Motley Crue with Alice Cooper @ Genting Arena, 4th November 2015
Due to ticket issues, unfortunately I missed the beginning of Alice Cooper’s set but having seen him a number of times before I can guarantee it was eventful. The arena is incredibly full to see Cooper do what he does best; macabre vaudeville. An Alice Cooper show includes every aspect of childhood nightmares whether it be decapitated dolls heads adorning the stage or a faux execution of Cooper himself, but Alice knows this is what the people want to see and he never fails to deliver. The opening riff of Poison is certainly greeted with a welcoming cheer and demonstrates Cooper’s sinister vocal style whilst leering over the audience dishing out instructions that are dutifully followed by those around the arena. Part way through Dirty Diamonds, Cooper leaves the stage to his drummer, Glenn Sobel, and long term bassist, Chuck Garric, who keep the crowd entertained including various chants before they are joined by the other three guitarists all of which take to the podium to end the song in a classic metal manner.
Alice returns dressed like a wicked scarecrow and adorned with a live boa constrictor round his neck for the track Go To Hell, later in the song he swaps the snake for a whip which he cracks around the stage before the theatrics continue with Feed My Frankenstein. The beginning of the song has Cooper in a blood spattered white coat in which he enters an injurious machine that sees an oversized Frankenstein rampage precariously around the stage, as the metal track ensues. Ballad Of Dwight Fry produces the most malefic of stagecraft including a dysfunctional nurse who ends up sending Cooper to the guillotine after he attempts to kill her. The execution is cheered on by the crowd and, as Garric takes to the vocals for I Love The Dead, the executioner is wielding the head of Alice which he is salivating over and at times kissing. The finale of the set is the rock classic School’s Out that sees large balloons released around the auditorium amongst the mass of bubbles and any balloon that makes it back on-stage is burst with vigour by Alice’s foil. To make the most of the song, the track slips temporarily into Pink Floyd’s Another Brick In The Wall before returning to every teacher’s favourite riff. Alice Cooper has truly mastered his craft and it isn’t surprising considering he has been performing his original version of shock rock for the past forty years, yet he never loses his vigour and enthusiasm for the live show despite his seniority and always worth watching
This is Motley Crue’s final tour, aptly named All Bad Things Must Come To An End, and this threat of no more has certainly brought out the numbers. Before entering the stage the sickly sweet vocals of the Von Trapp Children ring through the arena with So Long, Farewell taken from The Sound Of Music. Pulsating lights and drum beats pound as Mick Mars enters the stage whilst revving motorbikes can be heard in the background announcing the introduction to Girls, Girls, Girls. As the rest of the band join Mick onstage it is evident that this performance is going to be the full shebang, including pyrotechnics galore, dancing girls and the obligatory extreme drum solo, all of this whilst sounding infinitely better than they did at Download in the summer. The part time backing singers come dancing girls certainly give context to the song’s lyrical content, however, towards the end of the set their titillating antics become more of an annoyance than an enjoyment. The classic ’80’s riff of Wild Side sees Nikki Sixx making the most of the stage encouraging the eager audience to join in the chorus and, for brief periods, both Vince and Nikki share a microphone, however, it’s not long before Sixx returns to his customised dangling pentagram mic on the opposite side of the stage. No expense has been spared on this tour, as with any Crue performance, and it is evident through the amount of pyrotechnics being used which not only coincide with the beat but must be scorching on stage as the heat can be felt for quite a distance away. Vince’s voice has stood the test of time but at times there is too much delay in the vocals which impacts the sound to the sides of the stage and muddies it slightly. Motley Crüe are the epitome of glam or hair metal, wearing the hedonistic lifestyle and attitudes with pride, and as Vince dons a guitar for Same Ol Situation announcing they have been a band for 34 years you appreciate how well they are doing all things considered. Theytruly are the masters of an arena show, knowing how to get the best out of an audience whilst providing an event of such magnitude that may only be rivalled by Kiss. Even as the pace slows down for Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away), the band do not lose the crowd’s attention and willingness to participate in the event most noticeably due to Vince and Nikki’s ability to connect with the whole arena.
The introduction to Smokin’ In The Boys’ Room is slightly uncomfortable as the Crue use Gary Glitter’s Rock and Roll whether this is a final shock tactic or they are naive regarding Glitter’s offences it is hard to tell. After Mutherfucker Of The Year, Vince announces Nikki as “the most badass motherfucker there is” and Sixx squats down at the front of the stage and talks about how this their final tour followed by an autobiographical retelling as to why he carries a knife as well as being an inspirational story for those facing adversity. After thanking the audience for their support over the years, he prepares us for the next song by informing us “that if anyone tells you rock is dead, tell them they can suck Nikki Sixx’s motherfucking dick”, succeeded by a cover version of Anarchy In a The UK. There didn’t seem to be much call for this cover version as Motley Crüe have enough of an original back catalogue to have graced the final ever tour set list, but then it did allow for a number of men dressed in orange boiler suits to unleash super soakers (oversized water pistols) upon the unsuspecting crowd and Sixx to throw his bass leaving the stage in darkness with feedback blaring. When the band return to the stage, Sixx has a new bass with a fire launcher attached that, during Shout At The Devil, sees him discharging flames across the stage and eventually is used to set his pentagram mic stand alight. Louder Than Hell, with its rhythmic groove and slower tempo, allows time to appreciate Mick Mars’ understated skill as a guitar player. Considering the debilitating nature of his condition, Mars delivers intricate solos and blazing riffs, using techniques that give Crue their classic LA and genre defining sound. This becomes more evident during his solo, where Mick Mars mixes distortion with a delicate melody before returning to alien-esque noise.
Prior to his solo though, is the defining aspect of the extravagance that Motley Crüe will go to in a live show. Tommy Lee’s drum solos are notorious for being lavish at the best of times and often include him playing upside down, yet for this tour there is a roller coaster track winding out into the middle of the audience. As Carl Orff’s O Fortuna blares out, Lee is strapping himself into this purpose built drum riser and as the interlude dims, Tommy takes to the drums playing along with snippets of various tracks including Black Sabbath’s Paranoid and Beastie Boys’ Sabotage whilst his drum kit travels along turning 360 degrees at various points. Needless to say, the arena are mesmerised with the majority filming the feat and saluting the man for not dropping a beat. The main bulk of the set finishes with the catchy Dr Feelgood which is superb at expressing the sheer debauchery and decadent nature of Motley Crüe followed by Kickstart My Heart that ends with Nikki and Vince being taken out over the standing crowd in massive cherry pickers whilst fireworks fly up and down the framework and streamers are fired into the air. It is clear that Motley Crüe haven’t quite finished their set as the house lights remain off, and, true to form, the band run in carrying torches to a podium in the middle of the audience. Tommy sits at the piano and begins their famous power ballad, Home Sweet Home. The arena is lit up by mobile phone flashlights and everyone is singing along even as Tommy switches back to the drums for the crescendo, despite being an utter cliche it’s still a bloody great song. Motley Crüe are a good time band that made good time music, it doesn’t have the depth of lyrical content or unique, experimental sound, however, they produce an over indulgent performance which embodies sex, drugs and rock’n’roll, and thirty four years on they are still champions at it even if this is their final fling.
Review: Toni Woodward
Photo: courtesy of Livenation PR copyright Seraina Mars