It’s been 30 years since Kiss and Motley Crue have toured together. The first pairing took place in 1982, when Crue joined Kiss’ “Creatures of the Night” tour. Fast forward 30 years and two of the most iconic bands in rock have decided to join forces once again to give the fans a great bang for their buck, along with a killer night of rock ‘n roll.
A new band, with lots of potential, opened up the show, called “The Treatment.” A mix of Thin Lizzy and early Def Leppard, this band also has English roots. Their debut effort “This May Hurt” came out in 2011 on Powerage Records. Seeing these guys live, they deliver. All were constantly moving about and played their brand of rock with a lot of piss and vinegar.
Fans were unsure of who went on first Kiss or Motley Crue and on this tour, Motley Crue agreed to show respect and go on first. They came out walking through the crowd to Nikki Sixx shooting off a smoke gun, Tommy Lee beating a drum and Vince Neil holding a MC flag alongside men hoisting their chicks above their shoulders.
As soon as the band got on stage and started into “Saints of Los Angeles,” Neil started to hobble and this eventually got worse as the show went on. Before the second last song of the set “Girls, Girls, Girls,” Neil quipped “I think I broke my fu*king ankle, but tonight it’s all about the music!” He was a trooper throughout, as he didn’t let the foot stop him from performing as best as he could!
Guitarist Mick Mars doesn’t get enough accolades but his playing is one of the highlights of any set Crue does. The stage set up also included aerialists and a roller coaster that Tommy Lee’s drums were attached too. After Lee played the piano, followed by the rest of his band joining him for “Home Sweet Home,” he took behind the kit for the rollercoaster ride. He played first to techno and hip hop before a lucky winner named Christine joined him on the ride as he played to “Rollercoaster of Love,” by The Ohio Players” Sixx enjoyed the spotlight too before “Primal Scream” as he sent up some flares out of his bass.
One complaint was the water guns that were sprayed upon the crowd during their new song “Sex” and at the end of the show where the band brought out buckets of water and dumped them on the people within the first few rows. Hopefully the people who had purchased merchandise at the show or had meet and greet packages, were spared from getting anything destroyed.
Besides this gaffe, it was the best set I’ve seen from Crue in years! Kiss closed the show with what you‘d expect; a big bombastic rock and roll show with lots of pyro and explosions! Descending from a hydro lift from the ceiling, Kiss played “Detroit Rock City” with original members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons alongside Tommy Thayer on lead guitar and Eric Singer on drums, which have now become fully entrenched into the ways of the Kiss cycle.
Paul Stanley, who was always considered one of the best front man in rock, continues to entertain audiences for almost 40 years. Gene Simmons, who has been the face of Kiss, continues to breathe fire and wag that appendage (tongue) that he is best known for. Thayer and Singer both intertwined their solos into one with Thayer shooting rockets out of his guitar while Singer shoots a bazooka filled with fireworks after his solo is completed.
Kiss had a screen that massed the entire length of its stage making it the biggest they’ve ever had while on tour. I, for one, was excited to see them play their new single “Hell of Hallelujah” off of the upcoming “Monster” CD that will be released on October 2, 1022. The single is the best thing Kiss has done in years and hopefully its indicative of what the rest of the album is. “War Machine” was a pleasant surprise, as was the first encore “C’mon and Love Me.” Both are rarities and were a welcomed addition to the set!
Motley did end up playing a longer set and seemed to offer more in the way of theatrics and stage set up then Kiss did, however, both bands delivered a highly energetic show.
Kiss Set List:
Detroit Rock City
Shout it Out Loud
I love it Loud
Firehouse
Hell or Hallelujah (new song) War Machine
Shock Me
Guitar/drum solo
Bass solo
God of Thunder (Gene flies)
Love Gun (Paul flies)
Lick it Up (Won’t Get fooled Again – The Who snippet)
Black Diamond (Stairway to Heaven –Led Zeppelin snippet)
Encore:
C’mon and Love Me
Rock and Roll All Nite
Motley Crue Set List:
Saints of Los Angeles
Wild Side
Shout at the Devil
Same Ol’ Situation
Sex (new song)
Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Home Sweet Home
Drum solo “Rollercoaster of Love” by The Ohio Players
Guitar solo
Live Wire
Primal Scream
Dr. Feelgood
Girls, Girls, Girls
Kickstart my Heart
The Treatment Set list:
Drink, Fu*k, Fight
World on Fire
Get the Party On
I Fear Nothing
The Doctor
Departed
Nothing to Lose but Our Minds
Shake the Mountain
We would like to thank Brooks Butterfield from PMKBNC for the credentials to cover the show.
