Artpark, in Lewiston, New York, kicked off their 40th anniversary with a bang this past Tuesday. Rock and roll heavyweight Billy Idol was paired with the up and coming Tyler Bryant from Nashville, Tennesee, to give fans a variety of music. Idol and his band, which included longtime guitar companion Steve Stevens, took the stage and played the appropriate “Ready Steady Go” from Billy’s Generation X days. The weather was a tad on the chilly side but Idol and his band were the perfect anecdote to combat that. He kept the flow going with a steady amount of hits including “Dancing with Myself,” “Flesh for Fantasy,” and “Eyes Without a Face.” In fact, the highlight of the evening was “Flesh for Fantasy,” as the band showcased Idol in the appropriate light as he showed his range vocally and sounded amazing in the process. He also had fun with a woman up in front holding up a sign “Let Me Be Your Flesh for Fantasy.” He took the sign and posed with it seductively. He then signed it for her and remarked “I’m sorry but have to go to back to work love!”
Idol also played guitar on various tracks and showed the ladies that at age 57, he still looks better than half the men his age. Guitarist Steve Stevens looked every bit the part of the quintessential rock star he is. Stevens is the glue which holds the band together. Idol even acknowledged this fact at the end of the performance by thanking the fans for giving him a great life and then thanking Steve Stevens for making his life great. It cannot be overstated as to how flexible and diverse a guitar player Stevens is. He changed through many guitars all night and his flamenco style solo was jaw dropping. He threw in a taste of the Led Zeppelin classics “Over the Hills and Far Away” with a splash of “Stairway to Heaven.” He got the crowd’s attention during this unique solo for sure. As stated, Idol loves his fans and threw autographed drumsticks and paper plates to the fans in the front section before the band went into “Blue Highway.”
During the encore, “White wedding,” Idol and Stevens (acoustic only) took the stage and did a slowed down version to the first verse of the song. The band joined in later and the song came alive. It was an interesting way to do the tune and it completely worked here. Idol did a few tunes off his upcoming album titled “Keep Out of Reach of Children,” which is due out later this year. The only complaint is Idol didn’t announce the songs that were new and it would have been nice to promote them and the upcoming disc with some information. Besides that, idol continues to deliver and deliver in a BIG way!
Tyler Bryant, from Nashville, TN, is a tremendous young musician who opened up the show. I won’t go into too many attributes of the band (as we just did a review that you can read on thsi site but I can tell you that Bryant was a perfect complement to Idol. I can also tell you to expect many big things from the humble Bryant. Please stay tuned for an exclusive interview with Bryant, conducted before the show.
Billy Idol Set List:
Ready Steady Go (Generation X cover)
Dancing With Myself (Generation X cover)
Pumping on Steel
Flesh for Fantasy
Postcards from the Past
Love and Glory (new song)
(Do Not) Stand in the Shadows
Ghost in the Guitar (new song)
Sweet 16
Eyes without a Face
LA Woman (The Doors cover)
Steve Stevens guitar solo (medley of Over the Hills and Far Away and Stairway to Heaven)
King Rocker (Generation X cover)
Love Like Fire
Blue Highway
Rebell Yell
Encore:
White Wedding
Mony Mony (Tommy James and the Shondells cover)
Tyler Bryant @ The Shakedown Set List:
House on Fire
Downtown Tonight
Lipstick
Last One Leaving
Ramblin Bones
Don’t Come Cheap
Cold Heart
Where I Want You
We would like to thank Evan Bright from East End Management for allowing BackstageAxxess to review the show.
