Crue Fest 2 rocks the Joint at Hard Rock

August 3, 2:03 AMLas Vegas Local Music ExaminerPaul Lavell

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Image from CrueFest2.com

Saturday, August 1, 2009: the night the newly renovated Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel was packed for Crue Fest 2 – the return of the multi-band summer festival headlined by Motley Crue. The line up included Charm City Devils, Drowning Pool, Theory of a Deadman, Godsmack, and the legendary rockers themselves, Motley Crue.

Baltimore, Maryland’s Charm City Devils took the stage shortly after 6:30 p.m. to kick off the event. A return-to-basics rock and roll band, the energy was immediately noticeable. Lead singer John Allen has a look some may say is reminiscent of Jon Bon Jovi, but that is where the comparison ends. Allen’s vocals were spot on and the rest of the band kept the packed house entertained. Loud cheers and applause followed when Allen announced that “...Vegas didn’t put the ‘sin’ in sin city, it just perfected it!”

Drowning Pool, formed in Dallas, Texas, was next up and gave a very respectable performance, singing crowd pleasers like 37 Stitches and Bodies. In a genuine moving moment, vocalist Ryan McCombs gave a tribute to former lead singer Dave Williams, who died in August 2002 from cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle. “Without him none of this would be possible,” McCombs said.

Canadian rockers Theory of a Deadman followed. Lead singer Tyler Connolly never quite sounded like he was in key through the entire set and at times it seemed that his voice was raspy which may have contributed to the strain in his vocals. The crowd, however, never showed any dissatisfaction toward the band and was every bit satisfied with Hate My Life, one of the group’s more popular songs.

Godsmack was next to take to the stage, which by now had been adjusted to allow more room as the previous bands equipment was moved out. Performing their smash hits including: Voodoo, I Stand Alone, Awake and Whatever, the energy and emotion was evident from the onset. Perhaps the highlight of the performance was when frontman Sully Erna and drummer Shannon Larkin, each at their own drum set, played an impressive alternating drum solo – a staple for their live performances - demonstrating that vocals clearly are not Erna’s only talent.

One last time the stage was cleared, and after a short delay, the sound of a heartbeat could be heard from the amplifiers. From the corner of the stage, what appeared to be a zombie-like nurse was pushing a rather enormous wheelchair to the center of the stage. After opening two trap doors beneath the seat of the chair, a hysterical and deranged woman in a straitjacket emerged and was quickly taken off stage by men dressed as hospital orderlies.

From this point on Motley Crue, featuring lead singer Vince Neal, bassist Nikki Sixx, guitarist Mick Mars, and drummer Tommy Lee, performed their hugely successful album Dr. Feelgood from start to finish celebrating its 20th anniversary. Originally released on September 1, 1989, Dr. Feelgood included such hits as Kickstart My Heart, Without You, She Goes Down, Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away), and the title track Dr. Feelgood.

Motley Crue was by far the loudest of all the bands to play for the night, but considering that the first Crue Fest in 2008 was sometimes referred to as the Loudest Show on Earth; this should not be a surprise. After a short break, the Crue returned for an encore singing their 2008 release Saints of Los Angeles and crowd favorites Shout at the Devil, which was chalk full of pyrotechnics, and Girls, Girls, Girls.

Crue Fest 2 did not disappoint and should prove a very successful tour. For more information or to check for upcoming dates, be sure to check out CrueFest2.