When they announced that Motley Crue would reunite and tour I was faced with a couple of different opinions on it. The first was my belief that there was no way that these four could be in the same room together much less be on the same stage for any length of time. This had come to me based on all the consistent in-fighting and solo projects that the various members were involved in. Nikki Sixx had the Brides Of Destruction while Tommy Lee had project after inane project that strayed so far away from his Rock roots that many lost interest in what he was up to altogether. There was always discussion of a "real" reunion that not only placed the four together but also would be a career encompassing show yet for awhile it was all talk. Luckily this came to fruition very early in 2005 where it seemed as though only weeks after the seal of approval on it that tickets were being sold and shows began to sell out in legendary venues like New York's Madison Square Garden. This DVD documents a performance in Grand Rapids Michigan before a sold out crowd where The Crue delivers over a two-hour set. Presented as two DVD's you will find the complete concert on DVD1. If you look over the set list you will that it includes a little bit of everything from their first album "Too Fast For Love" up until their recent Anthology release "Red, White And Crue". I believe that even the most critical of fans will find something that they want to hear and see in this list. I enjoyed the early years of the Crue the most and remembered the show being as thrilling as the DVD reminded me. I did have a couple of minor criticisms as while the larger aspect was enjoyable I felt that the Tommy Lee drum solo left a lot to be desired. He was always one of the more creative of Hard Rock's drummer elite but his solo was ridiculous samples and things that resembled street performers more than something a player of his caliber could have delivered. Given this almost retro nature of the show he should have pulled something else out of his history and done it again. Nikki's solo was more interesting on video than I found it in person due to my proximity when it happened. Yet through it all the band performs admirably and every song sounds on target with a tighter sound than one would expect in such a short span of time they had to rehearse this. Out of all members it seems that Mick Mars is to be commended the most for his illness has really placed him in a rough spot. He can hardly move and looks very gaunt yet through it all he does not miss a note. As this DVD was filmed later in the tour Vince did sound a little worn vocally but still gets through everything like a pro. The audience reaction during all the songs is incredible.
On DVD2 you get a slew of bonus features. There are a couple of Tour Documentaries and backstage footage. They also include a longer trailer in Claymation which was the show opener. It was a very funny segment. They also include the new videos for "If I Die Tomorrow" and "Sick Love Song" which are the new songs from the Anthology as well as a time-lapse view for "On With The Show". They included a poster and I felt a booklet with a lot of photos and some liner notes would have been better. The whole DVD runs over 3 hours and is certainly a lot for the dollar.
I was lucky to attend and review the Madison Square Garden concert and that made me happy to see a DVD come out from this tour. I have to sya that I was truly impressed with the overall show that Motley Crue was able to give to their fans. The DVD has an "R" rating and it is not recommended for younger viewers. There is crude and explicit language and imagery coupled with some sexually referenced shenanigans and nudity at times. Hmm, I think I just heard a few hundred thousand readers log off and run to buy the DVD. If this is the closest you can get to the Crue concert I advise you order a copy to see what you missed. "Shout At The Devil" one more time.
Song Listing
1. Opening
2. Shout At The Devil
3. Too Fast For Love
4. Ten Seconds To Love
5. Red Hot
6. On With The Show
7. Too Young To Fall In Love
8. Looks That Kill
9. Louder Than Hell
10. Live Wire
11. Girls, Girls, Girls
12. Wild Side
13. Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
14. Primal Scream
15. Glitter
16. Without You
17. Home Sweet Home
18. Nikki's Solo
19. Dr. Feelgood
20. Tommy's Solo
21. Same Ol' Situation
22. Tommy Cam
23. Sick Love Song
24. If I Die Tomorrow
25. Kickstart My Heart
26. Helter Skelter
27. Anarchy In The UK
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