Motley Crue hits the Journal P

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Reviewed by: Metaldominator

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Every once in awhile, the planets align perfectly, you roll the dice and end up with snake eyes, you purchase a winning lottery ticket, or you are dealt a royal flush. For southwest metal fans, that moment turned out to be Fri. night 9-30, as a sold out crowd witnessed rock and roll perfection. Motley Crues "Carnival of Sin" blew away the masses assembled at Albuquerques Journal Pavilion.

The show started about 15 minutes late with the movie, the band depicted as puppets talking about a meteor headed towards earth, the gist of which was lost on me, to be honest with you. After a few underwhelming minutes the movie ended, and the circus troupe, featuring a couple of midgets, made their first appearance of the night.

The circus tent then lifted and the Crue ripped in to "Shout at the Devil". Everybody knows the set list by now, the first set focused exclusively on the first two albums. Songs like "Too Fast for Love", "Red Hot", and "Ten Seconds to Love" got the crowd going right away, as it became obvious the Motley machine was firing on all cylinders. The highlight of the first set, and the entire night, in my opinion, was "Looks that Kill". I can honestly say that was the most amazing vocal performance Ive ever witnessed, as Vince let it rip, hitting high notes I never imagined he would find in himself.

My prior experience seeing Vince live was very unpleasant. 6-21-01, part of the "Voices of Metal" tour in Farmington NM. A incoherent, intoxicated Vince stumbled onto stage, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was supposed to be performing. He left most of the singing to the audience and his band, a huge disappointment to the crowd of 1500 or so. But that show seem eons behind as a lean, mean Vince became the consummate frontman on this night His voice was incredible, his stage presence amazing, as he lead the Crue through smash hit after smash hit. His mobility seemed only slightly affected by his leg injury that he suffered a couple of weeks before, he had a cane he used only sparingly to balance himself. He was a dynamo of energy and raw metal fury, a very admirable performance.

Much has been made of Mick Mars and his physical condition, as the tour began in Feb. Many people speculated that he would not be able to finish the tour. Some even began tossing names out as possible replacements, and spread rumors that his appearance would be limited to the shows opening and encores. Those rumors were deemed unjustified as the show rolled forward. Micks performance was a musical middle finger to those detractors and rumormongers. He played perfectly all night long, anchoring the band with his legendary riffs. He was dressed in a black trench coat and top hat, and did not say a word the entire show, but let his guitar speak volumes for him.

Nikki Sixx was rather quiet during the first part of the show. His playing was solid as well, and he, Tommy, and Mick seemed content to let Vince get the crowd going during the first set. Later he opened up making this announcement, "This is not a farewell tour, there will be a new album". During the second set he spent a few minutes shooting sparks up some female circus freaks ass. It looked like he was sharpening an axe, sparks were flying everywhere as the rest of the band took a quick break.

Tommy Lee was quiet also during the first set, but his drumming was superb as well. As the show progressed, he opened up and addressed the crowd on several occasions, each time beginning his rants with "Hey Fuckers". His drum solo was awesome as well, as he was rigged to fly up to the top corners of each side of the set, and letting it rip for a few minutes on two different drums sets placed up there. Many people have slagged him for being too techno during this part of the show, but I did not get that vibe at all. I enjoyed his solo quite a bit, he is a born showman.

The second set opened with the roar of two Harley Davidson Motorcycles, as Tommy and Nikki rolled out onto the stage. I would guess Vinces injury was the reason he did not ride on one. They then ripped into "Girls, Girls, Girls" and all of the later hits from the Motley catalog. The highlight of the second set for me was "Dr Feelgood", as several young ladies, dressed in nurses tops were dancing dirty to the song on stage with Vince. They had no bottoms on, just red thongs that were clearly visible as they shook their money makers. By the end of the song they were practically dry-humping Vince, a very titillating moment that got me rather hot and bothered. It was a great way for the band to spread some decadence among the southwests metal maniacs. All the hits were included in the second set. "Wildside", "Primal Scream", "Kickstart my Heart", and the new "Sick Love Song". The show closed roughly at 10:45 PM.

The band had quite a troupe of midgets and circus performers joining them on stage all night long. Strippers on poles during "Girls, Girls, Girls", trapeze performers, and the aforementioned nurses. It was the largest, most lavish stage show Ive ever seen outside of a couple of stadium shows. The production design was impeccable, and the art direction went along way towards making the show as good as it was.

The band came across as very grateful to be able to perform in front of such a huge crowd. Once again, it was sold out, about 14,000 people that went home totally happy. Vince tastefully dedicated "Home Sweet Home" the late Randy Castillo, who briefly was a member of the band during Tommys hiatus. Tommy himself came across as a very humble fellow, not only thanking and applauding the fans for coming out, but also thanking the crew for "setting all this shit up" as the show closed.

This was simply an amazing night of heavy metal debauchery. All the decadence, sex-appeal, and rowdy, attitude driven behavior was on full display from the get go. Do not miss this tour as it winds down. It was a nearly flawless exhibition of musical skill and showmanship. Tommys last words to the crowd were "see you next year". If the Crue do indeed decide to return to this neck of the woods, the fans will come out of the woodwork once again, eager to see more of the same.