Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on Feb 19, 2005 12:58:42 GMT -5
Mötley Crüe has built its career on blow-dried metal riffs, recycled theatrics, bad-boy antics and a tractor-trailerfull of infamy. They're Spinal Tap for real, with touches of tragedy.
At the reunited '80s metal band's show at Sunrise's Office Depot Center Thursday, the first night of their Red, White and Crüe: Better Live Than Dead tour, the mere fact they were there, together, was ample cause for celebration for the more than 7,500 rapturous fans. That they powered through the two-hour show with no punches thrown or major mishaps -- with hugs and affection even -- was a triumph, pathos intended.
''I've got three f---ing words for you all,'' Tommy Lee said after a drum solo that saw him flying between two 30-feet-high drum risers: ``I love you.''
These are four middle-aged musicians who can't get through a sentence without swearing. ''We're Mtley f---ing Crüe!'' singer Vince Neil, wearing a hockey blazer emblazoned with the number 69, crowed at the show's end. Then, ``God bless.''
Neil and Lee each left Crüe at different points in the '90s. Lee said in the past their relationship was irreconcilable. But last year, allegedly driven by a wave of interest in the band's oeuvre, the four original members announced they would tour in '05. They released a greatest-hits collection, Red, White & Crüe, with three new songs, last month.
The Crüe was the most successful hair-metal band of the '80s. They took the thundering blues guitar and molten boogie rhythms of Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith and turned out quaint, melodic hooks and dramatic gestures. With hits Dr. Feelgood, Girls, Girls, Girls, Looks That Kill and Shout at the Devil, all of which they played Thursday, Crüe were tailor-made for the MTV era. Tattooed love gods Lee, Neil and bassist Nikki Sixx look the part, even if Neil shrieks like a munchkin.
Still, there was always a dramatic human element to the Crüe that elevated them above, or dropped them below, the ranks of Warrant, Poison or Cinderella, a poignancy to their living out the ultimate adolescent male fantasy. For one, guitarist Mick Mars, the most talented musician, suffers from a degenerative rheumatoid disease that stunts and hobbles his growth. With a dwarf on a unicycle and tattooed contortionists offering some live girl-on-girl action, the Crüe called their concert a ''freak show.'' For once, maybe this wasn't the usual carnivalesque rock'n'roll slumming.
The Crüe may be just as famous for their off-stage shenanigans; they detailed their debauchery in the book The Dirt. But their miscreant behavior helped derail the band. Neil served time for drunk driving and involuntary manslaughter after he was the driver of the car in which Hanoi Rocks' drummer was killed. Lee served time for assaulting his wife, Pamela Anderson. Sixx once nearly died of a heroin overdose.
But the gang was all there Thursday, seemingly fit and happy, although Lee's powdered face looked weirdly ghostly. Neil embarrassingly slipped and fell at one point; ''oops,'' he said, and swigged a beer. Barely a half-hour into the show, they somewhat inexplicably took an intermission, stalling the momentum and indicating that their stamina isn't what it once was. Before they first came on and during the break, they showed parts of a film featuring them as cartoon claymation figures. The Crüe understands they're a bit of a joke.
At the reunited '80s metal band's show at Sunrise's Office Depot Center Thursday, the first night of their Red, White and Crüe: Better Live Than Dead tour, the mere fact they were there, together, was ample cause for celebration for the more than 7,500 rapturous fans. That they powered through the two-hour show with no punches thrown or major mishaps -- with hugs and affection even -- was a triumph, pathos intended.
''I've got three f---ing words for you all,'' Tommy Lee said after a drum solo that saw him flying between two 30-feet-high drum risers: ``I love you.''
These are four middle-aged musicians who can't get through a sentence without swearing. ''We're Mtley f---ing Crüe!'' singer Vince Neil, wearing a hockey blazer emblazoned with the number 69, crowed at the show's end. Then, ``God bless.''
Neil and Lee each left Crüe at different points in the '90s. Lee said in the past their relationship was irreconcilable. But last year, allegedly driven by a wave of interest in the band's oeuvre, the four original members announced they would tour in '05. They released a greatest-hits collection, Red, White & Crüe, with three new songs, last month.
The Crüe was the most successful hair-metal band of the '80s. They took the thundering blues guitar and molten boogie rhythms of Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith and turned out quaint, melodic hooks and dramatic gestures. With hits Dr. Feelgood, Girls, Girls, Girls, Looks That Kill and Shout at the Devil, all of which they played Thursday, Crüe were tailor-made for the MTV era. Tattooed love gods Lee, Neil and bassist Nikki Sixx look the part, even if Neil shrieks like a munchkin.
Still, there was always a dramatic human element to the Crüe that elevated them above, or dropped them below, the ranks of Warrant, Poison or Cinderella, a poignancy to their living out the ultimate adolescent male fantasy. For one, guitarist Mick Mars, the most talented musician, suffers from a degenerative rheumatoid disease that stunts and hobbles his growth. With a dwarf on a unicycle and tattooed contortionists offering some live girl-on-girl action, the Crüe called their concert a ''freak show.'' For once, maybe this wasn't the usual carnivalesque rock'n'roll slumming.
The Crüe may be just as famous for their off-stage shenanigans; they detailed their debauchery in the book The Dirt. But their miscreant behavior helped derail the band. Neil served time for drunk driving and involuntary manslaughter after he was the driver of the car in which Hanoi Rocks' drummer was killed. Lee served time for assaulting his wife, Pamela Anderson. Sixx once nearly died of a heroin overdose.
But the gang was all there Thursday, seemingly fit and happy, although Lee's powdered face looked weirdly ghostly. Neil embarrassingly slipped and fell at one point; ''oops,'' he said, and swigged a beer. Barely a half-hour into the show, they somewhat inexplicably took an intermission, stalling the momentum and indicating that their stamina isn't what it once was. Before they first came on and during the break, they showed parts of a film featuring them as cartoon claymation figures. The Crüe understands they're a bit of a joke.
. Another thing I never quite got with Rock musicians is when they flip "the bird" whenever they are getting their picture taken 
. Some of these guys are still doing that in their 40's and 50's! To me, that stopped being the least bit funny around 9th grade. 
Better than rap to be sure, but then again, so is a sharp stick in the eye 
