Billy Idol - Stateline: Live at the Hoover Dam (Blu-ray)
Here's a very cool concert film of Billy Idol performing in a very unusual place. In April of 2023 Billy Idol performed the first (and likely only) concert to ever be performed at Hoover Dam, the iconic structure that sits on the Colorado River on the Arizona/Nevada state line. Idol bussed in 250 lucky fans from nearby Las Vegas to see the intimate performance that took place on a helipad in a secure zone of the dam complex, a place that normally is off limits to most. The film begins with documentary-style commentary from Idol as he talks about the dam's creation, history and importance; surprisingly Billy says he's always been interested in history and that if he hadn't of made a career out of being a musician that he might have been a history professor. Also before the main concert begins Idol gets to go to another generally off limits area, the top of the dam's power plant where he and his longtime guitarist Steve Stevens perform acoustic snippets of "To Be a Lover," "Eyes Without a Face" and "Rebel Yell." The full concert begins with a trio of big hits: "Cradle of Love," "Dancing With Myself" with special guest Tony Kanal of No Doubt fame and former Sex Pistol Steve Jones, and "Flesh for Fantasy." The show then moves into one of a few newer songs that would be played, 2022's "Cage," a cut that Idol explained was written during the COVID lockdown, a time when many felt that indeed they were locked in a cage. Another newer cut, "Bitter Taste" from the
Roadside album, leads into "Eyes Without a Face" and a killer Latin-flavored guitar instrumental from Stevens called "Dementia." When the band played the Tommy James chestnut "Mony Mony" Billy's band members all shouted out the song's "dirty" lyrics, just in case fans had forgotten that aspect of the favorite when it's played live. "To Be a Lover," "John Wayne" with Alison Mosshart of the Kills, and "Running from the Ghost," a cut that Billy acknowledged is about his struggle with drug addiction, filled out the show's middle section. In a nice move for fans who've been with Idol since the beginning he dusts off "One Hundred Punks," again featuring Kanal; the cut is a super oldie from Billy's time as the front man of Generation X. The show closes on a very strong note with "Blue Highway," "Rebel Yell," "Hot in the City" and "White Wedding." Idol's vocals are great, Stevens and the rest of the band are hot and tight, and the scenery of the dam and the Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge a short distance behind the stage is striking, particularly as the sun goes down. Billy Idol fans will definitely want to have this film in their collection.
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