***Guest author to Decibel Geek, Laura Suchan, is a true Motley Crue fan and has seen nearly 80 Motley Crue shows over the years!! Laura is catching several more Crue concerts during the All Bad Things Must Come to an End tour, including the final performance in L.A. Who better to review a few of these final Crue performances than such an expert on the subject? Here’s her thoughts on the August 23, 2015, show in Ottawa.***
Motley Crue: The Final Tour, Canadian Tire Centre Ottawa, Ontario, August 23, 2015
The day after Motley Crue’s show in Toronto I drove the 3.5 hours to our nation’s capital, Ottawa, to catch another show on The Final Tour. I was looking forward to this second show a day later because it would give me an opportunity to review the show without being overwhelmed by the spectacle of the show itself as I tend to do at Crue shows. I was curious to know if the show would live up to my expectations the second night. Read my review of Toronto the night before: All Bad Things Must Come to an End-Toronto
I made sure to arrive early enough to meet Ryan Roxie, Alice Cooper’s guitarist, at his International Rock n Roll Parking Lot event. I missed this in Toronto because I couldn’t find it. Who would have thought something called a “Parking Lot” event would be held indoors? Nevertheless, I managed to find Ryan and Nita Strauss graciously posing for photos and signing autographs. Full disclosure – I will admit I blew past Nita to meet Ryan. He was definitely worth the effort as I got my picture taken with him.
With that goal accomplished I found my seat and set about meeting the people near me. The two men beside me were Alice Cooper fans. Behind me were 2 couples from Syracuse NY. Having seen the Crue last year, they were not convinced the show would be worth the 3.5-hour drive. “Trust me,” I told them, “The show is over the top.”
It was just as good a show as Toronto; same set list, same explosions, and even the same story, although told in less detail, by Nikki about his grandfather and the pocket knife. I loved to see the high level of energy and enthusiasm shown by the band.
Having seen several shows on The Final Tour I have to say I don’t like the backing singers/dancers. I find them distracting and not in a good way. Their choreography appears disjointed to me and at times downright cheesy. The backing vocals I don’t have a problem with. I understand Vince Neil needs the help to fill in his vocals. I just wish the girls wouldn’t gyrate around so much.
The rollercoaster, Cruecify, was so amazing the night before I was actually looking forward to Tommy‘s drum solo. Again the time to strap Tommy into the coaster seemed very long and I explained to my seat-mates what was going on. My seat on the floor was perfectly located in the middle section so Cruecify would go right over me. I can honestly say it was just as amazing the second time around. It was fun to watch everyone’s reaction to seeing Tommy‘s drum kit make its way along Cruecify‘s track. If the goal of Cruecify was to be a spectacle it succeeded nicely. Most of the fans in my area were videotaping and taking in the view of Tommy hanging upside down right above them.
By the time the encore came along, I was already looking forward to my next date with the Crue in Buffalo NY, October 14. I asked the couples behind me, “Well, was it worth it?” Both of them enthusiastically answered, “Hell yes,” and one of the men even said he would see me in Buffalo. As “My Way” played and a picture of the Crue flashed on the screens I was reminded of Nikki‘s quote in the tour program, “Don’t be sad that we are over, be happy that we came and fucked the planet up for a time.” This night I was very happy as I knew I still had a few more times to see the Crue fuck things up.
Laura Suchan
Set List
So Long, Farewell – Rodgers and Hammerstein
Girls, Girls, Girls
Wildside
Primal Scream
S.O.S. (Same Old Situation)
Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Smokin’ in the Boys Room (Brownsville Station cover)
Looks That Kill
Mutherfucker of the Year
Anarchy In the U.K. (Sex Pistols Cover)
In the Beginning
Shout At the Devil
Louder than Hell
O’ Fortuna – Carl Orff 13th century poem
Drum Solo
Guitar Solo
Saints of Los Angeles
Live Wire
T.N.T.
Dr. Feelgood
Kickstart My Heart
Encore Home Sweet Home
My Way – Frank Sinatra
Comments are closed.