And I did. I know I have lots of catching up to do on Rome, Tanger, London, and everyday life but I want to post about the rock concert last night while I'm still dying from it.
So yesterday I traveled via train from London (where I stayed with my friend Kerry) to Birmingham, UK, where I was picked up by Bess, who I had met in Paris. Bess got me to her place where I dumped my travel stuff and freshened up before heading back to the train to go to the show. At the main trainstation where I had to change, I saw a guy dressed like Nikki Sixx with a woman in a catsuit, and so (naturally) I started talking to them since they were obviously going the same place I was and while I didn't mind going on my own, it was nice to have someone to talk to. They were a very sweet engaged British couple from Sutton (no idea where that is) who were very impressed that I was going to the show by myself. Maybe I'm not so much brave as naïve, but we'll go with brave. In any case we had a nice chat all the way to the station, when they then nipped off to the bar for a drink and I headed to the arena.
I got a standing area ticket so I could be close to the stage and therefore went in right away at about 5:40 for the 6:30 show. There was already a decent crowd formed, but I figured I could work my way forward later as I didn't care too much about Steel Panther, the opening band.
As it turns out I rather hate Steel Panther. Their lyrics are incredibly vulgar and lack the thinly veiled metaphors of Mötley's songs that make me laugh. Anyway they were loud and did what an opening band should do - make you really want to see the main acts. I thought Mötley would be last but I could tell by the way changeover was executed that they were going to be next. I guess since Def Lep is the only Brit band on the tour they put them last. Regardless at some point during Steel Panther I got shoved forward a bit by some enthusiastic people who were jumping around, so that by the time their set was over and a few people went out to get a drink in the interval, I was able to get right up to the front. The whole night I could feel the music through my body, through my sternum into my throat. It was incredible.
The billing may have made Def Leppard the headliner but people were definitely most excited about Mötley. At least they were the rowdiest and I had the least space to move during Mötley. They started the same as their tour this summer, interrupting the recorded music with the loudest "Wild Side" ever, and they continued to kick ass for an hour. Their set was shorter than this summer, as they weren't last, and they played three songs they didn't play this summer including two I'm less familiar with because they're from a non-studio album, but it was amazing. I was so close I made eye contact with Nikki Sixx (bassist and my favorite) and Vince Neil, the lead singer. It was even more intense than this summer since I knew all the words to all the songs and it was so loud and in my face and everything a rock show should be.
Mötley ended too soon, of course, but then I got to watch a fascinating deconstruction of their set followed by setup for Def Lep. I have such respect for roadies. (Plus on bad days when I don't want to do theatre, my backup desire is lighting designing Mötley shows.) So that kept me pretty entertained, and then Def Lep played. They sound amazing considering they've been around since the mid-70s, and actually don't look that much older than Mötley even though they've got probably 10 years on them - they probably didn't do quite as many drugs in the 80s. And 90s. I learned last night that I actually only know about 3 Def Lep songs really well and am vaguely familiar with about 5 more. Haha. It was a good time though, and everyone was being all British and whatnot. I could see the sequins on Joe Elliot's shoes. Vivian Campbell smiled at me.
It was interesting to see the differences in style between Def Lep and Mötley. This summer when I saw the Crüe with Poison, Poison was just a slightly tamer version of Mötley - their pyro wasn't quite as impressive and they weren't quite as loud. Def Lep was completely different, no pyro at all and simpler lighting. But none of you probably care very much about the nuances of 80s rock shows in the 21st century, so I'll leave it at that.
I ran into the couple from the train as I was leaving and so we took the train back together. And then I went back to Bess's place, then took a cab to the bus station, a bus to the airport, and a plane to Madrid! Here I am an in the last 12 hours I've been in a plane, a bus, a cab, a train, and three cities. But so worth it.
ROCK. AND. ROLL. timeforclass.
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