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Oh well, it was as DOTR and I were talking that I realized I hadn’t
seen Motley Crue since 1984 during the Shout at the Devil tour. I
had tickets on a few more recent occasions, but had to cancel for
one reason or another. Scary.
Anyway, enough intro stuff. Megadeth kicked off the evening with
some of their newer material. I am not too familiar with it, but it
was interesting. Surprisingly there wasn’t a whole lot of energy
coming from the band and the crowd wasn’t that into it either. But
as it got darker, the band got louder…and better. The crowd really
started head-banging when Megadeth played their classics,
"Peace Sells but Who’s Buying," "Symphony of
Destruction," "Trust," and "Sweating
Bullets." Lead singer, Dave Mustaine, had about a dozen
guitars, and he still can wail. Simply put - Megadeth rocks. Sorry
Metallica fans, Megadeth has never sold out and their new stuff
stands much taller as classic heavy metal. I give them TWO THUMBS
"of mutually assured destruction" UP.
Not long after Megadeth left everyone with ringing ears it was
time for Motley Crue. DOTR bolted to go take his pictures for the
first three songs so I was left alone. The stage looked like an L.A.
back-alley with neon "Nudes" signs, garbage cans, and the
like. The stage also had the obligatory elevated loop around it,
giving the Crue room to roam, while also highlighting their
"Gentlemen’s Club" dancers. The show kicked off with
"Kickstart My Heart," "Same Ol’ Situation"
(with some massive pyrotechnics), and "Primal Scream," and
it was during S.O.S. that I almost killed Skippy and his two 15 year
old, suburban, rebel friends.
I must give kudos’ to the usher for spotting the trouble and
escorting these fine young vermin away. Anyway, the Crue then played
a new song called "Punched in the Teeth By Love" which
wasn’t bad but it just didn’t stand up to their classics. After
pulling out a real oldie, "Knock ‘em Dead,." the Crue
then continued with the chick favorite "Home Sweet Home,"
the crowd favorite "Don’t Go Away Mad," and into
"Piece of Your Action."
Now, I couldn’t help but notice that lead singer Vince Neil
either kept forgetting lyrics or was losing his breath. Don’t get
me wrong, I don’t fault the guy as he has been rocking for 20
years, but it’s just an observation. Nikki Sixx was as
entertaining as I remembered him over fifteen years ago, and I still
think Mick Mars is one of the most under-rated guitarists in ‘Metal’
history. This show also featured a special guest drummer, Samantha
Maloney, from Hole. She definitely held her own (Tommy who?), and
seemed to enjoy the Crue’s racy antics as much as anyone as told
in a story about the band at Crazy Horse II. What I would have given
to have seen that!
Anyway, beginning to wrap things up, the Crue kept on jamming and
the crowd kept on singing to songs like "Wild Side" and
"Looks that Kill." They also hit some other new songs,
namely "Treat Me Like the Dog That I Am" and "Hell on
High Heels," and, well, for me the new stuff just isn’t as
catchy. But not to worry, the Crue finished the first set with huge
hits, "Helter Skelter" and "Girls, Girls,
Girls."
Like I said before, the crowd listened more than jammed. The band
gave everyone what they wanted to hear and threw in enough new stuff
to keep fans interested. The finale featured "Shout at the
Devil" complete with pyrotechnics and huge flames and it was a
great way to wrap up the show. In the end I give Motley Crue TWO
"ASS-KICKIN’" THUMBS UP! Keep on rockin’ Crue – I
promise it won’t take me 16 years to see you again.
I am the Wimp and that’s all for now. |
