Review by Bruce Forrest
Photos by Chris Loomis – SoCalMusicToday.com
During the 1980s, there was the scenario of artist-versus-artist with every performer fighting for the top spot on MTV. Each and every one was fighting in a desperate attempt to be the number #1 kingpin of the musical territory. Hair metal had its impressive array of artists duking it out, while artists like Duran Duran, INXS and Adam Ant were going toe-to-toe. It was all healthy, musically, of course. It prompted artists to remain fresh and cutting edge, regardless of the genre.
Billy Idol was almost always the top dog with his endless array of commercial pop ditties and punk-rock bad-boy swagger that appealed to the pop, hard rock and punk crowds, equally. It didn’t hurt that guitarist Steve Stevens was garnishing tons of attention in the guitar periodicals and that even Judas Priest-loving metalheads were welcoming Billy Idol into their camp, thanks to Stevens’ metal-like technique.
Fast forword to 2015. No longer with the drawing power that many other nostalgia acts possess, Idol is in a sedentary place in his career. Although he isn’t playing dive bars like many of the hair metal acts, he isn’t performing in larger venues either. He has been more or less relegated to mid-sized venues. And that, looking at things on a positive note, is a plus for his fans. The opportunity to witness Idol and Stevens in a more intimate venue like the Observatory was definitely an opportunity to take advantage of.
Out of place with today’s Kanye Wests and hip-hop scene, Idol still has an adoring audience that is faithful and, therefore, that is the only audience he needs to appeal to. Besides, even today’s audiences would be hard-pressed not to admit they dig on a song (or five) of his, even if they didn’t know it was recorded by him. It obviously didn’t bother Idol that the venue was smaller because the energy he conveyed painted a picture of a humble artist just out to have a good time. And that vibe radiated onto the already enthusiastic and packed crowd at the Observatory. And we all know how that just takes on a snowball effect.
Idol has a new album, Kings And Queens Of The Underground. And while it may seem pointless for old-school artists to release new material, if one took the time to listen they would find a release that is proportionate with any of his older releases. To start your set off with a newer song that most of your audience probably has not even heard is daring and bold. But Idol did so. “Postcards From The Edge” starts off slow and moody, but soon built up to a crescendo that sent the message that this was going to be a damn good, rocking night. And by measuring Idol’s energy level, I almost think he was executing on the same passionate level that he would have had he been at the LA Coliseum before tens of thousands.
Idol and his band led by the very charismatic Steve Stevens delivered a 90-minute set that included several inclusions from the new album, but smartly balanced with the very familiar MTV hits. Unlike many bands that may feel compelled to overemphasize and sell the new material (or ignore it entirely), Idol was selective, wisely tucking them in here and there without ever confusing his audience. Fans get thrown for a loop when a performer throws in new material. You can almost always hear them letting out a groan, proclaiming, “Oh, man, I don’t know this song.” But the fresher material is written with the exact same blueprint as his past compositions, making sure that everything flowed smoothly.
Forget obscure, little known material. Who wants that anyways? Idol knows what the fans want to hear, and did not come off too arrogant to leave anything off the setlist. It has always frustrated and disappointed me in equal parts when an artist makes it clear he or she has grown tired of their hits, and they deny their fans the opportunity to hear them again. Idol was, more or less, a human jukebox. This is material that if you hear it in a bar, you start bouncing your head around and singing along with. Except in this case, we were getting the true-blue performer, and Idol was only too happy to oblige us.
“Cradle of Love”? Yeah, he sang it. “Dancing with Myself”? Check. Just go down the line here and it was played: “Flesh for Fantasy,” “Eyes Without A Face,” “Rebel Yell,” “Blue Highway” and “White Wedding.” As for that newer material, well, there is the very infectious epicness of “Bitter Pill” and the near-metal overdriving “Whiskey And Pills.” It worked and I would have to believe any audience member not familiar with his new material merely assumed it was just another Idol hit.
So, at this point, it is pretty obvious Idol and his impressive band delivered a very hard-hitting, entertaining set. Which brings me to this: Does one get caught up in the excitement because it’s nostalgic or did I actually see a very exciting and fun rock performance? I think it’s both. Idol’s been doing this for so long he could do it in his sleep. But he never went into cruise-control. He had this devotion and spirit that simply told me he has yet to tire of his night job. I can not emphasize enough, however, that his band was also so into playing this materia, that Idol could have simply phoned this performance in and still come off as impressive.
The audience was prepared to enjoy themselves, and nothing was going to stop them. Which is why I am glad the band delivered what was expected of them rather than subjecting the audience to a poor performance merely because…well, it was Billy Idol.
To nitpick, I can do without a guitar and drum solo. That’s big arena rock right there, but too obligatory for my tastes. And although the drum solo was pretty much done and over with, Stevens did get a bit self-indulgent. He didn’t do anything on his 6-string that we haven’t heard a million times already from every other guitarist. Yeah, we have all see the big name 70s and 80s acts, so a guitar solo, at this point, is entirely pointless. Been there, done that. Stevens is a fine musician and should keep it to that rather than go through the predictable “look-at-me” nonsense.
All in all, I won’t let a minor nick stop me from enjoying myself. If younger people want to make fun of me and have a laugh for indulging myself in “80s nonsense,” so be it. Idol delivered an amazing show; it was entertaining, and after all, this is exactly why we still continue to attend shows and hang onto our past. Relevance be damned.
