Motley Crue brought the pyro. The outrageous drum solo. And of course, the girls. Poison had nothin' but a good time. And the New York Dolls showed why they influenced both bands, among others -- even if most of the early crowd appeared disinterested.

The triumvirate of glam rockers rocked roughly 16,000 fans Thursday night at the AT&T Center. With the Crue celebrating 30 years, Poison their 25th and the Dolls their 40th, the night rekindled memories of high school for the 40-somethings in the house. But the delivery and showmanship passed just fine for 2011.

While hundreds of fans were checking out merchandise, drinking in the concourse or just walking into the arena during the Dolls' set, singer David Johansen and Co. strutted their stuff. Those who did watch sat down and applauded.

No disrespect intended here, but the Dolls' 45-minute set was 15 minutes too long -- especially given that Poison and the Crue wound up going on 20 minutes past the start times listed by their dressing rooms. But a bigger sign of disrespect was that this band that Crue and Poison had acknowledged as influences had to play in front of Poison's 25-year banner backdrop.

Make no mistake, though. The majority were there to see Crue and Poison.

Before Poison took to the stage, vocalist Bret Michaels gave a shameless plug about his upcoming rock cruise. Then the pitchman turned into frontman, and as the curtain dropped, Michaels rose behind Rikki Rockett's drum kit, and the AT&T Center came alive with traditional opener Look What The Cat Dragged In. Twenty-four years of concert reveling had come full circle for the SAMME. Ratt and Poison was yours truly's first concert on June 30, 1987, on the same stage I would eventually walk to collect my high school diploma.

Following second song Ride The Wind, Michaels thanked the fans while giving a brief recap about his emergency appendectomy that occurred in town in April 2010, six months before his solo band's performance at SeaWorld SanAntonio (see "suggested" links below). Poison then surprisingly went into We're An American Band. It was a long shot that Poison would play something from their underrated 2002 record Hollyweird, but anything from that album should have superseded a Grand Funk Railroad cover. Perhaps it was no coincidence, then, that C.C. Deville's guitar stopped working. 

But that disappointment, and malfunction, were short-lived. Poison and Motley Crue are under the microscope as many wonder if they can co-exist for the tour's duration -- among each other and between each band. Sure, San Antonio was only the second stop. But the bands' camaraderie on stage felt genuine, not contrived. Michaels frequently shouted out mid-song to his occasional nemesis Deville, putting his arm around his guitarist and feeding him the mic for back-up vocals on Your Mama Don't Dance and Fallen Angel.

Due to Poison's late start, the 55-minute set was devoid of encores only in terms of exiting and re-entering the stage. They still ended with Talk Dirty To Me and Nothin' But A Good Time, cementing that their appeal since Day 1 is mainly due to their abundance of positive, party-atmosphere type of songs.

Then it was the Crue's turn to top it.

Motley gave a figurative middle finger to the clock as the curtain fell while house music was still playing. Lights around the front of the stage were quickly turned off. It was as if the band said, "F--- this, let's get this show on the road." Surprised fans who were socializing away from their seats scurried back, and Vince Neil missed most of the first verse of Wild Side as the Crue tried to get their timing in sync. By the second verse, Motley was off and rolling.

The setlist had been voted on by fans a couple months earlier, but there was one change from Tuesday's opening night in Dallas. Ten Seconds To Love was played here instead of Too Fast For Love. Neil sang virtually every word of every song this time and did so without huffing and puffing as he had done while out of shape on Cruefest dates around the States in 2008 and 2009. (Again, this was the tour's second night. Advantage: San Antonio).

It wouldn't be a Crue concert without exotic dancers and a never-before-seen drum solo from Tommy Lee -- and both stole the show. A pair of scantily-clad knockouts accompanied the band throughout the performance with suggestive dancing, backup vocals, costume changes, and kisses for the lucky Neil.

Lee's drum kit was perched on a ferris wheel-type roller coaster. During his solo, the kit rolled to each side, tantalizing the crowd until Lee hung upside down at the 180-degree point to the roars of the arena (see video left). Lee then made one lucky fan's day by selecting him to go on a ride, and they looped around together without vomiting. (Note to readers in other cities hoping to be selected: It might help if you wear a Motley Crue shirt).

Lee's solos have always been about the visual theatrics rather than the actual performance. So while he may not be the most technical drummer in the world, Lee continues to reinvent the art of the solo, ensuring that if you select that time to purchase a beer, you've wasted part of your ticket value. As he showcased in the video for Wild Side in 1987 and throughout that tour, Lee isn't exactly bashful about risking his life while playing upside down (is he shy about anything?). Still, to think this latest stunt will be performed for the next couple of months is nothing short of admirable.

After Motley delved into Looks That Kill and Dr. Feelgood, bassist Nikki Sixx took over the mic. He instructed the crowd to sit down, telling them to pretend they were in church. Sixx followed with a sermon that acknowledged each of his bandmates/nemeses.

"Mick Mars is a man of steel. He'll never die," Sixx marveled. "And no matter how much I fight with him, Vince Neil is the greatest singer, and I love him. And Tommy Lee's on a (expletive) roller coaster, man!"

Other fan-friendly highlights within the 90-minute set included Home Sweet Home, with Lee interchanging between piano and drums (see video, left). The 1985 song was responsible for MTV changing the format of its now-defunct all-request show "Dial MTV" because the video was No. 1 for 85 consecutive days. The channel chose to retire it to give other artists a chance. On Too Young To Fall In Love, fans who had arrived early and took pictures alongside the Sixx Sense tour bus outside the AT&T Center could see themselves in the backdrop behind Lee's set-up.

The topsy-turvy night of rock concluded with Girls, Girls Girls, Smokin' In The Boys' Room and Kickstart My Heart (see video, left).

Each of the combustible bands conquered the AT&T Center because they kept the explosions relegated to the music and stage show. It made for nothin' but a good, wild time for all.

Motley Crue's setlist: 1) Wild Side, 2) Saints Of Los Angeles, 3) Live Wire, 4) Shout At The Devil, 5) Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.), 6) Primal Scream, 7) Home Sweet Home, 8) Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away), drum solo, 9) Looks That Kill, 10) Dr. Feelgood, 11) Too Young To Fall In Love, 12) Ten Seconds To Love, 13) Girls, Girls, Girls, 14) Smokin' In The Boys' Room, 15) Kickstart My Heart

Poison's setlist: 1) Look What The Cat Dragged In, 2) Ride The Wind, 3) We're An American Band, 4) Something To Believe In, 5) Your Mama Don't Dance, guitar solo, 6) Fallen Angel, short drum solo, 7) Every Rose Has Its Thorn, 8) Talk Dirty To Me, 9) Nothin' But A Good Time

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