MÖTLEY CRÜE – “THE STADIUM TOUR” – LIVE AT CITI FIELD

On Saturday June 24th “The Stadium Tour” featuring Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett arrived in NYC to play a show that had been delayed for over two years, and the fans seemed extra energized after the long wait. The unchanged Jett zipped through singalongs like “I Hate Myself for Loving You”, “Bad Reputation”, and her mellow rendition of Tommy James and the Shondells’ “Crimson & Clover”. All dressed in a black shag and ebony outfit.

Jett delivered her songs with ferocity matched by calm, a smile coupled with a snarl, and support from the formidable Blackhearts as well as stalwart manager/producer Kenny Laguna in his normal spot behind the keyboards. Apart from the dancing girls and support singers who performed with Mötley Crüe, Jett was the only female on the tour, and she controlled the stage with a quiet fierceness.

Is there a rock frontman who is more sincere than Bret Michaels of Poison? When guitarist C.C. DeVille burst onto the catwalk projecting from the stage for the opening cruncher “Look What the Cat Dragged In”, Michaels used his side-shimmy motion, slapped his shoulders, and engaged the audience with his physical activity. As a skilled ringmaster, Michaels had the audience clapping above their heads while performing “Ride the Wind”, and he frequently knelt on the slick ramp to shake hands with the adoring crowd jammed up against the stage.

For “Talk Dirty to Me,” DeVille picked up his Flying V guitar. The song’s buzzing riff is a perfect representation of Poison’s music: simple and enjoyable. Drummer Rikki Rockett swung his sticks throughout the crowd favorite “Fallen Angel” and bassist Bobby Dall displayed his anchor position on the bottom-heavy “Unskinny Bop” while Michaels and DeVille entertained at the front of the stage.

Before the band’s signature ballad, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”, which the audience enthusiastically sang along to, Michaels called out the military veterans in the crowd. The musical celebration was then concluded with “Nothin’ But a Good Time”. A fitting conclusion to this rock ‘n’ roll extravaganza.

After breaking four ribs a few months ago, Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe played on a few songs before disappearing till the very end. Nikki Sixx gave a speech, and Vince Neil tried his best to scream out the lyrics but clearly Vince needs to prepare for his next career because the singing thing has passed him by long ago. Mötley Crüe is still brash and in your face and the dancing girls are an addition that makes any Crüe show unmistakably awesome.

My wife danced and sang along to every song and even though Crüe  is not on my favorites list, seeing her enjoy the show made my day. The band opened with “Wild Side”, “Shout at the Devil” and “Too Fast For Love” before playing one of my favorites “Don’t go Away Mad (Just go Away). Other highlights were “Looks That Kill”, “Dr. Feelgood”, “Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)” and “Girls, Girls, Girls” before finishing strong with “Kickstart My Heart”.

Def Leppard was on tap to close out a great night. The two bands have been flip-flopping the closer duties on this tour. They dug deeply into their 40-year history beneath their spectacular display of lasers and enormous video displays. Joe Elliott, the band’s lead singer, led the five-piece through the songs “Animal” and “Foolin'” before launching into the ultra-catchy “Kick”, off the group’s new album Diamond Star Halos.

On “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak”, a tune that still swoons and soars, and the gliding shuffle that is “Rocket”, Elliott sounded especially great. Thankfully, Def Leppard managed to fit in their monumental “Hysteria”, which was accompanied by a video scrapbook of the group’s history, including their 2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, and enormous newspaper headlines emphasizing their perseverance. In his Bruce Lee inspired smoking jacket, Elliott commanded the stage.

At the end of the night it was six hours of 80’s Rock & Roll, it doesn’t get much better than that!

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