The End of An Era: Mötley
Crüe, The Final Tour
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| Photo by Scott Moore/ Limelight Imaging |
By Margy Moore
After 30 plus years together and over 80 million albums
sold, the iconic rock and roll band Mötley Crüe announced their retirement.
With drummer Tommy Lee explaining “Everything must come to an end” the band has
begun their “All Bad Things Must Come To An End” Tour. The tour, which started
on July 2 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, made its 10th stop on the
70-date farewell tour at the Cedar Park Center, in Cedar Park, Texas, a suburb
of Austin.
Opening the evening were the high-energy duo, The Raskins. Twin
brothers, Logan and Roger Raskin, produce an interesting sound, a blend of
rock, metal, and punk. Although most of the audience did not know there would
be a third act performing until 15 minutes before show time, the band was well
received by the audience and they probably earned some new fans.
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| Photo by Scott Moore/ Limelight Imaging |
Touring with Mötley Crüe, and possibly the reason many fans
chose to attend this show, was the legendary “Godfather of Shock Rock,” Alice
Cooper. During his 50 minute set of 13 songs, the now 66 year old Cooper
performed several of his greatest hits including “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” “Under
My Wheels,” “Billion Dollar Babies,” and “The Ballad of Dwight Fry.” Alice was
in great voice and the set was a great, full show complete with costume
changes, props, pyro and choreographed numbers.
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| Photo by Scott Moore/ Limelight Imaging |
During “Feed My Frankenstein,”
Alice was “transformed” into a giant Frankenstein monster puppet. Not one to
disappoint his fans, Cooper’s props also included a boa constrictor for
“Welcome To My Nightmare”, a bloody crutch, and a guillotine. Alice closed out
his set with an audience pleasing sing along to “School’s Out.” This set was
pure Alice Cooper and the fans loved it.
While Alice Cooper was no mediocre opening act, Mötley Crüe was
the true headliner of the evening, performing a two-hour set and thrilling the
sold out crowd with fan favorites. Many fans had seen online that Tommy Lee’s
trademark 360 degree drum solo routine had been extended to a roller coaster
for most shows. Unfortunately, the Cedar Park Center couldn’t support the
entire coaster, but fans were still thrilled with Tommy’s
hanging-from-the-rafters solo.
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| Photo by Scott Moore/ Limelight Imaging |
The voice of lead singer, 53 year old Vince
Neil, was in good form this night, coming through and hitting those high notes.
Guitarist Mick Mars added plenty of killer riffs to the night including those for
“Dr. Feelgood.” Overall, fans were pleased with the group’s “do it our way”
attitude show. After a rocky start at some of the earlier stops, the Cedar Park
show seemed to go off without major problems. Fans were treated to performances
of songs like “Live Wire,” “Too Fast For Love,” “Shout At The Devil,” and
“Girls, Girls, Girls.”
Most of the show was filled with tons of lights, lasers,
smoke and fire. Fireworks, flash bombs, and Nikki Sixx’s flamethrower bass
helped to make this show one loud and electrifying event. For their encore, Mötley
Crüe ended on a different note. The band exited the stage to reappear on a tiny,
suspended stage in the center of the venue where they closed out the night with
their 1985 ballad “Home Sweet Home.”
