Motley Crue - March 16, 2009

The day after Bobby and I went to see Theory of a Deadman at the Starland Ballroom, we went into New York City to witness Motley Crue, Hinder, Theory, and The Last Vegas at Madison Square Garden, the Mecca of concert venues. It was a planned day of fun, excitement, and plenty of drinking that we were looking forward to. Bobby hooked us up with a stretch limo (I believe it was an excursion) and we were arriving at the Garden in style.


March was a very bad month for me work-wise. It’s when I first realized how horrendous things at my office were, how much of an ass my boss really was, and how badly I needed to find a new job. It was a nightmare time in my life and it was affecting me outside of the office in very negative ways. One of those negative reactions was to hit the bottle hard and party like a rock star whenever the opportunity presented itself. It was a way to self medicate and forget the struggles and challenges of working for an extremely difficult and demanding boss that constantly barked about all the negative factors while never highlighting any positive ones.

Knowing we had a limo to the city and a ride back, I decided to take advantage of an early start time. By noon, I was cracking the tops off of cold beer on my couch while waiting for Bobby to arrive. By 2PM (when he finally arrived), I had been through a six pack and we were hitting the liquor store for some beer to enjoy on the ride in. By the time we got to the city, I had drained four more beers and was feeling good. The issues of my job and boss were a distant memory deep in the bowels of my brain.

Upon arriving into the city, Bobby and I immediately set forth to find a bar where we could enjoy a nice lunch and consume more beer. We found a cool place near the Garden, ate some good food, and drank more beer. After that, we found another bar for another beer (or three). When we left that bar, I had lost count of how many beers were consumed, I was feeling really good, borderline drunk off my ass and knew it was going to be one heck of a night, although I wasn’t sure how much of it would be remembered. At the time, consuming all of that beer seemed like a great idea. In hindsight, it probably was not the smartest play.

We got to the Garden, got through the doors, and found our seats while The Last Vegas was on the stage. We missed most of their set, but from the two and a half songs that I did get to hear, they sounded pretty solid. They were the band that controversially won the rights to open for Motley Crue on this tour. Some critics claim that it was a set up, that The Last Vegas was going to win from the start, especially since they were a late add on to the contest. I’m not sure how true that is, but Motley may have added a late ringer if they were not confident in the bands in the competition.

Once we were settled in and The Last Vegas had finished their performance, Bobby disappeared for the Men’s room and I waited for Theory of a Deadman to take the stage. Having just seen them the night before, I was very excited for their Garden performance. It was common knowledge that they had a time limit for their set, but I was still looking forward to seeing them for the second time.


They opened with Crutch, just as they had the night before, and their portion of the show was off and running. Bobby showed up in the middle of the song and immediately thrust another beer into my hands. Cheers! Theory performed a condensed version of the show they did the night before in New Jersey. Expected hits included Santa Monica, Make Up Your Mind, All Or Nothing¸ and Hate My Life. I sang every word to that one as loud as I could, especially the “my boss is a dick!” part. Theory closed with Bad Girlfriend and while their set was tight and short, it was amazing. The played as good on the Garden stage as they had on the small stage at the Starland Ballroom. Bobby was thrilled and had a new favorite band after seeing them perform for the second night in a row.


Hinder was up next and by this time, the beer was really getting to me. I’m going to be honest; the rest of the night gets to be a little bit of a blur. I remember things here and there, but by the time Hinder took the stage, I was on my whotheheckknowshowmanyth beer and feeling real good.

Hinder opened with Use Me and their sound was solid. Use Me is a great song and a good lead off for their portion of the night. Expected songs included Take It To The Limit, Up All Night, Lips of an Angel, and Get Stoned as their big closer. Hinder is a big time party band and they bring that party to the stage. Austin Winkler has charm and appeal and is a great rock and roll front man. While not over the top in their performance, the band put on a solid set and sold their music to the crowd, who were grateful and appreciative.


When Hinder left, there was only one band remaining – Motley Crue. Vince Neil would be out there singing every third word, Mick Mars would be stiff as a board, barely moving (yet still oh-so-cool) on one end of the stage, Tommy Lee would be the endless child that he is, and Nikki Sixx would be the mastermind behind it all. Way too talented a lyricist for this group of bad boys. Why exactly do we love Motley again? Oh yeah, they’re the only group that could make this combination work and produce hits like no other band.

They started off with the exceptional Kickstart My Heart and Vince was running around the stage, still overweight, still missing the high notes, and still singing every third word. Mick stood in the corner, due to his medical condition, and still was the coolest guy on the stage. Mick Mars is a genius on guitar and one of the most under-appreciated guitarists in rock.

Kickstart led to Wild Side, which led to Shout at the Devil, and the night had begun. I don’t recall much after Shout. The beer drinking day kicked in hard. I know I had a great time. I know I enjoyed Motley on stage and revisiting their setlist, it looks like they played some kick ass songs.


So, how sad is this? I went to the concert and can’t remember them playing On With The Show or Jailhouse Rock. I was at the freaking concert! So, for the record, this is the only concert that I was that inebriated for. I’ve been to a lot of concerts, I’ve never drank myself through one. Well, there’s a first time for everything I suppose.

Bobby had a car pick us up and take us home after the show. He loved the concert. I loved the stop at McDonald’s right before we got into the car. I made it to the Lincoln Tunnel before I passed out cold. What a day, what a night. What a shame my drinking decision wasn’t a little bit wiser. Party on, dudes!


Setlist
Kickstart My Heart
Wild Side
Shout At The Devil
Saints of Los Angeles
Motherfucker of the Year
Live Wire
Too Fast For Love
On With The Show
Jailhouse Rock
White Trash Circus
Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Same ‘Ol Situation
Primal Scream
Looks That Kill
Girls, Girls, Girls
Dr. Feelgood
Encore
Home Sweet Home