Oddly enough, if there was going to be one band from the 80's who definitely would not still have all their members alive and well enough to rock the big stage, it would argueably be the Crue. With all the legendary stories of alcohol, drug abuse and every other kind of vice you can think of spitting in the face of the generation changing to outlook on sexual promiscuity (assuming the bulk of their stories are true), Motley Crue should not still be standing.
15 years ago, if you saw Motley Crue live, it would have been a bunch of washed-up rockers with that one guy who slept with Pam Anderson. But it was really clear to me that Motley Crue has superseded the has-been status, and now if felt like I was watching a legendary band, like KISS or AC/DC. Watching Motley Crue, dare I say, almost felt like, you must watch them whether you like them or not.
Maybe it's the fact that Wal-Mart has been selling retro rock band shirts like Motley Crue, or maybe it's Tommy Lee's reality shows and sex tapes that kept the band relevant... or maybe, just maybe, it's the songs. Songs that stood the test of relevancy that marched beyond its own trend, songs that are still worthy of a good head bang after its shelf life had superseded.
It's hard not to notice how many kids there were under the age of 20 who were not accompanied by adults watching this spectacle. The crowd loved the show, not like watching a modern day Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan or Ozzie Ozborne, where they are simply a shell of what they used to be, but they loved the show because the Crue can still bring the heat.
Drummer Tommy Lee did his famous drum solo upside down in a circular rollercoaster like platform. Heaven knows I have little tolerance for a drum solo, but watching Tommy Lee do a drum solo on a moving roller coaster was something to remember. As dumb as it sounds, it's really pretty amazing and fun to watch, mostly because he has fun riffing with the crowd as he does it, and like him or not, Tommy Lee's personality embodies all what the 80's glam metal stood for. In fact, you can sum up that entire generation by his stories alone. Watching Tommy Lee does NOT feel like you're watching an old dude-- it feels very relevant.
Nikki Sixx being the radio show host he is had his time on the mic, which was surprisingly pretty funny, and gave the show some great entertainment value as he summed up the bands existence: "Vince Neil and I have fought fist to face over and over again, and we will never stop rocking together, Mick Mars is somehow still alive, and Tommy Lee is on a #*$&% rollercoaster!"
Mick Mars is truly the reason I believe Motley Crue is so legitimized. The riffs that drive songs like S.O.S., Kick Start My Heart, Dr. Feelgood, and so many others. I have always loved the production of those epic rock anthems that Motley Crue rocks so well. Mars is in my head one of the most underrated guitar players of all time.... and I have always felt that was because of front man Vince Neil.
If you are like me, and you like the songs by Motley Crue, but sometimes get annoyed by the high pitched screeching vibrato of Vince Neil... then watching him live will not change your mind. Vince Neil to me, sounds like Hollywood's 1950's sci-fi depictions of Alien's saying words like Earthlings with a high pitch squeal.
All the band nailed those old tunes as good if not better than the recording, but Vince Neil, it's hard to appreciate what he brings to the table. It's been said that he is the Pillsbury Doughboy of rock, and after seeing him live, I tend to agree. His vocals, although close enough to pitch to be permissable for rock, felt very airy and lacked the guts and fangs that the songs called for. Not saying he should sing like a James Hetfield of Metallica, but maybe closer to the gravel of his arch nemesis Axl Rose would do him some good. His vocal performance just didn't have the guts to rock the joint, but if you already liked him for what he sounded like in the first place, you may disagree.
All in all, if you are a Motley Crue fan, you might not be disappointed. They played well and we're probably as good as they ever were. The great question as Jaret from Bowling For Soup pointed out,
"When did Motley Crue become Classic Rock?" This was no longer watching a band who is a fad, a novelty or just a bunch of old guys with a handful of hits; Motely Crue is a good ole rock band on their way to someday being inducted into the Rock n' Roll hall of fame... for better of for worse.
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