Before long we were inside and Nite Wave took the stage. Michael is a brilliant talent in his own right and the band came out with a nearly perfect rendition of “I Ran” by Flock of Seagulls. The crowd went crazy as they played through a well-polished set of 80‟s pop hits from Prince, The Beastie Boys and many others. As I scanned the room everyone was smiling, dancing and by all accounts having a fantastic time. They left the stage to a thunderous applause and the room filled with anticipation of Billy Idol taking the stage. As we all waited for Billy's performance I walked around the venue and was surprised to see what a diverse fan base was in attendance. The crowd spanned multiple generations and a wide scope of people from rockers and punkers to business men and women. Everyone was getting along and having the time of their life! The energy in the room was nothing short of electrifying. The lights went out and Billy took the stage. The crowd surged forward, abandoning the long lines at the bar, to get a good spot on the floor to enjoy the show. From the first second Billy Idol and his band took the stage it was clear we were all in for an amazing show. Billy looked great and his long time guitarist Steve Stevens was in rare form. They began to rock through their many hits like, Dancing With Myself, Flesh For Fantasy, and Eyes Without a Face along with a few songs that I myself am not familiar with. The crowd on the other hand was very familiar and was singing and dancing along with the tunes and clearly enjoying themselves. About half way through the set it dawned on me on how many great hits Billy has produced over the years and memories of my childhood, of watching him on MTV began to surface. It was breathtaking. Steve Stevens came out and played an incredible acoustic guitar solo, including a rendition of happy birthday clearly meant for Henrichsen. As a pop guitarist Stevens is radically under-rated. His virtuosity on the guitar rivals the fastest, most intense metal players around. They broke into more hit songs and worked their way into the tracks that made Idol's career: Rebel Yell, White Wedding and Mony Mony. Near the end of the set Billy called Michael Henrichsen on stage and led the entire sold out crowd in singing him happy birthday. You could tell Henrichsen was overwhelmed and I may have even seen a few tears of joy. There is no doubt that this was a birthday he will never forget. In summary I have to say this was one of the best concerts I have attended in quite a while. From great music and great people to world class sound and lights. Billy Idol is alive and well and performing as well, or better than he did in his prime. If you get a chance to catch him in concert don't even think twice. He will blow your mind!
Concert Article courtesy of Tony DeLisio