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Concert Review: Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe

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Vince Neil

September 4, 2011

Lately I’ve been stepping beyond the constraints of the type of music I know and love to gain some new perspective. Broadening one’s horizons is never a bad thing, right? Not usually anyway. A little over a month ago, I went to a country concert—something I never do. And I had a really great time. Last weekend I went to see Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe at Thunder Mountain Amphitheater in Loveland, Colorado. Hey, I read Mötley Crüe’s autobiography The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band,and I only recommend reading that if you have an affinity for Mötley Crüe, a strong stomach, or an extremely open mind. But after reading The Dirt, I figured I was ready for Vince. Well, maybe.

Vince Neil and Dana Strum

Neil had such badass stage presence that I just couldn’t help but love it. It was heavy-hitting, rock-to-the-gut music with a swift kick in the face that you did see coming and chose not to get out of the way on purpose.

Covered in tattoos and dressed in black leather pants and smiling a beautiful smile while spilling arrogance galore, Neil bounded onstage like a hundred Harleys roaring through a long tunnel. His vocals sounded a bit rough though, and he explained that he’d lost his voice a few days earlier, but I guess that’s not a bad thing if you’re a heavy metal, hard rock singer. It seemed like they had his mic turned down pretty low because it was difficult to hear him most of the time. Or maybe it was simply due to my vantage point. The speakers are generally aimed outward toward the audience. I like to be up front. I thought I could handle the energy emitted by Vince Neil, one of rock ‘n’ roll’s consummate bad-boys. And I did, but it felt like he sucked more from me than he gave back. No accident on his part, I’m sure.

In any case, the packed-in crowd adored him. Halfway through the show, a woman on the opposite side of the stage from where I was standing, handed Vince a pair of hot pink panties, which he proceeded to wear around his neck.

Dana Strum & Jeff Blando

And his band was amazing. They tore it up, tore your flesh from the bone and you loved every minute of it. Jeff Blando (from Slaughter) on lead guitar was phenomenal, as was Dana Strum on bass (also from Slaughter). Besides keeping the night rocking, the two of them (along with Zoltan Chaney on drums—I’ll get to him in a minute) cranked out several Led Zeppelin tunes as Vince left the stage for a bit. Blando even used a bow to play “Whole Lotta Love.” I usually cringe when bands do remakes of Zeppelin songs, but this was fantastic—full of testosterone-fueled emotion and rife with the same energy that made Zeppelin great. Although he is no Robert Plant (who is?) Blando also did a great job on vocals. But these guys are not just a backup band, they are stars in their own right—heavy hitting players who would cut you in half with their axes then strut across the stage to let you know in no uncertain terms that they just got the best of you. Vince too, as if to say, “Take that, sucker! Now what you gonna do about it?”

Zoltan Chaney

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zoltan Chaney has to be the most entertaining drummer I have ever seen. He was a show all by himself. He stood up, spun around, threw drumsticks in the air and caught them again, kicked cymbals with his feet, balanced drumsticks on his head and never missed a beat. And that was only part of it. Look him up on Youtube. You won’t believe it.

Vince Neil’s concert was a mix of raw energy, lots of flowing, throwing hair, “don’t f—k with me” attitude, and LOUD, LOUD, LOUD kick ass rock. I felt as if I’d been used and abused and then expected not to take any of it personally. I loved it. I gotta broaden my horizons more often.

Some of the songs performed were:

Tattoos & Tequila
Girls, Girls, Girls
Wild Side
Dr. Feelgood
Kickstart My Heart
He’s a Whore
Same ol’ Situation