Motley Crue Live at the Colese

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REVIEW BY: Steve Mascord

Just got back from Motley Crue's first show on the world tour at Coleseo Jose Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was far from perfect but in the end they pulled it off.

There was no pyro and minimal other special effects, as everything was rented locally. I understand shows on the US leg will be half an hour longer with no support band and lots of loud noises and fire -- even a 20-minute movie.

Getting the negatives out of the way, Mick Mars moves around the stage with less dexterity that Eddie out of Iron Maiden. He has just had a hip replacement and looks positively skeletal. If someone told you he was a robot, you would have no hesitation in believing it.

Vince Neil seemed to lose his voice with about a quarter of the gig to go. He was skipping words, including during the sacred '”…When we started this band...." bit in "Kickstart My Heart" and appeared to need a teleprompter during "Anarchy in the UK." Also, his voice was gobbled up in the mix during opener "Shout At The Devil."

The material was overwhelmingly biased towards debut album Too Fast For Love, with just new single "If I Die Tomorrow" and "Primal Scream" representing the post-Dr. Feelgood era.

But "Wildside" was amazing. The groove they got out of it live was superior to the recorded version and I would say "Primal Scream" was the next highlight, Mars shredding despite his frail appearance.

There was only a one-song encore -- "Anarchy in the UK" -- but there was enough genuine chemistry on show to indicate this is more than just a cynical late-life moneymaking exercise... even if this is one of the few bands in rock history to reform and tour on the back of a book!

Set list: "Shout At The Devil,” "Piece of Your Action,” "Ten Seconds To Love,” "Red Hot,” "Too Young To Fall In Love,” "Looks That Kill,” "Livewire,” "Girls, Girls, Girls,” "Wildside,” "Home Sweet Home,” "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away),” "Louder Than Hell,” "Dr. Feelgood,” "Same Ol' Situation," "If I Die Tomorrow,” "Kickstart My Heart." Encore: "Anarchy In The UK."