Live Review: Billy Idol, Cheap Trick

It’s fair to say that for any band whose heyday was 30 years ago, the prospect of a new tour comes with certain expectations, most of which are fulfilled: a greatest hits set, some of the old moves and a less frenetic engery on stage. What’s often not said is that you also get a well rehearsed show with smooth transitions and the sheer joy of seeing your heroes once again strutting their stuff.

Cheap Trick have been regular visitors to Australia in recent years, plying their trade to audiences comprised of both their original fans and a new generation raised on glam-infused, good-time rock. “I see a few Cheap Trick T-shirts out there, and I see even less Billy Idol shirts, so that’s something,” guitarist Rick Nielsen joked. Despite a sparsely populated house, those that did turn up were treated to a set that chugged along hitting all the right notes and cranking out the anthemic singalong big hits, among them Surrender, I Want You To Want Me, The Flame, Dream Police and That ‘70s Song. Vocalist Robin Zander’s taste in spangly stage-wear certainly got an airing, sporting as he did a sequinned cavalry officer’s tunic during the first half of the set and a silver frock coat that gleamed like a mirror ball in the second. 

It’s been a few years since original 1977 punk rocker Billy Idol graced our shores, but armed with a new album and a back catalogue that has withstood the ravages of time, fans were treated to a show that coupled the best of both with a great band and one of music’s most engaging frontmen. It’s clear Idol understands the desires of his audience, leaning heavily on the big singles and crowd favourites – including Ready Steady Go from Idol’s early punk outfit, Generation X – with a light sprinkling of the new material from last year’s album, Kings & Queens Of The Underground. What was perhaps unexpected were the beefy arrangements in all the tunes, where the bass laid a solid foundation for guitarist Steve Stevens’ soaring solos and virtuoso finger-picking. While the fist-pumping clapalongs and singalongs took a while to warm up and gather pace, Idol and the band were undeterred, playing up to the audience, messing around with each other and generally ensuring a good time was had by all. Between costume changes and stints on the tambourine and guitar, Idol added value to picks, sticks, setlists and, unusually, white paper plates featuring a tour sticker, with a date and an autograph. 

If the punters’ cheesy grins and a lot more movement within the crowd on the floor for final number Rebel Yell and encore numbers White Wedding and Mony Mony were any indication, a good time was had by all.