So could the Crue still cut it after all these years? Replacement singers have come and gone, as have various wives/porn stars, countless bottles, no cases, of spirits and probably every known drug, their casualty list is longer than most of their contempories, how are these guys even still alive, let alone together as a band?
Well they are here tonight, fresh from playing Download. The gig is sold out, but the numerous touts outside have been left with full greasy fists of tickets, there is some justice in the world after all! Small consolation when we find the T-shirts are 25 quid though...
Nonetheless there is a hot, sweaty crowd inside when the Crue hit the stage with Dr Feelgood, the pyrotechnics kick in, Vince Neil is slightly more portly than 20 years ago, but the voice is still holding. Sadly Tommy Lee isn't holding the sticks, a shoulder injury sustained at Donington Park 2 days ago. His stand-in is superb though, could not fault him at all. Tommy makes a few cameo appearances during the night, including keyboards on Home Sweet Home, and a bit of rapping/crowd participation stuff halfway through the set. It is apparent that Mick Mars is suffering the effects of his illness, but his playing is still top notch.
All the classics are there, the new stuff is not missed by the majority of the crowd as Motley Crue run through gems such as Shout At the Devil, Live Wire, Looks That Kill, Primal Scream, Louder Than Hell, Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away), Wild Side, Same Ol' Situation, Smokin' In The Boys Room and of course the seminal Girls, Girls, Girls. A cover of Anarchy In The UK is thrown in for good measure.
They finish with a storming Kickstart Your Heart, well it was then a menadering Mick Mars guitar solo kicked in, which would have been fine if it wasn't the last song of the main set, and then it transpired it was the last song of the whole set, no encore! Made the end of the show a slightly bizarre experience. It was also not much after 10pm, maybe the boys need their cocoa, but for the sake of rock'n'roll lets hope it was vodka and groupies they were getting off early to see to.
But that strange and early ending shouldn't detract from a superb night of cock rock at it's finest. Well worth the money, support Papa Roach are in a completely different genre, but sometimes that's good, and it worked well here tonight.
Cock rock still lives, maybe showing it's age occasionally, but the youngsters in the crowd dressed up in their 80s gear love it so there is hope for the future.
