Kiss/Motley Crue/Thin Lizzy/DIva Demolition
Brisbane Entertainment Centre 12.12.13
Tight black leather pants, eyeliner, high heeled boots, faded tattoos, chain belts, hair spray, pouting –oh did I mention it was glam night at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre? March 13th saw the triple-header of Kiss, Mötley Crüe and Thin Lizzy supported by locals Diva Demolition.
The night kicked off with hometown act, Diva Demolition. Featuring two feisty vixens up front pumping out some honest to goodness rock and roll. Their excitement to be playing in the same arena with the likes of Kiss and Mötley Crüe was obvious. They had just as much buzz being on stage as the crowd did watching them. A promising band, definitely worth keeping and ear out for Diva Demolition in the future.
An augmented version of Thin Lizzy busted onto the stage with a no-nonsense bravado. It was obvious they were here to rock. Although the line up was altered from the original cast, all six men on stage played as if they been together since the beginning. These old cats had the exuberance of kids half their age. I love to see a band genuinely having a great time.
The amount of picks they were throwing into the audience was something else. Several per song from each member. But hey, it had me jumping on my toes with my hand in the air. Gimmicks aside, these guys rocked it. Thin Lizzy are the fathers of twin lead guitar harmonies and they showed us why. Ploughing through a stellar performance of ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’ and a very moving rendition of ‘Whisky in The Jar’. No gaps and all-killer-no-filler. Man, they still got it.
Now, if you’re going to be one of the biggest glam rock bands in the world you have to make a big entrance, right? Well how about red hooded monks and stripers riding the shoulders of a masked entourage? And the band hadn’t even played a note yet…
Mötley Crüe took ‘glam’ to a new level. There were flamethrowers, two tiered stages, occultic henchmen, a giant rotating drum cage, a mirrored finished grand piano, pyrotechnical bass guitars; and that’s’ only half of it. But, what about the actual show?
Musically they were great, these are musicians who know their craft. Strutting their way through the set, knocking out the classics as well as newer songs. Including their newest single ‘Sex’, which according to Vince Neil, “Summed up what the band’s thirty two year career was all about”. Just in case we didn’t get the message he had ‘SEX’ embroidered on the back of his leather jacket whilst played a custom guitar with the ‘SEX’ insignia on the front. Oh, and the word was five meters high on the visuals behind him.
Remember, it was Mötley Crüe. So having Tommy Lee shower the crowd in champagne or drum up side down in a circular mechanical cage to a backing track of Skrilex’s ‘Bangarang’ is all part and parcel.
However, the band dispersed off stage after just about each song and it became difficult to draw the line between ‘gratuitous glam theatre production’ and an actual rock concert. Models parading new outfits every act, aerial acrobatics, multiple pyro displays and a laser light show tend to become visually distracting. That being said this was Mötley Crüe at their over-the-top best. Which is what ‘glam rock’ is all about, and in that respect they executed it to a Tee.
Also, a massive amount of credit must be given to lead singer Vince Neil, who went on stage to perform this energetic feat after only just receiving surgery for the removal of a kidney stone. This dedication shows a true testament to the fans and great deal of showmanship, strippers and flamethrowers aside.
Then came the moment the crowd had been waiting for, Kiss! Looking at the packed venue behind me, the most distinguishing feature was the wash of Kiss shirts, face paint and costumes. Here was Brisbane’s Kiss Army and they were ready.
The curtain came down and from a giant mechanical platform they descended like demi gods from out of space.
Like Thin Lizzy, this was not the original line up. But no one cared. The face paint and the boots were the same. So regardless of who was under the mask, this was Kiss.
They inter-wound a mix of their classics with songs from their new album ‘Monster’ with ease. The crowd interaction was brilliant. Gene pointed out fans selectively, staring them down as he flickered his serpent like tongue. The typical antics of raised podiums, blood-spilling bass solos and multi stage platforms were all executed seamlessly, and gallantly received by the crowd. When Kiss do glam they exude an epic sense of grandeur compared to the more over the top hyper-glam of Mötley Crüe. Perhaps it’s the thirty centimetre boots.
An ocean of confetti rained down and an encore followed. The show was over.
What more is there to say about Kiss? They are immortalised in rock history and for good reason. They tower on stage as ten-foot giants from another world who love the crowd that comes to pay admiration and ogle them.
Tonight we had the entire spectrum. The excited up and comings of Diva Demolition, to the hard working gritty rock of Thin Lizzy, to the hyper-glam exuberance of Mötley Crüe caped off with the godliness of Kiss. It was a perfect snapshot of rock and roll wrapped up in hair spray and sweat. If god did give rock and roll to us, it was on display tonight.
Thomas Oliver
