So I guess last week was “Legends in Concert” week. Matt tagged in and rocked 20 feet from the mighty Rush and I took in a set from the one and only Billy Idol. Normally I would turn my nose up to these awkward musician nursing home casino shows and it seems I may have got the short end of stick in this case, but something deep inside me screamed – “Dude, you should probably see “Rebel Yell” and “Dancing With Myself” live before Idol kicks the bucket.” You know what, it was totally worth the trek north, and Tulalip’s outdoor venue wasn’t half bad either-- descent sound, good sight lines, beers go anywhere-- not bad.
Idol looked fit, though creepily glowing spray tan orange with pearly whites beaming from that signature snarl-- almost like a human jack o’ lantern. He changed outfits frequently, eventually exposing his chiseled 55 year old abs-- and if you were wondering, yes, the breasts came out amongst the crowd of all ages. His band was super tight but looked like they were recruited straight out of Nu-Metal University except of course for Steve Stevens – Idol’s longtime collaborator and guitar whiz. Steven’s face looked like an old catcher’s mitt (surely due to 30 years of chain smoking on stage) but damn can the man shred.
Idol fist pumped his way through Generation X’s “Ready Steady Go” and then “Dancing with Myself” to get the crowd moving right off the bat. The set list left out no hits, but lulled a bit in the middle when Idol tried out a new tune-- pretending not to read the lyric’s off a podium. Steve Stevens saw a large portion of the spotlight, getting quite a few chances to show off his chops, including a 10+ minute intermission that saw him impressively shredding on an acoustic guitar.
Things picked up again as Idol and co. rocked a sweet cover of The Door’s “LA Woman”, which lead into Rebel Yell-- the reason I had to cross Idol off my concert bucket list in the first place. Needless to say, it was fucking killer and I returned fist pumps with reckless abandon. For the encore, only Stevens and Idol returned to the stage and the all too familiar notes of “White Wedding” rang from the PA to plenty of cheers. What began as an acoustic version eventually hit with full band and audience in tow, at that classic “It’s a nice day to….start agaaaaiiin" part. The night ended ceremoniously with a rousing version of “Mony Mony”.
While the middle-age masses filed back into the smoky casino to plop back down at the slots, I fled as fast as possible to catch Pencil Fighting at the Funhouse with Warning:Danger!. Home, sweet, home-- though I’m not ruling out Skynyrd in September.
Here are my photos from the evening. Enjoy!
Words, Photos by Nik Christofferson
Great Photos Nik Christofferson. THX
ReplyDelete