Motley Crue, Aerosmith serve up hearty slices of rock 'n' roll
Virginian Pilot, VA
October 22, 2006
Songwriter Don McLean has his own opinion of what makes up "American Pie." But Saturday night at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater, the menu consisted of two slices of classic American rock 'n' roll, served up loudly by the Motley Crue and Aerosmith "Route of All Evil" tour.
First up was Motley Crue, the Southern California bad boys who were among the pioneers of the 1980s Los Angeles metal scene. Churning out hit after hit, Motley Crue did a great job of cramming all of its classics into a 13-song, hour-and- 15-minute set.
Emerging onto the stage amid blinding strobes and pouring smoke, the band launched into its first song, "Dr. Feelgood," and it was immediately clear what was in store for the rest of the set.
Pounding drums, courtesy of Tommy Lee, thundering bass from Nikki Sixx, and huge, powerhouse guitar from Mick Mars provided the foundation of the music.
Vocalist Vince Neil seemed out of breath immediately, but still managed to hit the high notes and remember the lyrics.
Highlights of Crue's set included "Shout at the Devil," "Wildside," "Livewire," and "Girls, Girls, Girls," during which Neil rode a custom chopper out onto the stage.
Most impressive was guitarist Mars' performance.
Now in his 50s and suffering from a degenerative bone disease, Mars crept across the stage with very little movement aside from his hands on his guitar, which squeezed out greasy, blues-inspired licks and distorted, crashing power chords.
During "Primal Scream," he displayed some very impressive slide work.
Absent from Motley Crue's set was the once-obligatory drum solo from Tommy Lee.
In the past, you could "expect the unexpected" when it came to his solos. One year, he played while spinning upside down in circles. During last year's Carnival of Sins tour, he flew across the stage from side to side, landing on platforms long enough to play some beats.
Maybe he's saving energy for his Rockstar Supernova show in January at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.
Motley Crue has stood the test of time. Many of its 80s counterparts have disappeared into the club circuit or obscurity, but the Crue is still able to deliver the kind of arena rock it helped define in its heyday.
As good as Motley Crue was, though, it was simply the opening act Saturday. That's how great Aerosmith was.
Ripping into their set with "Toys in the Attic," Steven Tyler and the boys immediately took control.
The stripped-down stage set, with minimal amplifiers and few special effects, allowed the band to shine.
Guitarist Joe Perry led the band through a collection of songs ranging from classics "Draw the Line" and "Dream On " to the more recent "Eat the Rich" and "Cryin'."
It was nice to see the band skip some of the songs that had become concert standards in previous performances. Absent were "Living on the Edge," "Love in an Elevator," and their hit "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing."
In their place were gritty, raw versions of "Baby Please Don't Go," "Walkin' the Dog," and "Stop Messin' Around." The latter featured Perry on lead vocals and was dedicated to bassist Tom Hamilton, who has been absent from the tour while recovering from throat cancer.
The audience was more than forgiving when Perry joked about the band canceling several Virginia Beach concerts in recent years. "It's been a long time coming," he said. "I was worried about getting a flat tire on the way here, but I think we would have gotten out and walked."
Tyler later reiterated the sentiment and gave a heartfelt thank you to the fans for their patience.
Aerosmith worked the stage like the veterans they are.
Drummer Joey Kramer and guitarist Brad Whitford were as solid as ever, never batting an eye or missing a queue during Tyler's improvisations.
But Perry and Tyler were the ringleaders.
Strutting up and down the 70 -foot walkway into the crowd like stars of a rock 'n' roll fashion show, they were on fire, and took turns one-upping each other with their antics.
Whether it was Tyler's amazing vocals during "Dream On," or Perry's dramatic ending to "Draw the Line," where he removed his shirt and proceeded to whip his guitar with it, the two defined the evening.
Because the night was split between two headline acts, Aerosmith didn't play nearly as long as usual. I would have liked to have heard "Back in the Saddle," "What It Takes " and "Train Kept A Rollin',' " but there wasn't time.
What we did get was a quick and dirty collection of songs from the boys from Boston, and you won't hear me complaining about that.
It would be nice to see more bands put together tours such as the Motley Crue/Aerosmith show. Those two slices of American pie really hit the spot.
October 22, 2006
Songwriter Don McLean has his own opinion of what makes up "American Pie." But Saturday night at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater, the menu consisted of two slices of classic American rock 'n' roll, served up loudly by the Motley Crue and Aerosmith "Route of All Evil" tour.
First up was Motley Crue, the Southern California bad boys who were among the pioneers of the 1980s Los Angeles metal scene. Churning out hit after hit, Motley Crue did a great job of cramming all of its classics into a 13-song, hour-and- 15-minute set.
Emerging onto the stage amid blinding strobes and pouring smoke, the band launched into its first song, "Dr. Feelgood," and it was immediately clear what was in store for the rest of the set.
Pounding drums, courtesy of Tommy Lee, thundering bass from Nikki Sixx, and huge, powerhouse guitar from Mick Mars provided the foundation of the music.
Vocalist Vince Neil seemed out of breath immediately, but still managed to hit the high notes and remember the lyrics.
Highlights of Crue's set included "Shout at the Devil," "Wildside," "Livewire," and "Girls, Girls, Girls," during which Neil rode a custom chopper out onto the stage.
Most impressive was guitarist Mars' performance.
Now in his 50s and suffering from a degenerative bone disease, Mars crept across the stage with very little movement aside from his hands on his guitar, which squeezed out greasy, blues-inspired licks and distorted, crashing power chords.
During "Primal Scream," he displayed some very impressive slide work.
Absent from Motley Crue's set was the once-obligatory drum solo from Tommy Lee.
In the past, you could "expect the unexpected" when it came to his solos. One year, he played while spinning upside down in circles. During last year's Carnival of Sins tour, he flew across the stage from side to side, landing on platforms long enough to play some beats.
Maybe he's saving energy for his Rockstar Supernova show in January at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.
Motley Crue has stood the test of time. Many of its 80s counterparts have disappeared into the club circuit or obscurity, but the Crue is still able to deliver the kind of arena rock it helped define in its heyday.
As good as Motley Crue was, though, it was simply the opening act Saturday. That's how great Aerosmith was.
Ripping into their set with "Toys in the Attic," Steven Tyler and the boys immediately took control.
The stripped-down stage set, with minimal amplifiers and few special effects, allowed the band to shine.
Guitarist Joe Perry led the band through a collection of songs ranging from classics "Draw the Line" and "Dream On " to the more recent "Eat the Rich" and "Cryin'."
It was nice to see the band skip some of the songs that had become concert standards in previous performances. Absent were "Living on the Edge," "Love in an Elevator," and their hit "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing."
In their place were gritty, raw versions of "Baby Please Don't Go," "Walkin' the Dog," and "Stop Messin' Around." The latter featured Perry on lead vocals and was dedicated to bassist Tom Hamilton, who has been absent from the tour while recovering from throat cancer.
The audience was more than forgiving when Perry joked about the band canceling several Virginia Beach concerts in recent years. "It's been a long time coming," he said. "I was worried about getting a flat tire on the way here, but I think we would have gotten out and walked."
Tyler later reiterated the sentiment and gave a heartfelt thank you to the fans for their patience.
Aerosmith worked the stage like the veterans they are.
Drummer Joey Kramer and guitarist Brad Whitford were as solid as ever, never batting an eye or missing a queue during Tyler's improvisations.
But Perry and Tyler were the ringleaders.
Strutting up and down the 70 -foot walkway into the crowd like stars of a rock 'n' roll fashion show, they were on fire, and took turns one-upping each other with their antics.
Whether it was Tyler's amazing vocals during "Dream On," or Perry's dramatic ending to "Draw the Line," where he removed his shirt and proceeded to whip his guitar with it, the two defined the evening.
Because the night was split between two headline acts, Aerosmith didn't play nearly as long as usual. I would have liked to have heard "Back in the Saddle," "What It Takes " and "Train Kept A Rollin',' " but there wasn't time.
What we did get was a quick and dirty collection of songs from the boys from Boston, and you won't hear me complaining about that.
It would be nice to see more bands put together tours such as the Motley Crue/Aerosmith show. Those two slices of American pie really hit the spot.
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