Anyone seen Def Leppard, poison, motley, etc tour this year?

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In retrospect, perhaps Mötley Crüe should have reconsidered. Understandably, the four original members who took the stage in the wake of an exaggerated intro punctuated by throat-choking clouds of sulfurous smoke no longer resemble their youthful bad-boy selves. But time has also taken a harsh toll on the band’s abilities. Ironically, the oldest member, guitarist Mick Mars, seems to have changed the least. Thin, pale, and quiet, he still resembles a vampire that just awoke in a coffin. Primarily sticking to the shadows, Mars executed his parts with a competency that frequently served as the glue that held tunes together.

If anything, his instrumentalist cohorts, drummer Tommy Lee and bassist Nikki Sixx, overplayed. The duo repeatedly generated a muddy, bass-dominant rumble that devoured the contours of songs and saturated the mix with an indistinct sameness. They slowed down several well-known songs, including a deflated “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)” and dulled “Looks That Kill.” And they suffocated the sass, sleaze and sway out of music that once threatened to give bystanders a transmissible disease if they got too close. Mötley Crüe’s bash-and-crash approach also functioned as a camouflage for Vince Neil’s screeching vocals, which have seen much better days.
Watching Neil trudge around was almost as uncomfortable as listening to him try to sing. During verses, he often failed to project over the din of his mates. Or he simply gave up, choosing to hold the microphone stand away from his mouth and toward the audience. Unable or unwilling to break from a tedious walking gait, he lacked enthusiasm in the same ways Mötley Crüe hurt for chemistry. For Neil, the 80-minute set amounted to a chore, a task to get through rather than a chance to entertain. His out-of-tune vocals on favorites such as “Home Sweet Home” and tendency to duck backstage for breaks couldn’t help but raise questions.

Indeed, the few bursts of energy came not from Neil or the now-tame Sixx but three female backing vocalists/dancers that did the heavy lifting on many choruses.

Along with Mars’ greasy riffs, the trio largely carried “Dr. Feelgood” and “Girls, Girls, Girls.” But nothing masked the fact that the band demanded fans fill in too many blanks with memories.

Def Leppard opted for a different strategy. Afforded a huge stage, the quintet — whose ranks count three original members plus two guitarists, Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, who have been in the band for decades — kept it simple. Save for a backdrop wall of tall screens, extended drum-riser platform and fancy lighting, Def Leppard skipped the frills and focused on music. Though aware its largest successes belong to the past, it sounded and acted like a band that still enjoys playing together. What it lacked in showiness and toughness it made up for with balance, control, sharpness and fun.

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no longer resemble their youthful bad-boy selves

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If I would have told you as a teenager in 1988 that Poison would be the best live band on this bill I would have laughed in your face.

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Big Mac $1.03!

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