Victoria does not get many shows of this magnitude. The Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, capacity just over 7,000 for concerts, was sold out well before the night of October 1, 2011. The anticipation in the venue - a mix of long-time fans who have followed Motley Crue since the early 1980s and younger attendees discovering the band through their catalog - was palpable from the moment the lights dropped.
Motley Crue are not a subtle band. The production they brought to Victoria - stage risers, pyrotechnics, video walls running a constant reel of stylized visuals, Tommy Lee's drum kit suspended above the crowd on a rotating steel rig - announced this fact from the opening note. The show started with the drums literally descending from the ceiling. By any measure, they delivered on the promise of spectacle that the tour was built around.
The Setlist
The set leaned heavily on the back catalog, which is exactly what this crowd came to hear. "Shout at the Devil" opened with an authority that silenced any question about whether the band still has the energy to hold an arena. Nikki Sixx's bass was mixed loud and driving throughout, and Mick Mars, who has dealt with significant health challenges over the years from his battle with ankylosing spondylitis, played with a clarity and precision that belied any suggestion that age has diminished him as a player.
"Dr. Feelgood" arrived mid-set to the loudest response of the night. The title track from their 1989 album remains one of the tightest rock songs in their catalog - a groove-based hard rock piece that showcases Mars's lead guitar work at its most economical and effective. The crowd's reaction to the opening riff was immediate and total.
The set also included "Girls, Girls, Girls," "Kickstart My Heart," and "Home Sweet Home" - the latter performed with the lights brought down to near-darkness as a mass of phone screens and lighters created the kind of visual that makes arena rock look exactly as it's supposed to look. It was a well-executed piece of theater from a band that has been performing these particular songs for over two decades and clearly still knows how to make them land.
Vince Neil's Performance
Vince Neil's voice has been a subject of ongoing discussion among Motley Crue followers for the past decade. On this night in Victoria, the verdict was positive. His range showed the natural narrowing that comes with age, and the lower register moments were considerably stronger than the higher screams of his 1980s work. But within those parameters, he performed with authority. The crowd sang along loud enough on multiple occasions to carry the sections where Neil pulled the microphone back, which is standard arena-rock practice.
Motley Crue at this point in their career are a band that knows precisely what they are and plays to that identity without apology. There is no attempt to reinvent, no hedging toward critical respectability. They are there to deliver the show, and the show was delivered.
Tommy Lee's Drum Solo
The mid-show drum solo, with Lee's kit rotating on the overhead rig while the drummer played upside down, is a set piece that Motley Crue have been executing for years on various tours. It remains effective. Whatever skepticism one might bring to the concept of a ten-minute drum solo in the middle of a rock show, Lee's technical performance and the pure visual absurdity of the rotating cage arrangement make it difficult to look away. The Victoria crowd roared throughout.
The show closed around midnight after just over two hours of material. The encore brought back "Kickstart My Heart" and "Home Sweet Home," the latter as a full band reprise after the acoustic treatment mid-set. The production crew had the stage broken down within forty-five minutes of the final note.
Motley Crue continue their North American tour through November. Canadian dates include additional stops in Vancouver and Toronto before the band moves into the United States market for the remainder of the year.
