Having attending concerts since 1979, and seeing my share of amazing shows, Motley Crue was by far one of the most incredible shows ever. Before the lights went down the last song over the P.A. was the Ramones "Sedated," which was fitting for the Dr. Feelgood-themed stage design. Followed by a set list of the entire Feelgood album in song order. This marked the 20th anniversary of the album's release.
An interesting intro to the show involved an over-sized vintage wheelchair, in which a mental patient popped out of and was strapped down and injected by a humongous syringe. The Crue then hit the stage ensconced in a brightly lit white padded cell, which gave them a third of the stage usage but was lifted away before the next song. Every inch of the stage was designed with great detail to create a deteriorated look of a mental ward with the sickly glow of green tile from the Dr. Feelgood album cover. I.V. bags filled with green liquid hung from mic stands and various locations on stage, as well as various medical equipment and contraptions looking like Frankinstein's lab on steroids.
The last song played from the Feelgood album was "Time For Change." This was appropriate as the band fled the stage and crewmen appeared in the darkness using electronic tools and grinders with sparks flying as if reconstructing the stage. When Motley reappeared the stage had transformed to look like rusted gears like the inside of an old watch, complete with wires, lights and gauges. Pyrotechnics were in abundance, with flames shooting across the amps and upwards out of steel drums. This may have been the most pyro I have seen at one show. I thought if I could feel the heat, the band must have really been burning up.
Motley Crue were as solid-sounding as ever, complete with female backup singers in vinyl fetish corsets. The crowd was on their feet with arms raised the entire show. We all definitely got bang for our buck. Following the Dr. Feelgood anthology was "Wild Side," "Saints of L.A. ," "Shout At The Devil," "Primal Scream," and an encore of "Home Sweet Home" and "Girls, Girls, Girls." Out of all the times I have seen Motley Crue, they have outdone themselves this time. I wonder how they plan on topping this show the next time around?
Artist:
www.motley.com
Crue Fest 2 Tickets:
tickets.motley.com
