Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison, Joan Jett, Classless Act Rock Fenway Park Old School Style (SHOW REVIEW/PHOTOS) 

The COVID-19 Pandemic-delayed Stadium Tour featuring ‘80s heavy-weights, Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison, and Joan Jett kicked off the second leg of the massive tour at Fenway Park in Boston on August 5th. The bill also featured a hot, new band, Classless Act as the token opener. After finally getting the green light to set the tour’s wheels in motion, the rock and roll icons have been crisscrossing the US, much to the delight of their fans. This ensemble gave a solid taste of nostalgia from some of the industry’s biggest names. Performing hits from their respective catalogs, the bands did not disappoint. Glide Magazine was in Boston for the kickoff of Part II. Read on for a rundown on each band’s performance.

MOTLEY CRUE

The Crue’s return to the stage, after “officially” calling it quits several years ago, had many wondering what was coming their way, when, and if they finally made it back. Most nay-sayers questioned Vince Neil’s overall ability to perform both physically and vocally and Mick Mars’ unfortunate physical challenges hadn’t seemed to improve. Bassist, Nikki Sixx, and drummer, Tommy Lee both pretty much stayed clear of any ambiguity on their ability to perform. Well, The Crue have performed on every date of this tour thus far and in Boston, they appeared to all pull together to recapture some of that metal magic they had in their grasp thirty-plus years ago.

Overall, Motley Crue beat expectations with a 90-minute set that covered the bases of their erratic career. The first half of the set’s highlights included early hits, “Devil”, “Love”, “Live Wire” and “Looks that Kill”, all of which sounded great! Mid-set, the Crue played a song they wrote for “The Dirt” called… “The Dirt” and dabbled in a handful of covers. Outside of “Smokin’ in the Boys Room”, this section could have been omitted from the set entirely. A drum solo from Lee would have been more entertaining. The second half of the set, starting with pointless monologues from both Lee and Sixx, did pack more of a punch with “Home Sweet Home”, “Feelgood”, “Girls”, “Primal Scream” and “Kickstart My Heart”. Hats off to Neil for not giving up and to Mars for standing tall and soldiering through each night and to Sixx’ and Lee’s continued enthusiasm. Regardless of this take, a fun night was had by all.

DEF LEPPARD

After 45 years together, Leppard once again proved that their talent and chemistry are hardly rivaled. Out of the five bands on the bill, they had the most impressive set with top-notch production and performance. Joe Elliott’s voice and charm were intact and on full display, as he and his mates barreled through a 17 song-set of hits, deep cuts and three songs from their killer new album Diamond Star Halos. Boldly opening with “Take What You Want”, one of those new songs, and “Let it Go”, a pre-Pyro or Hysteria-era barnburner made it known that Def Leppard has earned the right to play what they want when they want.

From that point on, it was as if the band had cracked the code to engineer the perfect setlist. A triple shot of hits, “Animal”, “Foolin’” and “Armageddon It” turned up the heat before bestowing a new rocker, “Kick” that pummeled the naked ear. Other highlights of the set included an acoustic set featuring another new song, “This Guitar” and “Two Steps Behind”. This brought drummer Rick Allen and bassist Rick Savage out in front, away from their comfort zone on the main stage. “Rocket” and “Heartbreak” raised the temperature back up just before guitarists Vivian Campbell and Phil Collen cut heads with “Switch 625”. “Hysteria”, “Sugar”, “Rock of Ages” and of course, “Photograph” rounded out Leppard’s explosive time on the stage without truly leaving any stone unturned.

POISON

With Bret Michaels at the helm, the party was officially on! Michaels, the consummate performer, never stopped moving as he and the band plowed through a short, six-song set that oddly included a guitar solo from C.C. DeVille – even though he included a nice nod to Eddie Van Halen. Having a plethora of hits to choose from, the band stuck mostly to the best-known singles but had fun with a deeper cut and a cover as well. For their faithful followers, “Look What the Cat Dragged In” was a fun blast down memory lane. “Dirty” of course had everyone singing along and surely reminiscing about their youth. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Poison concert without “Rose” which was the only ballad in the set. Michaels and his acoustic guitar serenaded Fenway while Rockett, Dall, and DeVille played a willful supporting cast before they all turned it up to 11 for “Good Time”. Poison’s set was well-composed, but it was a shame their time was limited.

JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS

Joan Jett and the current lineup of the Blackhearts took to the stage after an hour-long weather delay that almost sacked her set. However, much to the delight of her fans, the weather cleared in time for her and her gang to play a slightly abbreviated set that included songs from her days with the Runaways, a couple of originals, and a handful of covers that she made her own. Jett’s voice sounded exactly the way you wanted it to with her bad-ass gruff delivery that has helped shape her musical identity. The band was tight and made the best use of their time by cranking out, “Cherry Bomb”, “Do You Want to Touch Me”, “Crimson and Clover”, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Bad Reputation”. Jett looked genuinely happy and appreciative to be on stage and made sure to engage with the audience here and there throughout the set. As Jett doesn’t tour regularly, her performance and ultimately her presence was savored and adored.

CLASSLESS ACT

Facing the daunting task of opening for a quartet of ‘80s rock and roll icons and legends, could not have been an easy task but one has clearly taken head-on by Los Angeles’ Classless Act. The fiery, young rockers got the show started early at 3:30 and put on an energetic set to ramp up those in attendance. Lead singer Derek Day, clad in a bright red sport coat and pants shouldered much of the visual and vocal duties. As Day was the only member of the band not tethered to their gear, he, his microphone, and shamrock socks rocked and literally rolled on the stage and along its catwalk most effectively. The band introduced Boston to their brand of today’s glam with songs that included, “All That We Are”, “Time to Bleed” and “Classless Act”. They did not disappoint, and they’ll be a fun band to watch out for in the future.

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2 Responses

  1. I grew up listening to Motley Crew and listening to them sing their songs at “US Bank Stadium” was like listening to Alvan and the Chipmunks sing their songs.

    WORST I’ve ever heard EXCEPT they keep wanting the public to buy concert tickets and the sound system is SHIT.

  2. Classless Acts is one of today’s most energetic and innovative bands of our new generations of Rockers. They respect these band they open up to in more ways than people think. They are paving the way of a new sound of their own. 🤘🎶🎸🥁🤘

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