MOTLEY CRUE and ALICE COOPER
Perth Arena - Perth, Australia
May 23rd 2015
It was the final show in Australia for Motley Crue...ever! After deciding to call it quits and tour one more time (signing a contract which precludes them from ever touring as Motley Crue again), it was a show that was an absolute must to attend and the fans came out in droves to see the legendary glam rock band give it one more spin into Perth for the final time in their career. Did the band go out on a high?
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Opening for the Crue was none other than the man himself, Alice Cooper who I had never had the pleasure of seeing live before but his reputation as a great act who puts on a fantastic stage show was put to the test and I can safely say, his reputation remains intact. It was a set filled with the greatest hits, everything from "No More Mr Nice Guy" to "Poison" to "Welcome To My Nightmare" and "Feed My Frankenstein" (One of my personal favorites around Halloween time). It was nothing short of memorable songs that everyone knew, myself included. The theatrics however were on a different level. From the stage antics of killer nurses, insane asylums, full size Frankesteins and all the confetti you can handle, it was a brilliant show which could have easily been mistaken for a musical...if it wasn't for the famous guillotine part towards the end of the show where Alice loses his head! Despite the somewhat lacklustre sound which was also evident during Motley's set, overall it was a damn fine opening to the night and I look forward to hopefully catching his full set sometime.
The boys from L.A. hit the stage not long after Alice and co. left and it was literally hit after hit after hit from the get-go. Opening with "Saints From Los Angeles" which was off their last album, the band seemed full of energy and generally happy to put on a show that marked a farewell to the Australian crowd. "Primal Scream" which is one of my personal favorite Crue tracks made an appearance very early in the set but by this time, it started to appear that the band were not quite as good as I hoped they would be. Don't get me wrong, they were still solid but certain factors aside from the muddy sound dragged it down a bit. Vince Neil's vocal performance was a little messy and was something I had heard before where he makes a lot of shortcuts, cuts words out and gets the crowd to sing more often than they should. I guess that's part of singing the same songs over and over for almost 35 years, change is inevitable but there was too much of it. Nikki Sixx was great running around the stage but his bass sound was a little overpowering sometimes which overshadowed the wizardry of Mick Mar's guitars. Mr Lee was....well, Mr Lee, his drum sound huge and punishing and certaintly the glue that holds this band together.
But now that all the negative stuff is out of the way, there was nothing better than hearing and seeing these classic songs live in person. It certaintly took me back to my childhood when tracks like ""Dr. Feelgood" and "Too Fast For Love" were busted out. Seeing the remix version of "Shout At The Devil" complete with pyro and Sixx shooting flames from his guitar was a spectacle as was Tommy Lee's 360 degree rollercoaster drumkit during his drum solo which made it's way across the roof of the arena. One thing that Motley Crue has always been known for is excess and the whole show was full of it, a perfect example of what this band is all about. Mick's guitar solo came right after and started out with a teaser of "Kickstart My Heart" which made everyone think that song was about to be played. Alas no as he went on to showcase how good of a guitar player he is and certaintly someone who I feel has been underrated all these years.
"Kickstart My Heart" did end up in the set right at the end before the encore and admittedly, it was the best performance from the whole night, even Vince managing to really sing his heart out on a song that really demands full attention for it's tightness and groove. After a short encore, the band finished off on a drum rider in the middle of the crowd raised to the roof and proceeded to play the tear jerker that is "Home Sweet Home". It was a fitting end to what is truly an end of an era in hard rock and for Motley Crue fans. If there was one thing I can take from all this, it's that I'm super glad I got the chance to see Motley Crue for the last time ever.
Setlist
Saints of Los Angeles
Wild Side
Primal Scream
Same Ol' Situation
Looks That Kill
On With the Show
Too Fast for Love
Smokin' in the Boys' Room
Mutherfucker of the Year
Anarchy in the U.K.
Dr. Feelgood
Shout at the Devil
Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Live Wire
Too Young to Fall in Love
Girls, Girls, Girls
Kickstart My Heart
Home Sweet Home
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Review by Andrew "Schizodeluxe" Massie
Photos by The Rockpit
