Crüefest 2: Still Going Strong!
Since 1981, Mötley Crüe has been cranking out hard rock and metal music to rabid fans around the world. Now, twenty-eight years later, the Crüe is still banging heads with the best of them. They released a new album and have put together a music festival, modestly named after themselves, with a lineup of some of today’s best and brightest rock musicians. I was lucky enough to catch Crüefest 2 last week and I was not disappointed. Let me take you on a tour of the White Trash Circus:
Crüefest 2 consisted of five bands on the main stage: Charm City Devils, Drowning Pool, Theory of a Deadman, Godsmack and, of course, Mötley Crüe headlining the event. There was also a second stage featuring some good, up-and-coming bands. I checked out a band called Schram, out of Detroit. These guys put on a good show. They had a ton of energy and seemed genuinely happy to get out on stage and play. I also caught a band called Silver Stone, out of Arkansas. They also put on a really good show. The singer was good and the guitar player shredded some pretty killer riffs. They also had a third band on the second stage, but I only caught a few of their tunes. Okay, okay, so I was waiting in the beer line and didn’t get over there in time. What? I was thirsty! Thankfully, the second stage was jamming while the main stage was setting up for the next band. I made my way back and forth from one stage to another all night long…with an occasional stop at the concessions.
Watch out, Crüe!
On to the main stage! I got to the main stage in time to catch Theory of a Deadman’s set. It was excellent! Those guys put on a great show. They brought the house down with a kick-ass rendition of ‘Bad Girlfriend’. Tyler Connolly sounded great on vocals and was tearing into his solos on guitar. A good show. The next band up was Godsmack. If I said the Godsmack set was awesome, it would be understating how great these guys are…what a freaking show these dudes put on. Sully is an absolute freak out front! And Shannon Larkin on drums is just ridiculous! They had a fantastic set of all their hits. If you weren’t singing along, you may have been dead because there was so much energy coming from these four guys that you couldn’t help but get up and jam. During the show, Sully jumps on a drum set and Larkin’s set rolls forward on the stage, and these two go face-to-face just beating the piss out of the drums. Sully is a talented guy, he sings, plays guitar, and oh yeah, just happened to play drums for twenty-plus years before he became a front man. You know what; I will make the statement that Godsmack was better then the Crüe on this particular evening. Yeah, I said it. Should it be called Smackfest?
Finally, the main event; the bad boys from L.A. themselves took the stage. After some brief theatrics in front of the curtain, the Mötley Crüe stage was revealed; a padded room with lights on the walls, leading back to the drum set. The remaining three members, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars came pouring out of the padded tunnel and they busted into Dr. Feelgood to open the show. The plan for this tour was to play the Dr. Feelgood album from front to back, in its entirety. That was fine by me! I have many favorites on that album and they played them all with gusto. ‘Kick Start My Heart’ and ‘Same Old Situation’ both sounded great. I did take note that Tommy Lee was not behind the drum kit. As it turns out, he injured his hand and the guy behind the kit was playing in his place until he healed up. That didn’t detract from the show, in my opinion. Tommy Lee is a good drummer, but nothing spectacular as drummers go. Average will always describe the bass playing of Nikki Sixx. Mick Mars and Vince Neil both sounded great, but didn’t knock my socks off.
Overall, this show is not to be missed! Godsmack was clearly the best band on this night. The Crüe sounded good, but I thought they lacked the sheer energy that they are easily capable of and have displayed in gaudy excess in years gone by. Check it out, if you dare!
