEEL PANTHER skateboarder in your life and there is a "Wall Hanger" bundle for $74.99 for the non-skateboarder that loves bitchin' artwork. A video of STEEL PANTHER frontman Michael Starr showcasing the skateboard can be seen below.

In a recent interview with The Hook Rocks!, Starr spoke about the challenge of combining raucous comedy with undeniably catchy rock tunes. He said: "That's the thing about our music, is we know we're poking fun and we're cracking jokes. We have to play good to be able to do that. You can't just like not be able to play and just be comedians. You have to be able to play. And then the other part that we think we're good at is making people laugh and have a good time."

Asked about the task of balancing comedic timing with putting on a high-energy rock show, the 58-year-old Starr, whose real name is Ralph Saenz, said: "I think for us, it really is just how we are as people. After doing this for so many years, we do have a set of jokes that we use a lot, but we also have stuff we haven't used in years and it just ends up popping up and we just say it. But a lot of it's really organic. I mean, we play off the crowd and we're able just to interact with them.

"When we were a cover band and doing the same type of show as a cover band, we learned that you still have to have some sort of structure to it," he explained. "You can't just talk the whole time. 'Cause we did that stuff, and people were throwing shit at us, like, 'Play some fucking music, man.' And so we learned, when you're a major touring act, you've gotta have some sort of structure. So, we structured it out and we have holes for improv and we have holes for whatever we wanna do. But at the same time there's curfews, there's people that are relying on you ending at a certain time and starting at a certain time, so it's a little bit different, but at the same time, it's still organic. And I think that's what makes us unique."

On the topic of whether he and his STEEL PANTHER bandmates work out the jokes in advance, Michael said: "We work them out while we're hanging out together, just in general. Even when we're offstage, we're still riffing. I don't know what that is, but we still just do it. We'll just riff the whole time, be different people and just fuck around with each other. And especially if we have people on the bus or we're hosting a backstage party, then we just start performing because we just can't help ourselves."

Formed in 2000, STEEL PANTHER specializes in imitating and exaggerating the less flattering aspects of 1980s hair metal, with unrepentantly crude, non-PC sexual content as a favorite lyrical theme.

The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive."

Sixteen years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.

STEEL PANTHER's sixth studio album, "On The Prowl", was released in February 2023.

In September 2022, STEEL PANTHER announced the addition of Spyder as the band's new bassist.

Photo credit: David Jackson