“We don't ask you to have a good time, we demand it out of you”: Hairball’s Dave Moody on 26 Years of Rock ’n’ Roll

For 26 years, Hairball has built its reputation on turning classic rock nostalgia into a full-scale live spectacle. The band doesn’t simply play the songs of rock’s biggest names, it brings their larger-than-life personalities, costumes and stage presence back to life, moving from one iconic artist to the next in a show packed with music, theatrics and plenty of pyro.

Among the voices behind that spectacle is Dave Moody, one of Hairball’s lead singers, who takes on some of rock’s most recognizable frontmen. With a background that includes touring as a bassist for Billy Ray Cyrus and performing with the AC/DC tribute band Thunderstruck, Moody has spent years learning what it takes to command a stage, and then doing it as a completely different rock icon night after night.

Ahead of Hairball’s upcoming performance at The Resch Center in Green Bay on August 27th, Moody spoke about the band’s 26-year run, the challenge of bringing so many legendary artists to life, the chaos behind it, and what keeps the show feeling fresh after thousands of performances.

So for someone who has never seen you, how would you describe your show?

DM: We have five video walls, more pyro than a 70s Kiss concert, and we're there to burn your eyes out of your head, make your eardrums bleed, and make you sticky, broken, and confused. When you show up, we preach the gospel better than any Billy Graham convention could ever think about doing it, and it's better music than Billy Graham too. So come on out, I promise you this, you're going to have a great time. You're going to walk in, but you're going to float out. I think you want to come to the show now, don't you?

That is amazing. Is that your elevator pitch?

DM: No, that's just me off the top of my head. That's how I speak, rock and roll.

Well, you are a true entertainer, you can tell. So what separates you from another tribute band out there, a traditional tribute band?

DM: I think I just told you. We just come out there, and we don't mess around.

We're not there to play around. We're going to push you up against the wall. We're going to make you have fun. You have no choice in the matter. When you walk in, we're going to throw down, and you're going to enjoy it. That's just the way it is. And we don't ask you to have a good time, we demand it out of you. So that's who we are, and that's what separates us from other bands.

And with the younger generations, do you think you'll still be able to connect with them? Those who weren't around when some of the rock artists you tribute were at their peak?

DM: Well, I will tell you this. We just got done opening up for Yungblood, being a direct support for Yungblood. I can tell you right now, we connected with his band, and we connected with his people who come out and saw us. They lost their mind on us, and they're a younger group of people, younger demographics. So none of that scares us.

Our show's entertaining for everybody just getting their teeth, and everybody's starting to lose them. Grandfathers, their sons, their grandsons and grandmothers, the daughters, their granddaughters. It's everybody in between. We don't discriminate on our audience. We make sure that everybody has a good time. So our show's for everybody.

Very cool. So you were just in Sturgis?

DM: We were just in Sturgis (Iron Horse Saloon). We played with Lynyrd Skynyrd, we played with Yungblood, and we played with Skillet. It was just a phenomenal rally. Had a great time. It's hard to explain it if you haven't been there,but if you've been there, if you know, you know.

Yeah. That's what I've heard. Haven't been there, but I've heard it's amazing. Bucket list item.

DM: It really is. Everybody should do it once. Great. Like jumping out of a plane.

All right. Which frontman that you've played have you connected with the most? And I guess on the flip side, which would have been the biggest challenge for you?

DM: They're all great. I mean, they all have their thing. You know, Gene's so cool because he's got the fire and the costume and he spits blood. And then Dee Snider's just nuts and Alice Cooper's mean. But he's not mean in real life. He's beautiful and wonderful in real life, but on stage he's mean. But they're all different. And I've been blessed to meet all of them, you know, really the actual people. So it's just, I love every single one of them.

Is it intimidating meeting them when you know that they know that you impersonate them?

DM: It’s more of me going, thank you for the music. Thank you for influencing me. And thank you for allowing me to do what I do. And thank you for just creating some of the greatest music and the soundtracks of my life and so many other people's lives. It's more of an admiration than anything.

That's like the highest form of flattery, right?

DM: Yes, correct. We are just so grateful to have the opportunity to go on with the outfits and be the character.

So speaking of the outfits, people probably don't realize how fast costume changes are. How chaotic is it? And any crazy stories of costume changes gone wrong?

DM: Oh, many. Many, many, many. I got about 11 minutes to get out of Gene Simmons and into Alice Cooper. And they will start without you. If you're not paying attention- I have seen people dress in the wrong costume and go out there and be, you know- It's only happened a few times, but I've seen it happen.

So do you have your own like personal pit crew in the back helping you out?

DM: No, it's just three singers and we're back there doing our own makeup and our own costuming and everything.

When you are performing, do you find yourself working on the perfect imitation or are you trying to add your own style- what's that balance?

DM: Well, you could embellish it a bit, but you got to hit the major points, you know, like the Gene Simmons head tilts and the pointing and the things of that nature.

It's just, you want to make sure that you're being as much of the character as you can, because that's the job, right? And you want to make sure that you're paying attention to what you're doing that is delivering that character to the audience and making them suspend disbelief. So that's the job.

But do you embellish it a bit?

DM: Yeah. Sometimes.

Okay. And what's the difference for you in playing a larger arena? Like I know you're coming up for the Resch Center compared to a smaller theater- and do you prefer one or the other?

DM: It doesn't matter. Every night's Madison Square Garden. It doesn't matter where we set up. You set us in a Walmart parking lot. We're going to give you the show. This is the way it is. If you're a professional, that's what you do. We don't- I don't get up there and pretend to like it because there's maybe a lighter crowd, which rarely ever happens to us- thank God. But if it did they’d get the Madison Square Garden show.

So you were previously a bassist with Billy Ray Cyrus. What did that experience teach you about touring and what was that like?

DM: Well, to be quite honest, he taught me how to be a professional out on the road. I've been in bands for years and years and years, but I've never toured the world. That opportunity all opened itself up and it was amazing. I am forever indebted to that man.

And he's a great boss, but he's a better friend. And to this day, we remain great friends. And I can't say enough good things about Billy Ray Cyrus.

And you also spent time with ACDC Tribute, Thunderstruck. And so how did going from a dedicated ACDC tribute to Hairball's broader catalog transfer?Was that easy?

DM: No, not at all. This job's not for everybody. Either you can do it or you can't. But it was. I'm so silly that I think I can do everything, you know, so maybe overly confident or overly stupid, however you want to look at it.

But either way, I believed in myself. And it worked out pretty good. We're in our sixth summer together, so that's pretty awesome.

So after 26 years, is there still a song or an artist you haven't incorporated into this show that you'd love to see Hairball tackle one day?

DM: Oh, somebody that I'd like to do? Well, I mean, there's so many. But the thing about it is, is what you want to do, we got to kind of stick to what everybody knows, you know, and serve the greater good. You know, I love Wasp. I love Bucky Wallace. I love Motörhead and Lemmy from Motörhead. And I love all of these artists. And a lot of people love these artists.

But the greater population doesn't really understand those artists or know those artists. You see what I'm saying? So we want to kind of stick to what people know the most of, you know, AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, White Snake, Bon Jovi, Queen, you know, the bigger groups with the mega platinum albums and the million sellers. And that's what you want to make sure you're serving the greater good.

So wrapping up, do you have anything to add or tell the fans planning to see Hairball on one of the upcoming shows? Any message for them?

DM: I mean, they'll be the guy that comes into work on Monday and everybody's going, did you go to the show? And you say no. And they're going, man, you missed it. You should have been there.

You blew it. Everybody was there. It was the best show of the year. And you did not get to see it because you're lame and you stayed home. Don't be that guy. Come on out. Have a good time. Buy the ticket. It's very affordable.

And in this day and age, you're getting way more show from us than anybody else. So come on out. Have a big time.

I promise you, I guarantee you a good time. From your mouth to their ears. We're going to deliver that message for you.

Hairball will be playing at The Resch Center in Green Bay on 8/27/26 and it isn’t a show to miss! Tickets can be found on their website linked here along with more tour dates and information.