Slaughter Concert Photos and History

Slaughter has been a part of some epic Detroit concerts, opening for KISS, Alice Cooper, Poison, and the Damn Yankees to name a few.  The history of Slaughter is one of the more unique stories in the world of rock and roll.  In honor of Slaughter's upcoming show on Saturday, March 25th at Smugglers Run in Wyandotte, here's a slice of Slaughter concert photos and history... Detroit style (photos courtesy of Ken Settle).

I recently spoke with Mark Slaughter.  I really can't say enough good things about him.  Mark Slaughter is a cool dude with a great work ethic and he's had his s@!# together since before the band became a band.  Mark Slaughter and Dana Strum started out as part of the Vinnie Vincent Invasion.  I asked Mark about that experience.  Listen to my entire interview with Mark Slaughter when you click the bar below.

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Vinnie Vincent was in KISS in the early '80s.  Co-authoring 8 out of the 10 songs on "Lick It Up," Vinnie was nonetheless fired from KISS.  As recently as a few years ago, Gene and Paul did not seem open to ever having Vinnie as a celebrated part of KISStory (Blabbermouth).  Gene Simmons said Vinnie was fired for "unethical behavior."

Vinnie moved on to form the Vinnie Vincent Invasion. Mark Slaughter and Dana Strum were a part of this band.  Mark mentions that Vinnie wasn't the easiest guy to work with. According to Hairbands, Vinnie over-extended his credit line with the record company. The record label ended up dropping Vinnie Vincent. They gave Vinnie's 4 million-dollar recording contract to Mark Slaughter and Dana Strum and the two ran with it.  Side note: Mark Slaughter's October 30th, 1986 performance (with Vinnie Vincent Invasion) at The Joe is roughly the 4th time Mark performed in front of an arena-sized audience... another story that Mark brings up in the interview.

Slaughter is also one of the only bands given the freedom to make their own records. Slaughter's songs are written and produced by the band. As Mark says, "We did it all from the ground up."

Last, but not least, my jaw dropped when I asked Mark Slaughter about the rumor I had heard at Pine Knob back in the '90s that some bands kept Roladexes with their female fans' contact info so they could look them up when they got to town.  Mark said they didn't have one, but he name-dropped a band that did!

Slaughter has had their share of tragedy, but the band still has a victorious spirit and they are bringing the hits!  "Fly To the Angels," "Up All Night," and a ton more jams are on the setlist at Smugglers Run.

Listen to WCSX this week (March 20th-24th) to win seats in the WCSX VIP suite at Smugglers Run and attend a private soundcheck before the show this Saturday at Smugglers Run!

Here's a slice of Slaughter concert photos and history in Detroit, courtesy of the amazingly talented Detroit concert photographer, Ken Settle.

Ken Settle Slaughter

Ken Settle Slaughter

Ken Settle Slaughter

Ken Settle Slaughter

Ken Settle Slaughter

Ken Settle Slaughter

Ken Settle Slaughter

Ken Settle Slaughter

Ken Settle Slaughter

Ken Settle Slaughter

Ken Settle Slaughter

Ken Settle Slaughter

Ken Settle Slaughter

Ken Settle Slaughter

Ken Settle Slaughter