Billy Idol-

AVA Amphitheater

Tucson, Arizona

May11, 2024

Billy Idol and his extraordinary band, brought their good old fashioned rock ’n roll to Tucson that delighted a sold out house of raucous fans. He has released two EPs during the pandemic, The Roadside, including the song “Bitter Taste,” and The Cage, with the song, “Cage.” Idol mentioned that they were working on a new ablum to be released in 2025.

They opened with a rocking version of Generation X’s “Dancing With Myself” Next up was “Flesh For Fantasy.” Followed by a new song from Idol’s EP, “Cage.” The fans were captivated by everything Idol had to offer.

Idol is supported by a band that is nothing less than superb. Steve Stevens is on lead guitar, Billy Morrison on rhythm and lead guitar, Erik Eidenius on drums, and Paul Trudeau on keyboards and backing vocals. After a favorite, “Eyes Without A Face,” the band left the stage and Steve Stevens rocked the house with a guitar solo. He went into a mini-Zeppelin piece with samples of “Over The Hills And Far Away” and yes, “Stairway To Heaven.” He stopped the “Stairway” quickly and slapped his hand… Hey, no “Stairway.” The band rejoined the stage and tore through “Mony Mony.” They then launched into “To Be A Lover,” done rockabilly style. 

The background of the stage presented staightforward visuals of city night street scenes with Billy Idol shown on marquees just in case you couldn’t remember who the entertainer was for the night.

Idol strutted across the stage as he interacted with the fans upfront. He spoke about the horrors of addiction and how it destroyed lives as he opened the new song. “Running From the Ghost.” 

The encore began with a fan favorite, “Hot In The City,” and instead of yelling “New York” Idol yelled “Tucson.” The concert ending was a scorching “White Wedding” for which the crowd was entranced.

For 90 minutes, Idol engaged in a powerful, straightforward performance that had the sold-out room on their feet and cheering along from beginning to end.

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