Former Headbangers Ball Host Hitting The Road to Tell All

If you grew up in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, you’re almost certainly familiar with former Headbangers Ball host Riki Rachtman. That said, there’s a lot more to him than just his MTV career – such as owning the depraved Cathouse rock venue –  and he’ll be telling audiences all about it on his upcoming “One Foot in the Gutter” tour.

Billed as “an evening of unbelievable true stories of rock n roll, sleaze n debauchery,” the first six shows took place back in December 2022. Now, Rachtman’s expanding it to eighteen performances across the United States, starting on March 29 and ending on May 20. Afterward, he’ll be heading to Australia (for the first time) for four more shows.

In the official press release, Rachtman comments: “I have spent my entire life living and working in rock ‘n’ roll. Nothing has been more gratifying than these live shows.” The press release continues:

With never-before-seen videos and photos, the show is a fun, fast paced nonstop roller coaster ride, jam packed with stories, tales and true life fables from Riki himself…from growing up in Hollywood, to all the raunch, roll, sleaze, and debauchery that happened at the Cathouse. Never before has he shared his experiences of Headbangers Ball on stage in a spoken word event. However there is much more than that. The struggles and hurdles that found Riki go from Rags to Riches to Rags several times. Riki is uncensored, unapologetic and not at a loss for words.

Indeed, it sounds like a must-see night of mostly untold stories.

After all, Rachtman was “the guy with Alice in Chains at Action Park,” and he was “with Nirvana when Kurt wore the ball gown.” As for the Cathouse, he “was there as some of his friends became the biggest rock n roll bands in the world. From trying to calm a situation with Axl Rose when he began to chase David Bowie down the street in a rage, to having Shannon Hoon, the singer of Blind Melon, as his receptionist.”

Thus, Rachtman “was there through it all not as a bystander but an important part of one of the most notorious eras in music.”

You can see the complete list of tour dates below, as well as preorder tickets (and VIP passes) here. You can view a trailer for the tour below, too.

Also, let us know if you’ll be there for “One Foot in the Gutter”!

Riki Rachtman’s “One Foot in the Gutter” 2023 North American + Australian Tour Dates

March 29 – Annapolis, Md. @ Rams Head Onstage
March 30 – Leesburg, Va. @ Tally Ho Theatre
April 1 – New Bedford, Mass. @ The Vault
April 2 – Bethlehem, Pa. @ Blast Furnace Room
April 4 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ The Oaks Theatre
April 5 – Mechanicsburg, Pa. @ Lovedrafts
April 6 – Sayreville, N.J. @ Starland Ballroom
April 7 – New York City, N.Y. @ Iridium
May 7 – Winston Salem, N.C. @ The Ramkat
May 9 – Louisville, Ky. @ Headliners Music Hall
May 10 – Hobart, Ind. @ The Art Theatre
May 11 – St. Charles, Ill. @ Club Arcade Speakeasy
May 12 – Chicago, Ill. @ Reggies Shack
May 13 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ The Rave II
May 17 – Asheville, N.C. @ The Grey Eagle
May 18 – Knoxville, Tenn. @ The Concourse
May 19 – Nashville, Tenn. @ City Winery
May 20 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Vinyl
June 3 – Adelaide, Australia @ The Woodshed
June 4 – Brisbane, Australia @ The Brightside
June 9 – Melbourne, Australia @ Stay Gold
June 20 – Sydney, Australia @ Factory Theatre

Riki Rachtman’s “One Foot in the Gutter” 2023 Tour Trailer