Kiss/Mötley Crüe Deliver In Tampa

If you put together a tour and have the audacity to name it simply "The Tour," one of two scenarios is playing out: Either the bands are very uncreative, or they're very cocky.

In this case, anyone with passing knowledge of Mötley Crüe and Kiss knows that neither band has ever lacked swagger, and both are known as exceptional live acts. Putting them together in 2012 (a good 30 years since their last pairing, when Mötley Crüe released their debut album Too Fast For Love while Kiss had already been selling out live concerts for about 100 years) is setting expectations pretty high. Fortunately, both bands were up to the challenge when The Tour hit Tampa's 1-800-Ask-Gary Ampitheatre on July 28.

The co-headlining tour (conceived in an alternate universe where one band always goes on before the other but they call them co-headliners) features slightly abbreviated sets by both groups-- emphasis on "slightly," since each plays about 80 minutes-- and the instrumental foreplay fans expect in drum and guitar solos. There's even an opening act called The Treatment, who always go on first but are probably not considered co-co-headliners. In any case, they're pretty good, although they received less attention than the merchandise booth, which was consistently several fans deep before the show.

Since we're still months away from Daylight Savings, Mötley Crüe opened their set and played a couple of songs in broad daylight. If that put a damper on the band's energy, they didn't show it on stage and the fans surely didn't show it in the seats and lawn, both of which looked pretty full. The Crüe is one of those rare bands who has all the original members playing... and they can still play. Nikki Sixx handles his bass like a bully but doesn't seem to miss any notes, while Mick Mars barely moves but lets his guitar speak loudly. Tommy Lee, on the other hand, moves around a lot for a drummer. But he takes his kit with him-- playing a solo while strapped in to a roller-coaster contraption that flipped him upside-down just to make things interesting. 

But as is always the case with Mötley Crüe, the quality of their set depends largely on their vocalist. As Vince Neil goes, Mötley goes. Some shows he sings every third word (not in a cool Frank Sinatra kind of way, but in a I-need-to-catch-my-breath kind of way), and other shows he's hitting most of the lyrics. In Tampa he was well over 70 percent in a strong performance that had him hitting extended high notes with ease. Whatever he's doing-- or not doing, as is often the case with Mötley Crüe -- he should keep (not) doing it.

Their setlist included something from each of their heyday albums from the 1980s, with special attention given to 1989's Dr. Feelgood (the title track, "Same Ol' Situation," "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)," and show-closer "Kickstart My Heart). Near the end, Lee summed it up best with a sincere "Fuck...Yes!" They did not disappoint.

Then Kiss came on and did what Kiss always does. The review could end there, but for those who need more information...the lights go down, the year 1976 shows up and the band tears through classics like "Detroit Rock City" and "Shout It Out Loud." Clad in full makeup and costumes, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons still look the part. The mild surprise comes when they open their mouths and they sound the part as well: Stanley still hits his notes and Simmons' growl is still hearty, so the vocals have no problem keeping up with the barrage of guitars and drums. The version of "Love Gun" heard in Tampa would have sounded at home with the one found on Alive II, their live release from back in 1977.

Which brings us to the one genuine surprise on the evening: The best musicians in Kiss are the ones you don't know.  Guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss are long gone (but not forgotten, if fan apparel is any indication), and Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer have taken their place and their costumes. They've also taken their notes and rhythms and replicated them to a degree the original members probably couldn't match today. As evidenced by their combined drum-and-guitar solos, they can play everything required and then some. These "new guys" (both have been in the band for several years) might not be the original members, but they provide a better show for fans in 2012. And you get the feeling that Stanley and Simmons put them on stage for just that reason.

That assessment, by the way, isn't a criticism of Stanley's or Simmons' playing. They never hold the show back musically. But nobody will confuse Kiss' bass challenges to that of Rush, and Stanley's guitar work isn't usually at the forefront of the songs. Their job is to "be Kiss," and that's not easy-- during the show Stanley is carried above through the crowd to reach a second stage, and Simmons is lifted to a platform above the lights (after breathing fire and spitting up theatrical blood). The crowd wants to see those two at their best, and they have to deliver beyond the sounds of their instruments. And at 60 and 62 respectively, Stanley and Simmons have no problem keeping up with their younger bandmates and fans all the way through "Rock and Roll All Nite," their trademark closer.

Both bands offered new songs, too: Mötley Crüe performed their new song, "Sex," and Kiss played "Hell Or Hallelujah," the first single from their new album to be released later this year. Fans were polite during those songs, but they were there to hear hits that spanned several decades. Throughout Kiss' set, Stanley would ask the crowd "Did ya get what you came for?" It turns out that question had already been answered by Mötley Crüe drummer and wordsmith Tommy Lee earlier that night:

"Fuck...Yes!"