Billy Idol And Steve Stevens Deliver As U.S. Tour Kicks Off In Chicago

Forbes

12 hours ago

'Nice to be here, Chicago,' said rocker Billy Idol on stage Thursday Night just outside the Windy City as this leg of his 'It's a Nice Day to… Tour Again!' U.S. run kicked off on stage at Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Illinois. 'I think we're gonna have some fun tonight!'
Fun has been a mission statement of sorts for Idol over the course of nearly 45 years, a central component of the four records he made with British punks Generation X prior to nine full length studio albums of his own.
Writing and recording largely with guitarist Steve Stevens, Idol has tallied a gold record and five platinum albums as a solo act, selling in excess of 40 million albums globally.
With Stevens co-writing iconic Idol hits like 'Rebel Yell,' the pair collaborated on each of the nine tracks on Idol's latest project Dream Into It, with Idol applying a rare autobiographical approach this time around.
Following a quick run of North American dates this past spring, Idol's current jaunt resumes this Wednesday at New York City's Madison Square Garden, one taking him across the country into late September before moving abroad through November.
'Mr. Steve Stevens is here…' mused Idol early in Saturday's performance, glancing right as he set up the Stevens co-written 'Flesh For Fantasy.' 'Give it up for Steve!' shouted Idol. 'Let's everybody see where Mr. Stevens takes us tonight.'
Off came Idol's jacket on a warm night in Chicago. A thumping bassline gave way to synths during the evening's third song following a one hour opening performance by Joan Jett. Idol ended 'Flesh For Fantasy' with a ridiculous series of fist pumps, closing his hand upon the final one before drawing his fist to his heart at the conclusion of the sultry rocker.
'We've crossed paths over so many years. Way back in the day, I had actually guested with Joan. I got up and played with her at, I think it was Disneyland. She did a show in Los Angeles,' said Stevens, looking back during a conversation this past May. 'Obviously, I was there from the moment that Billy pretty much arrived in the U.S. So, there's a lot of shared craziness that's gone on!' said the guitarist. 'Those were crazy times - and amazing years to be successful. I was all of 22 years old. And we enjoyed every bit of it, you know?'
On his latest album, Jett sings alongside Idol on 'Wildside,' delivering an age-old tale of refusal to slow down. Thursday night outside Chicago, Jett looked back on 50 years, revisiting everything from The Runaways to the Blackhearts on stage.
Plowing forward with her take on Sly and the Family Stone's 'Everyday People,' Jett dove into 'I Love Rock & Roll.' Hopping along to her right, she was almost skipping as she shredded, smiling wide throughout 'Crimson & Clover' as the audience sang along during a late psychedelic interlude on the Tommy James & the Shondells classic, soon heading for finish with a murderer's row of hits.
Jett and bassist Hal B. Selzer got the crowd clapping in time as she counted in 'I Hate Myself for Loving You' in the opening set's final moments.
'Thank you so much, everybody!' said Jett following a raucous close via 'Bad Reputation.' Longtime guitarist Dougie Needles swung his axe over his left shoulder, holding it aloft for a late solo during the closing number. 'Have a great night with Billy Idol!' said Jett, flicking picks from the stage to fans seated in front.
The subject of the new Jonas Åkerlund-directed documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead, Idol is closing in on a once unthinkable 70th birthday this November. But over the course of about an hour and 40 minutes on stage, Idol turned back the clock during the opener, singing in fine voice as he ran across the stage throughout a rocking, engaging and fun performance Thursday night outside Chicago.
Backed by a tight seven piece group including a pair of backing singers, Idol tore into the aptly-titled new 'Still Dancing' to open the show, soon revisiting 'Cradle of Love.'
Shimmying away with the backing singers at the back corner of the stage early, Idol came charging back to the front, facing Stevens as he backed away, drawing the guitarist in as he leaned forward, egging him on ahead of a torrid late 'Cradle of Love' solo.
While it features a guest spot from Avril Lavigne on the new record, Idol handled the bulk of the vocals to the new '77' Thursday night.
Sitting down to start, Stevens strummed in the intro to 'Eyes Without a Face' solo, drums soon kicking in as guitarist Billy Morrison helped drive the performance.
The Stevens showcase continued, with the guitarist offering up a flamenco-fueled electro-acoustic solo that veered suddenly into Led Zeppelin, with the guitarist working through 'Over the Hills and Far Away' and 'Stairway to Heaven,' shaking his head with a smile as he suddenly stopped the latter, opting to close the solo with more flamenco ahead of an Eddie Van Halen-like closing flourish.
'Steve Stevens!' shouted Idol as he returned to the stage, with the ensemble putting an almost T. Rex-like spin upon Tommy James & The Shondells' 'Mony Mony.' While the audience supplied the unofficial chorus lyrics to the song, much to Idol's delight, it was backing vocalists Jessica Childress and Kitten Kuroi who truly shined on the track, with Idol bringing the pair to the foot of the stage to jam out the song's final chorus with him.
Shaking up the setlist a bit on opening night, Idol delivered a cover of Rose Royce's 'Love Don't Live Here Anymore,' an outtake from 1983's Rebel Yell album which finally saw release 41 years later as part of an expanded edition of the iconic Idol record.
'The first song I ever wrote is 'Ready Steady Go,'' explained Idol later, referencing the first single from the self-titled debut Generation X album in 1978. 'I'm still doing it a million years later!'
Throwing out signed frisbees, Idol soon explained the origins of arguably his most famous recorded moment.
'Back to 1983…' began the guitarist, detailing a birthday party he attended which touted appearances by Rolling Stones Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood. 'They're standing around drinking a bottle of brown liquid. What are they drinking?' he asked rhetorically in the humorous telling. 'I see the bottle hit Mick's lips and it said 'Rebel Yell,'' he recalled, screaming now as he namechecked the bourbon whiskey.
Starting at the left side of the stage, Idol raced right at the top of the second verse. Crouching down, he helped place the trademark ray gun sound effect as Stevens shredded away during a late 'Rebel Yell' solo, punching repeatedly with his right fist before delivering an inimitable fist pump and snarl from atop a centerstage riser to close the cut.
'I cannot hear you!' came Idol's voice across the speakers as the rocker riled up fans from backstage during an encore break Thursday night. 'Chicago, let's f–ing dance!' he commanded upon return, with Stevens and Morrison both tearing away at 'Dancing With Myself' while Idol tossed his mic back and forth from left hand to right during an extended take on the track, ultimately closing the suburban Chicago performance with 'White Wedding.'
'We've gotta have fun while we're alive, right?' asked Billy Idol with a smile on stage, revisiting his mission statement late in Thursday night's set. 'Have as much fun as you can,' he continued. 'Because this is our time.'