Live

Motley Crue

Tuesday, Oct. 4

With all the egos finally put aside (while under contract), one of the most anticipated reunions in metal hit Tucson Tuesday night. More than 4,000 '80s rock fanatics filled the arena at the TCC for the second leg of Motley Crue's current tour.

A Claymation video of the band reuniting before the world's end entertained the crowd in lieu of an opening act. A gigantic circus tent covering the stage dropped as pyro erupted from behind the stage, and Motley Crue opened with "Shout at the Devil." The display covered the stage in smoke so thoroughly that lead singer Vince Neil was the only band member who could be seen during the opening number. The band sounded tight and thunderous--Neil was able to hit the high notes like it was the '80s, and Tommy Lee proved why he is one of the best skinsmen to ever sit behind a drum kit.

"How have you guys been since we've been gone?" bassist Nikki Sixx asked the crowd. "I want to dedicate this next song to a house out here in the desert where I found my fire," Sixx continued, making no sense whatsoever. Lee's heart-rupturing double bass introduced "Red Hot."

Whereas most reunion tours are about money--and this one could very well be--the first half of the show was for the fans. The Crue ripped from one song to the next, playing only cuts from their first three albums.

A 10-minute intermission occurred after "Live Wire"--mainly to let guitarist Mick Mars, who is recovering from hip replacement surgery, rest.

After returning with hits like "Girls, Girls, Girls" and "Primal Scream," the show started its downhill slide. The band suffered monitor problems, and "Glitter," a poor selection off the group's first reunion album, Generation Swine, was punctuated by Neil continually asking his soundman to turn up his microphone.

Typically a main attraction at a Crue show, Tommy Lee's drum solo was simply moronic. Instead of delivering a mind-blowing drum solo, Lee mixed in electronic beats and techno samples to turn his solo into a mini-rave.

Bringing back the essence of an '80s arena-rock show, Lee and Sixx fooled around onstage for nearly 20 minutes with a camcorder, prompting the women in attendance to bare their chests for them.

The night almost couldn't get any worse--that is, until the Crue played a new song from their current greatest-hits release. Too bad nobody cared enough to notice.