The End of An Era: Mötley Crüe - The Final Tour

The End of An Era: Mötley Crüe, The Final Tour

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 10^th 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.

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. 

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. 

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.”