By: Calum Slingerland (@C_Slingerland) –
Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe. (Photo: Scott Penner/Aesthetic Magazine Toronto)
With their NHL hockey team beginning a playoff series in Pittsburgh, Ottawa played host to a different kind of spectacle on Tuesday night with 80’s hair metal bad-boys Mötley Crüe, who performed at Scotiabank Place as part of their ongoing Canadian tour, their biggest excursion within the country to date. As it was their final show on the Canadian leg of the tour, the band was intent on showing those in attendance an excellent time.
Big Wreck opened the show with some Canadian flavour. The recognizable Toronto rock act played alongsideMötley Crüe all throughout their Canadian dates, having reunited in 2010.
Frontman Ian Thornley brought out the first of a few eye-catching double-neck guitars he would use over the course of the set, while guitarist Brian Doherty soon followed suit, using one sporting both a mandolin and a guitar. The band kicked off their set with “Inhale” from their 2001 album The Pleasure and the Greed. Seeming a slight bit shaky at first, Big Wreck settled into things with a few hard rocking numbers from Albatross, “A Million Days” and “Wolves”. The crowd reaction was even stronger when the band broke into their 1997 hit “That Song”, from their debut album In Loving Memory Of…, which still enjoys rock radio play today. Big Wreck also performed a cover of “Come Again”, a song from Thornley’s one-time band bearing his last name. They rounded out their set with a rousing rendition of “The Oaf”, which sounded more explosive and dynamic in a live setting than on record.
With five minutes before Mötley Crüe was due to hit the stage, two large screens lit up on either side of the stage, showing a five-minute countdown. With four seconds to spare, the countdown stalled, and a slow procession of costumed figures wove their way through the audience, carrying banners bearing the Mötley Crüe insignia. Upon arriving at the stage, the countdown concluded and Mötley Crüe burst onto the stage and set the hard-driving tone early with “Saints of Los Angeles”, from their 2008 album of the same name.
Frontman Vince Neil leapt around the stage effortlessly, putting much vim and vigor into his performance. Hitting all his high notes on songs such as “Shout at the Devil”, he was a force on stage alongside bass guitarist Nikki Sixx, who prowled around while holding down the low-end of things with his bass guitar parts. Lead guitarist Mick Mars rarely left his spot at stage right, hindered by his arthritis. Hidden behind a hat and long hair, he let his guitar playing do the talking. Mars whipped the crowd into a frenzy with his axe work on songs such as “Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)” (Dr. Feelgood), “Louder than Hell” (Theatre of Pain), and “Mutherfucker of the Year”. Drummer Tommy Lee ruled the midpoint of the show with some antics of his own, playing piano on ballad “Home Sweet Home” (Theatre of Pain), and performing a drum solo while riding around on his circular drum roller coaster. A lucky fan even got a chance to take a spin with him, much to the crowd’s delight. Mötley Crüesaved a lot of their biggest hits until the end of the set, with the crowd going wild for numbers such as “Girls, Girls, Girls”, and “Dr. Feelgood”. The crowd was perhaps the loudest when Mars broke into the opening guitar growls of “Kickstart My Heart”, which closed the main set.
In the world of aging rockers, Mötley Crüe still know how to put on a good show, perhaps better than many of their counterparts from the era (take notes, Axl Rose). The music was loud, the stage show was visually appealing, and the crowd loved every minute it. With many wondering how long the band will continue to play, they certainly showed little signs of slowing down.
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