After battling summer traffic on 95 all afternoon this past Friday, thousands of metalheads descended upon Mohegan Sun Arena to celebrate 30+ years of Glam rock with New York Dolls, Poison, and the baddest of the baddest, Motley Crue.
Since all three bands have been around for quite some time, the crowd was a mix of those who were teenagers back when the bands first hit the scene and current teenagers who either grew up listening to their parents' metal collection or discovered the groups on their own via the internet and Vh-1 Classic. A few superfans even dressed up a la Comic-Con, wearing spandex and spiked out costumes the boys of Motley Crue would have worn in their "Shout at the Devil" days. But no matter the age, the goal was the same: to get their collective butt kicked by the giants of Glam.
Opening the show were New York Dolls. The Dolls were inspiration for not only Motley Crue and Poison when they themselves were teenagers, but for bands spanning all rock genres, including acts like the Clash and Morrisey. Though it's unbelievably been 40 years since New York Dolls introduced their flashy androgynous style and downtown gutter rock to the world, singer David Johansen still sounded great as he sang hits such as "Looking For A Kiss", "Trash", "Personality Crisis", and "Pills." Johansen and guitarist Sylvain Sylvain, the only original members of the group, dedicated their set to the late Johnny Thunders (original guitarist for the Dolls) who would have turned 59 on Friday.
After a break and an arena singalong to the classic Guns N' Roses tune "Welcome To The Jungle" as it blared over the loud speakers, it was time for Poison to take the stage. Right before the band went on, a roadie came out to spray paint "Mo Sun" on the drumheads, when surprise! he turned around and revealed himself to be Poison drummer Rikki Rockett, ready to start the show.
With giant banners sporting the Poison skull logo and the cover of "Open Up and Say Ahh..." along with giant "25"s in honor of their formation 25 years ago, Poison's stage set was simple yet effective. Bret Michaels strutted along the back riser as drummer Rockett, guitarist C.C. Deville and bassist Bobby Dall shredded eardrums. The band's set was just a bit shorter than Crue's, so they didn't mess around and went right to their hits. The setlist was packed with favorites like "Your Mama Don't Dance", "Fallen Angel", "Talk Dirty To Me", "Unskinny Bop", and the classic metal power ballad, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." Watching the jovial Michaels dance and sing as well as he ever did, it's hard to believe that just over a year ago he was recovering from multiple severe health scares. Bret and his bandmates were all smiles as the foursome finished with their pyro-filled grand finale, "Nothing But A Good Time."
Usually, as was the case with Poison for example, bands will play classic party songs over the speakers at a slightly louder volume than the previous tunes on their between-band playlist right before they come out to perform. Or, at the very least, they will turn off the house lights to let you know the show is about to begin. However this is not the case with Motley Crue. Since when have they ever done anything like everyone else?
With these troublemakers, you have no idea what's going to happen, as concert veterans who thought they were familiar with the usual show routine soon found out. The house lights were still on, people were still in line for beer, friends were still casually chatting as they checked their Twitter feeds while scantily clad girls danced in the aisles waiting to be discovered by roadies. Then, all of the sudden and without warning, the stage erupted into deafening rapid fire pyro explosions, the lights went off, and the opening riff of "Wild Side" kicked in before anyone knew what had just happened.
Motley Crue is a band that will never be accused of putting on a half assed show. From their beginning days on the Sunset Strip when bassist Nikki Sixx would light himself on fire, to drummer Tommy Lee flying over the audience, to Sixx staging an electrocution scene out of a horror film, the Crue never disappoints and always delights their devoted followers. Playing a fan-picked setlist as well as the very welcome addition of "Ten Seconds to Love", the band got the crowd riled up right off the bat. It's hard to be bored when the setlist is one that you voted for. Though even if they hadn't, the most casual of Crue fans were sure to recognize songs like "Girls Girls Girls", "Smokin' In the Boys Room", "Shout at the Devil", "Kickstart My Heart" and "Home Sweet Home."
As far as set design, the Crue's setup also deviated from the norm. The typically straight edged stagefront had been designed to have three prongs jut out into the first few rows, which allowed bassist Nikki Sixx, singer Vince Neil and guitarist Mick Mars to have their own platform to rock out on. Nikki also had his own special microphone that hung from a ceiling cord, which he would often swing out over the crowd and duck as it boomeranged back, leaving it to circle over his head like a vulture. The left and right side of the stage were outfitted with inclining ramps that went into the first few rows of the side sections of their audience. Vince and Nikki, as well as their two female backup singers, would often venture up the sides to sing with their fans, who would immediately take out their cell phones and cameras to record their unexpected closeup moment with their idols.
Then there was Tommy Lee's drum riser. Except that it wasn't a riser. His drumset was attached to a roller coaster loop. Though Lee played in a stationary position during the songs, he certainly did not stay still during his solo. Beginning by swinging his entire drumset (with him in it) side to side along the track of the giant metal ring, he eventually made his way around the entire structure, completing a full loop-dee-loop. Not wanting to be the only one able to enjoy this amazing experience, Lee picked a superfan from the crowd, strapped him into the backseat and let him join the adventurous ride.
Now, one might wonder, how do you know when a Motley Crue show is over? Is it when they play the last chord of "Kickstart My Heart"? Is it after the last blast of pyro flame has extinguished? No. It's when you're bathed in blood. Front row Crue fans, consider yourself warned: if you didn't get sprayed by prankster Sixx's blood spit during the main part of the show, that doesn't mean you can breathe a sigh of relief. Let's just say if you're standing near one of the buckets quietly placed along the stage edge, you should think about running soon. That's all I will say.
In the earlier days of glam metal, especially during the 80's, people often dismissed this particular genre as cheesy "Hair Metal" because of the liberal use of Aqua Net hair spray and magenta lipstick. Friday night's concert showed that there really is something to the music that people appreciated, or these bands wouldn't be filling arenas anymore (Mohegan Sun Arena was packed). Not everyone wants to sing about despair and depression in a minor key. Some people like their heartbreak with a good dose of sarcasm and humor along with loud guitars. Going into this show, people were looking for a good time, and that's just what they got.
The tour comes to Nassau Coliseum this Wednesday, July 20th. Tickets on sale via Ticketmaster (link). To view photos from the show, click here.
Comments