Late Night With Mötley Crüe
Saturday, January 24, 2015 at 12:01AM Today's post comes from our friend HIM.
Regular readers of Bring Back Glam know that I am a fan of the Crüe. Not a fanboy, mind you. But a fan nonetheless. I treat them like I treat quite a few of the idols of my youth. When Metallica started selling their souls to Bob Rock, I complained. When Blackie Lawless showed himself to be not only disingenuous, but also dismissive of his fans, I turned my back on him and W.A.S.P. The classic case is Ozzy, a singer and force of nature that I idolized as a youngster. But the laundry list of cheap gimmicks, coupled with his shoddy treatment of former band members, and divided again diminished output and creative lethargy, did it for me. It isn’t that I have a jaundiced eye; I have a realistic one. I still listen to all of those bands. I still treat the music they made with a great deal of respect. I just don’t go out of my way to support them, or purchase their new music, or see them unless they are on some package tour that breezes past my house. The same goes for the Crüe. They haven’t really mattered to me for a long time, save as memories—profound and lewd, inspirational and embarrassing—that are fused to the music they made up to the release of their eponymous 1994 album with John Corabi. And I kept at least an ear to the ground regarding the developments thereafter. I saw them on their New Tattoo tour with Maloney on the kit. I hummed along to a couple of the tracks on Saints of Los Angeles. As many regulars can guess, I didn’t sniff in distaste if a post or article appeared online. I read it as one would read a note from an old friend with whom they had lost touch. Casual interest mixed with a certain amount of hope—usually dashed—that things were going as well as they were when we used to be close. If I wanted a dose of the Crüe I knew, I simply put on the music of my memories.
So January 22 was an interesting test case for me: the Crüe on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. It was a chance to see them in a controlled environment, in somewhat real time, right in front of my couch. Sure, it is part of a promotional tour to keep the farewell going. But it is metal on late night television. I wasn’t going to pass it up.
You know what? Apply my comments regarding DLR to the Crüe on this night. They picked the right song (“Girls, Girls, Girls”). They kept the sing-alongs and higher notes in the hands of the band and the two back-up singers. They stripped it down to its essentials. They nailed it. Vince showed the same sort of stamina that Roth did in recent performances. Lee looked healthy and aggressive on the skins, and toyed around behind Fallon’s back as the credits rolled. Sixx didn’t showboat and actually blended in with the band. Mars? Watching him play is one thing . . . but watching him joyously react as The Roots played during the closing was a rare, and special, treat. My feelings about the Crüe’s more recent output, and this final tour, are well known. This performance did nothing to change my feelings. They aren’t going out on top, they are going. Some people are confusing the interest in this tour with actual interest in the band more generally. But that is a con, a trick of light. Others are also going to love each and every song they release, regardless of quality. Others still will go to the trenches claiming that all is well with Neil’s pipes. Don’t confuse smoke with fire, or a stage spectacle with musical chops. Tonight, though, they made a case for why they once mattered. They did their legacy proud. Their younger selves, if treated to this performance (and only this performance), would likely smile and sneer in equal measure. Their loyal fans are likely ecstatic. Fans like myself? I always like it when a band proves me wrong, if even for one night. The Crüe did that.
Reader Comments (23)
The boys were all business. Thinkin' along the lines of HIM, as I watched, I thought maybe it was the fact it was an up close national TV appearance on a tight stage. Or their old pro selves came to the unified self realization that if there ever was ever a moment to kick a*s and deliver the goods, that moment would be now.
The proof is in the puddin'. They totally stepped up and nailed it! No going through the motions here. Oddly, one commentator under the Crüe Greatest Hits post a couple back thought they slowed it down. I didn't get that at all. They were tight and there was no showboating. Nothing about it was halfa*sed or slowed down in my mind. Listening to Tommy alone would tell you that.
If you'll note, too, it was extremely well filmed, thanks to the union boys at NBC.
Regardless of how many rehearsals they did that afternoon before filming, you almost get the feeling the guys behind the cameras already knew the song, which wouldn't surprise me, as many of them are seasoned veterans of the trade and Crüe really is a working man's band, when all is said and done.
I'm thinkin' there were 3 or 4 cameras in total with 1 or 2 handhelds on stage to get in on Tommy, the dancers and tight shots of the guitar solos and amps, etc.
I had a nice chuckle to myself, thinkin' about the subject matter and lyrics emanating out from the stage into an audience of predominantly wannabe millenial Wall Street type yuppies and dear-in-the-headlights tourists.
Also, the spectacle of the "back-up singers" must have raised a Frederic Fekkai coiffed eyebrow or two from the organic peanut gallery.
Another thing to observe when watching this... When Fallon's making the intro and mentions the farewell tour is ending New Year's Eve 2015, the audience laughs, almost indignantly, as if to discount our heroes, lacking the awareness of the legacy embodied by the four vessels on the stage.
The applause was halfhearted as the first chords kicked in. Well, needless to say, at the conclusion of the song, it was apparent the audience obviously had their hearts kick started and were now applauding voraciously.
Amazing what a little REAL Rock & Roll will do for the soulless. And 30 Rock officially became rechristened in just 4 and a half fleeting minutes, 30 ROCK!!!
p.s. Speaking of "Real", I thought the whole thing was 100% authentic, listening and looking closely, amid echoes of previous accusations, for any lip synching or backing tracks for any slack in the performance. I didn't detect any of that, but... in the wake of "Ballgate", we really don't need "Crüegate", so someone tell me, unequivocally, am I imagining hearing piped-in back-up gang-style vocals on the chorus line, "Girls, girls, girls."? Please tell me I'm hearing things as I really don't want an asterisk of any kind next to this rare appearance.
My take is simple. Crüe can do no more. They defined an era & live on in our memories. I choose not to spend crazy money on the "biggies" like Bon & Crüe. Why? Partly its a ripoff, the crowd are comprised of people needing to "remember when" and are there to re-live the memories. To them it's nostalgia. To me the music is up front and present in my life.
I still rock, they used to rock. No fault either way and not judging.
I just feel "old" when I'm at the "big" shows. I haven't subjected myself to that in years. Give me LA Guns, Kix, Extreme on their current tour, Saigon Kick, any day. They just seem hungrier still. Kinda like me.
On a side note to Ace and any other guitarist reading this,is it just me,or is Mick (and Nikki) tuned down to about "B" these days? I'm assuming it'd be to make it easier on Vinny's voice. Just sounded waaay low to me. But the band were still tighter than my bosses wallet at raise time. Smoking rendition of an incredible song. \m/
And thanks for the explanation. So crazy about the tuning. To clarify for other readers, personally, I didn't hear it as slow. That was somebody commenting about the Tonight Show appearance under Al's "Greatest Hits" post a few back.
I ran into a Brother in Metal at CVS tonight. He's a killer Rock photographer who's shot Crüe in concert many times and he and I discussed the show. He's seen 'em 20+ times and has a tattoo of Mick Mars on his right forearm. He thought it was great but thought the following:
1) Shame they lip synced the chorus. "Why not get chicks that can actually sing?", I asked. That's when he informed me that the brunette on the right is Lee's girlfriend. "That explains that!", said I.
2) Tommy was on something. I didn't really get that but he definitely thought so.
3) Watch Mick at the end. He drops his guitar on the drum riser and starts lookin' for something in his pocket and is out of there. I'm like, "He dropped it? Isn't that the only guitar he plays now?", to which he answered, "Yes."
Let's take another look, shall we?
I also appreciate the nod, bkallday. I just tried to review it like I saw/heard it. When the typed tirades settle, I think we probably agree on quite a bit (though differ on matters of tone and emphasis, argument and rhetoric, etc.). I stand by what I said previously. I know you do too. But, again, much appreciated.
I figured some of the background vocals were canned. But that didn't really bother me for a performance in a venue like this. The other issues that Gary, Ace, and Metalboy! discuss (fascinating stuff) are way beyond my pay grade.
Given all the Crue related discussions as of late, I was really prepared to be unimpressed. But I wasn't. Like Roth for me or Neil for some others on here, I will put up with quite a bit at live concerts. In this setting, though, it didn't feel forced or look tired to me. I caught some of that old sparkle. As a fan, I'd be a dolt not to admit that.
The only thing I missed was the whole "What Vince? Where?" section from the album . . . for some reason, I always thought that was both hilarious and perfectly fitting.
I realize something else, as to why they sparkled and shined that night... Not just stepping up because you can't hide in that kind of spotlight, but, from my personal experience, New York City brings out the best in people and in this case, Brings Back the Glam in people!
Their only regret should be not having a new song to play or final album to foist.
A couple of things they could do, should do and I'm willing to bet will do, in some shape or form, is to (1) Put out a live album comprised of either the final show at the Whisky or Staples or the best previously unreleased performance of a particular song selected from either the tour or from over the years or all of the above.
And (2), they could release a live 2 DVD set of either of the last two shows plus previously unreleased performances from over the years. Needless to say, all of these projects where it involves gleaning content from this last tour, will be better served by better than expected performances like we saw on Fallon plus some surprise deep cuts from the back catalogue sprinkled in.
Which brings up another rather obvious thing I'm sure wasn't lost on the boys about performing well on The Tonight Show... It helps sell more tickets!
They've proven they still got the chops, now they just gotta get more clever with the set lists and performances!
No doubt, both final live album/DVD project(s) would/will be appropriately titled "All Bad Things Must Come To An End".
p.s. One band that won't get caught doing the same set list every night on their farewell tour is Cheap Trick, who are also heralded by the Crüe as one of their big influences. Take a cue from one of your mentors boys... Rise to the occasion. This is your legacy and chance at immortality.