Motley Crue’s final Australian tour is the party to end all parties and who better to kick off the events other than the ringmaster himself Alice Cooper.
Vince Neil admitted doing this for 34-years when he gave his “farewell speech” at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena for the first night of the Australian tour.
Motley Crue’s first album ‘Too Fast For Love’ was released in 1981 and they’ve had enough. Alice Cooper’s first album ‘Pretties For You’ was released in 1969. After 46 years and 26 albums he is still going strong and will most likely outlive Bieber and Beyonce.
Motley Crue last toured Australia with Kiss. Prior to that it was with Motorhead so bringing along Alice was the perfect opening act. The only trouble with having Alice Cooper as your opening act is he will blow you off stage … and he did.
No-one out performs Alice Cooper and despite a cut down set to just 50 minutes, Alice still delivered one of the greatest rock shows in Earth. It is definitely the most theatrical and entertaining rock show you will ever see.
Only two of the 13 songs in the Alice Cooper setlist were released AFTER Motley Crue formed. Four were from the ‘Love It To Death’ and ‘Killer’ albums, both released in 1971. (yes once upon a time kiddies recording artists actually made regular recording and released multiple albums in the one year).
The stars of the Alice Cooper show are the props, his guillotine, his executioner, his giant Frankenstein and his wonder daughter Calico who plays his Nurse in the show.
What can I say. If you pick Alice Cooper as your opening act, you do so at your own risk.
That said Motley Crue’s last show is a special event on its own. Mick Mars is not a well man but can still play guitar. The showman is Tommy Lee, who this time around introduces the death defying ‘Cruecifly’, a roller coaster the length of the arena where he spins around performing his drum solo to samples including INXS ‘Need You Tonight’. Lee and bass player Nikki Sixx’s rhythm section is the throttle to every Crue show.
And then there is Vince Neil, the living, breathing rock and roll excess, who makes every young man want to become either a rock star like him or go in the complete opposite direction and become an accountant because shows them what their 50+ life will turn them into.
The absence of Motley Crue will leave a hole in the music continuum. This is a band who started out on the streets of Hollywood and built the American dream of sex, drugs and rock and roll. Their decades of decadence are what the cliché drug-fucked, booze affected, sex-slaved rock star in based on. I doubt David Duchovny’s Californication would exist if these people didn’t live the real-life drama first. There is certainly enough fuel for a Spinal Tap 2 in the storyline.
The songs are rock classics. ‘Girls Girls Girls’, ‘Kickstart My Heart’, ‘Dr Feelgood’ and the cover ‘Smoking In The Boys Room’ were the soundtrack to every teenage boy in the 80s.
Motley Crue is a part of rock history. It will be sad to see them go. As degenerate as they are, their larger than life lives are what defines the term Rock Star.
PHOTO GALLERY: Motley Crue in Melbourne at Rod Laver Arena by Ros O’Gorman
Alice Cooper setlist, Melbourne May 12, 2015
Department Of Youth (from Welcome To My Nightmare, 1975)
No More Mr Nice Guy (from Billion Dollar Babies, 1973)
Under My Wheels (from Killer, 1971)
I’m Eighteen (from Love It To Death, 1971)
Billion Dollar Babies (from Billion Dollar Babies, 1973)
Poison (from Trash, 1989)
Dirty Diamonds (from Dirty Diamonds, 2005)
Welcome To My Nightmare (from Welcome To My Nightmare, 1975)
Feed My Frankenstein (from Hey Stoopid, 1991)
Ballad Of Dwight Fry (from Love It To Death, 1971)
Killer (from Killer, 1971)
I Love The Dead (from Billion Dollar Babies, 1973)
School’s Out (from Schools Out, 1972)
Motley Crue setlist Melbourne May 12, 2015
Saints of Los Angeles (from Saints of Los Angeles, 2008)
Wild Side (from Girls Girls Girls, 1987)
Primal Scream (from Decade of Decadence, 1991)
Same Ol’ Situation (from Dr Feelgood, 1989)
Looks That Kill (from Shout At The Devil, 1983)
On With The Show (from Too Fast For Love, 1981)
Too Fast For Love (from Too Fast For Love, 1981)
Smokin’ In The Boys Room (from Theater of Pain, 1985)
Mutherfucker of the Year (from Saints of Los Angeles, 2008)
Anarchy In The UK (from Decade of Decadence, 1991)
TNT/Dr Feelgood (from Dr Feelgood, 1989)
Shout At The Devil (from Shout At The Devil, 1983)
Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)(from Dr Feelgood, 1989)
Guitar Solo
Live Wire (from Too Fast For Love, 1981)
Too Young To Fall In Love (from Shout At The Devil, 1983)
Girls Girls Girls (from Girls Girls Girls, 1987)
Kickstart My Heart (from Dr Feelgood, 1989)
Home Sweet Home (from Theater of Pain, 1985)
Motley Crue and Alice Cooper dates
May 12 and 13, Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
May 16, Sydney, Allphones Arena
May 19, Brisbane, Entertainment Centre
May 21, Adelaide, Entertainment Centre
May 23, Perth, Perth Arena
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Never miss a story! Get your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to the Noise11 Music Newsletter here
Listen to the Noise11 Music News channel now at iHeartRadio
Follow Noise11.com on Facebook and Twitter
