As pyrotechnics explode behind them, Motley Crue's Vince Neil, center, and bassist Nikki Sixx, left, play Shout At The Devil as one of their opening songs at Tullio Arena in Erie on March 7. CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/Erie Times-News
Whoa, how times change.
Wasn't all that long ago when a bad-boy band like Motley Crue would come to Erie and people protested in the streets, wailing they're a terrible influence..
On Saturday at a practically sold-out Tullio Arena, Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott bounded on stage to dispense "Motley Crue Day in Erie" proclamations to singer Vince Neil, guitarist Mick Mars, bassist Nikki Sixx, and drummer Tommy Lee, who surprised him with a bear hug.
The Mayor declared himself a huge Crue fan, dating back to "Too Fast for Love," their 1981 debut. He thanked them for continuing to play Erie and urged them to keep coming back. Then the band launched into "Looks That Kill" with machine-gun toting babes beaming from video screens behind them.
That's the Crue: Unrepentant, raunchy and rebellious, at least for show. That's the image. Despite all their on-stage F bombs and push-the-limit videos , including one that intercut war and pornography, the band has a surprising sentimental side. Heck, they closed with Lee at a grand piano to play "Home Sweet Home" before Neil issued a sincere, "God bless everyone."
Neil, by the way, appeared in pretty good physical shape, bounding about the stage with below-shoulder blond locks, never wagging in energy. His voice, however, wasn't in the same kind of shape. Midway into the concert, he apologized for losing his voice a few days earlier but vowed to do his best.
The band picked him up, turning in a tight, fiery set that relied on Motley Crue chestnuts with a surprise or two, including album-cut "Don't Go Away Mad" from "Dr. Feelgood" and their cover of Elvis' "Jailhouse Rock."
Mick Mars -- who has had health issues -- moved about stiffly, as if in pain, but that didn't affect his searing guitar work. Sixx took a spotlight moment to hoist a young girl in the air and declare the Crue has fans "from the cradle to the grave!"
Tattooed-to-the-max, still rail-thin Lee was even more animated than usual. He passed a bottle of booze from the stage to the crowd. He praised Pennsylvania for having cities named Intercourse and Blue Ball, and jokingly vowed to buy houses in each one.
Lee also exulted about having a new President in office, a point the Crue accentuated early by briefly featuring ex President Bush in the video for, you guessed it, "Shout at the Devil."
But Saturday wasn't about politics; it was about thundering, riff-heavy, sleazy rock and roll backed by pyro to the extreme with flashpot explosions, showers of white sparks, and shooting red flames throughout the Crue's 95-minute set.
Motley Crue came out on fire, too, blasting through "Kickstart My Heart," "Wild Side," and "Shout at the Devil," three classics, all in a row. They featured just three tracks from 2008's "Saints of Los Angeles," including the suitably grime-y title cut, which fit in quite nicely, sonically.
More than 5,800 Erie fans roared their approval through the Crue's set, though enthusiasm seemed to wane in the second half -- perhaps the result of a 3 1/2 hour show.
Oklahoma band Hinder preceded the Crue with a solid if pedestrian set of rock, though front man Austin Winkler worked the crowd hard, twice roaming from the stage to stroll through the middle of the arena.
His voice also sounded shot, though, like Steven Tyler on his last raspy legs. Still, the band delivered some fun, fist-pumping, hook-heavy rockers, including "Take It To the Limit," the title of their latest CD, and "Up All Night."
Monster hit "Lips of an Angel" inspired the usual Bic-waving before Hinder closed with thrashy rocker "Get Stoned.".
Theory of a Deadman, from Vancouver, delivered a lean seven-song set, including first single "Nothing Could Come Between Us" from their self-titled debut, produced by Nickelback's Chad Kroeger, and a killer "No Surprise." They saved the best for last, album-rock smash "Bad Girlfriend."
