A Piece of Motley's Past...

Two great videos here: clips of Motley Crue rehearsing for their 1994 tour with John Corabi. The clips focus mainly on Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee. Apparently there are more clips - but the owner hasn't yet uploaded for lack of views. If you all click the links and watch the clips, maybe the owner will upload the rest of these videos and we can see more of Motley's history.

Even in turmoil, I'm always amazed at how happy Nikki seemed during this period. Perhaps he was truly optimistic at the possibility of a new singer. The chance for change. A new direction. Whatever the case, Nikki's spirits are clearly high in this clip - and Tommy Lee and Mick Mars are jovial as well.

We don't see too much of John Corabi in these clips. I suppose throughout his tenure with Motley Crue, Corabi intrinsically knew that was the fifth wheel. Vince was physically gone, but his ghost remained. The nineties were tough for Glam bands. Even tougher for a band that had just kicked out a very loved and famous lead singer.

John Corabi is immensely talented - and Motley Crue's self-titled 1994 release is an amazing album. Those people that say it sucks simply can't get past the notion that it is Motley Crue without Vince. Regardless of whether this is right or wrong, Nikki Sixx owns the Motley machine and - at one time - decreed Corabi the new Vince. I consider Motley Crue among the best of their canon - and consistently rank the release within the top three efforts by the band.

Here is part one of the rehearsal footage:

Here is part two. Of the two clips, this is my favorite.

The best thing about YouTube is rediscovering a band's personal history. Fans get to live the ups and downs through moving clips. The bands themselves get to hide from the evidence!

AC/DC vs. Metallica

AC/DC and Metallica are two bands that have enjoyed a rare amount of success. Both bands are huge and still have rabid fan bases. Sure, the most recent albums by both bands were less than great,  but anytime the possibility of a new AC/DC or Metallica album is mentioned - people get a little crazy. People get even crazier at the talk of a tour. Now, both AC/DC and Metallica are getting ready to release new discs and a full tour supporting the material. Which tour will be bigger?

I honestly don't know who to give the edge here. Quite frankly, I'm going to both tours and I'll get both albums, too. AC/DC have been around longer but when the chips fall in place, I'm probably a bigger Metallica fan. Either way, I think both tours are going to be massive.

How massive? I'm not sure. My guess is that ticket prices for both tours will be astronomical - with AC/DC having a higher nightly guarantee and subsequently older audience. At least in North America, the tours are winter events - and that usually means pretty big venues. Metallica is coming to Ohio in November at the Schottenstein Center. For those of you not from Ohio - that is on the campus of Ohio State University. Everything at Ohio State University is absolutely huge. I am guessing that AC/DC will play two Ohio dates. 

You know what this means, right? It means I'm going to be shelling out a bunch of cash for fanclub memberships to get close tickets.

So, which will be bigger? Metallica or AC/DC? Which show will you attend?

There is no doubt in my mind that both tours will be among the highest grossing of 2009 - and maybe even this year if the respective bands play enough dates. I don't expect cheap tickets. I gave that dream up a long time ago.

Big Cock Need Our Help!

For whatever reason, I had no idea that my friend David Henzerling and his band Big Cock had entered the Make Rock History contest. That contest - sponsored by Guitar Center and Gibson - is basically giving away fame. You see, the wining band gets to tour with Motley Crue next summer. Think about it: Big Cock obviously fits with Motley Crue. I can just imagine that show now.

Big Cock have a few songs and videos uploaded to their MakeRockHistory.com profile. Just click here to vote. If I understand correctly, you can vote once a day for your favorite band.

After you've voted for the band, you might as well go ahead and buy their new album Motherload if you don't already own a copy. Talk about some good Glam.

Since Rock the Bayou is Less than One Week Away...

A few of my favorite videos by bands playing next weekend's massive Rock the Bayou festival:

RATT "Nobody Rides for Free:"

Lita Ford "Hungry:"

Alice Cooper "Feed My Frankenstein:"

Twisted Sister "Leader of the Pack:"

Concert Week: Def Leppard and Billy Idol Live

Last night I saw Def Leppard and Billy Idol at the Nutter Center here in Dayton, Ohio. I must be upfront: I was much more excited about seeing Billy Idol and his band than Def Leppard. After all, I’ve seen the Leps quite a few times so I knew what to expect.

I was issued a photo pass for the show and I was very excited about this because I wanted some good shots of Steve Stevens. Sadly, the venue lost the pass – and apparently the credentials for a lot of other people too. This meant I had to leave my professional camera in the car. So, I had my smaller back-up digital camera ready to go…but security was turning everyone at the door away with such devices. *Tangent time.* Since when did it become wrong to take a little camera into a concert to snap a few shots of a favorite artist? I get why the average person can’t tote in professional equipment – but come on. A small digital camera is not going to produce magazine-quality prints. I just don’t get it and I’m sick of venues and bands cracking down on the no camera policy. This situation put a bit of a damper on the beginning of my evening. *Tangent over.*

When I finally found my seats, Billy Idol and band were already on stage. It took me all of two seconds to zero-in on Mr. Steve Stevens. That man is amazing. In fact, Billy’s entire band is pretty phenomenal and he sounded great last night, too – but Steve stole the show. His solos were awesome…and he played intricate parts behind his head…while smoking a cigarette! Billy Idol performed “Rebel Yell,” “White Wedding,” “John Wayne,” “Dancin’ With Myself,” “Eyes Without a Face,” “LA Woman” and more. During LA Woman, Billy changed the words to Dayton woman. I’m sure the band did this in every city. I had fairly decent seats considering stage view, but I wasn’t on the floor and Billy was giving lots of things away. He threw out some autographed items and the band was good about throwing picks and drum sticks. In general, it seemed like Billy Idol and Co. were having a great time. Last night was the band's final appearance on the Def Leppard North American tour.

The crowd was very sparse during Billy Idol but I figured things would pick up before Def Leppard -- boy was I wrong. I’ve never seen the Nutter Center so empty. In fact, I’m not even sure why the venue didn’t just reseat people and bring the crowd in closer. Huge patches of empty seats everywhere was just plain sad. Also, the crowd was dead. There was no energy or excitement. This mood continued through the entire gig.

When it was time for Def Leppard, a giant screen projected images of old albums and the DL band members through the years. Then, the words “That was then…this is now” popped up and suddenly we were in the Sparkle Lounge. Def Leppard performed:

Rocket
Animal
C'mon C'mon
Foolin'
Nine Lives
Love Bites
Rock On
2 Steps Behind
Bringin’ On The Heartbreak
Switch 625
Hysteria
Armageddon It
Photograph
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Rock Of Ages
Bad Actress
Let's Get Rocked

I have to admit the addition of “Bad Actress” to the set surprised me. I figured Def Lep would only add two new songs to their set list. I saw Def Leppard last summer at Riverbend and I thought the band sounded pretty good. Last night, it seemed like Joe Elliott was struggling. He waned between good and bad moments. Again, there was no energy in the venue, so perhaps that was part of the problem. Even the music felt a little sluggish.

Def Leppard is one of the few bands that features a bass solo at every show. Since I play bass and Rick Savage is my favorite band member, this is always a highlight for me. I did notice Sav is wearing his hair a bit curly again. The past few tours, he’s straightened it out like a high school prom queen. I think he looks better with a wavy mop. Anyway, I always enjoy his solo and the extended intro to “Rock On.” This was my favorite part of the show.

Shouldn’t “Let’s Get Rocked” be the first song of the set – and not the last? I’ve always thought this was an odd way for Def Leppard to end their shows. They are lucky to be in the rare position of having so many hits. They have the pick of the litter! I suppose if I was driving the car, I would put something like “Photograph” at the end of the show. I am thankful that “Animal” was early. After all, it is my favorite.

Phil Collen was good to be sure. I think if Joe’s voice keeps failing, Phil should take over more of the lead duties. Perhaps even sing in tandem with Joe. I would rather hear this than canned backing vocals – and yes, Def Leppard were using canned vocals last night.

So, the verdict on concert week? Crue Fest wins by a mile, followed by Def Leppard (only because Billy Idol was on the tour) and then Poison.

The next live review? Around the clock coverage from Rock the Bayou in Houston, Texas starts in exactly one week. Be ready.

Too Drunk...

No, I'm not too drunk to review the Def Leppard/Billy Idol concert I just attended - just too tired. I have a very early meeting but hopefully I can get my review up by mid-morning, so please check back several times throughout the day. In the meantime, watch the new Buckcherry video for "Too Drunk..." I'm still pumped from their performance at Crue Fest. What a show. By the way, Buckcherry's new album Black Butterfly is due out September 16.

Concert Week: Crue Fest Live

After reading all the negative reviews for Crue Fest, I have to admit I was a little nervous before Tuesday's show at Riverbend Music Center near Cincinnati. I cannot attest to the other reviews, but I know from experience that every performance Tuesday night was excellent. 

In case you're new here (or you've been living under a rock) Crue Fest 2008 features Motley Crue, Buckcherry, Papa Roach, SIXX: AM and Trapt.  Now I will be the first to admit that I am not a  Trapt fan but  the band did their best to come out and give a high energy show. Running just five minutes behind schedule, Trapt played for less than 40 minutes. Trapt played  a track off their new album  Only Through the Pain. It was decent and I actually did receive that disc two weeks ago. Perhaps I should give it a shot? The crowd wasn't very big by this point, but people were starting to file-in nicely by the end of the set and yes, "Headstrong" got a nice reception.

As you can imagine, the crowd was getting dense for SIXX: AM. After all, Crue Fest is just about the only opportunity to see the band perform live. Nikki Sixx stayed off to the side and didn't steal much of the lime light. The 45 minute set was basically about singer James Michael and guitarist DJ Ashba. I was *very* excited about seeing SIXX: AM and I still stand by my statement that the Heroin Diaries soundtrack is perhaps one of the best rock albums of this decade. The band played "Tomorrow," "Accidents Can Happen," "Life is Beautiful" and "Pray for Me." I also got a lovely shower from DJ Ashba. He took a big swig of something and the spewed it all over the front two rows. Ah, Glam.

Biggest surprise of the night? Papa Roach. I need to give this band another chance. Ok, so I know a lot of their songs but I wasn't expecting such a good performance. Despite the fact that Jacoby Shaddix's eyes look like they were bugging out, I was pretty much mesmerized. Talk about putting 100% into a performance. As with nearly every other stop on the Crue Fest tour, Jacoby sang a song in the crowd. I had more fun watching Jerry Horton play his guitar (ladies: meow). For whatever reason, it seemed like Papa Roach got a longer time slot than Buckcherry. I can't say enough good things about Papa Roach - I loved the entire performance!  The band played a decent mix of songs from across their albums.

Obviously there were a ton of Motley Crue shirts in the crowd - but Buckcherry sure gave them a run for their money. By the time Buckcherry took the stage around 8 p.m., the amphitheater was packed. I think Papa Roach put on a better show, but Buckcherry were still very good. I can't get over how Josh Todd just sort of floats across the stage, kicking his legs to the side like a cartoon character. He's really very wiry, isn't he? While taking a photo of the floating Josh, a guitar pick hit my shoulder - and I handed it to Heather. Buckcherry are, after all, her band and she screamed along all the lyrics. Hearing "Too Drunk..." was fun to be sure. As a note, I don't recall ever hearing Riverbend more loud than when Buckcherry started the beginning of "Crazy Bitch." Insanity.

So, now it was time for me and Motley Crue. Being second row, center meant that I was thisclose to Nikki Sixx. There's no point in me posting the set list here because you already know the band played "Saints of Los Angeles" and "Motherfucker of the Year" from the new album and then all the Motley hits. Being so close to Vince Neil, it was easy to judge his mood: he was jolly. Jolly usually equals a good show and for the most part, Vince really did try to sing the words. He sang more lyrics than I expected and I swear he can still sing when he tries. As expected, Mick Mars was the highlight. So sick and quiet, just playing his guitar solos and owning the stage. I suppose that really says something when such a diminutive man with talent can outshine  glitz and bravado. I really wanted a guitar pick but it wasn't meant to be I guess. I was too far from Mick's side and he only ventured center two or three times.

I didn't understand why - of all bands - Motley Crue would choose to end their show with a ballad. "Home Sweet Home" as an encore actually worked and made a lot of sense. It really was quite touching, with the band ditching the pyro and coming together in one small spot on the stage to have a nice moment with fans. This song choice actually made the show feel more intimate - even though there were about 15,000 people behind me. I wish I had more time (and money) to see the show again. Truly excellent.

**Concert week continues tonight. I'll be seeing Def Leppard and Billy Idol right here in Dayton.

Update on Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 11:12AM by Allyson B. Crawford

**Allyson here. I just noticed the top picture looks terrible on my work monitor - but is awesome at home. I'm hoping you can see the devil image clearly. It really is a bad ass shot and excellent way for the Crue to open their show.