This is an open forum for staff members, contributers, and fans alike to submit their reviews on the latest music releases and concerts. In an industry that is drowning with overprocessed, grossly overrated, unoriginal crap these days, this is our chance to allow the real stars to shine, if only on our humble, little stage; and expose you to some of our favorite talents.
Reviews are given 1 - 5 stars.
1 Opening
2. Shout At The Devil
3. Too Fast For Love
4. Ten Seconds To Love
5. Red Hot
6. On With The Show
7. Too Young To Fall In Love
8. Looks That Kill
9. Louder Than Hell
10. Live Wire
11. Girls, Girls, Girls
12. Wild Side
13. Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
14. Primal Scream
15. Glitter
16. Without You
17. Home Sweet Home
18. Nikki’s Solo
19. Dr. Feelgood
20. Tommy’s Solo
21. Same Ol’ Situation
22. Tommy Cam
23. Sick Love Song
24. If I Die Tomorrow
25. Kickstart My Heart
26. Helter Skelter
27. Anarchy In the UK
In December of 2004, Motley Crue announced plans to reunite and threatened to bring its three ring rock n’ roll circus to an arena near you. Cash grab!!
Being a Crue-junkie, I was thrilled for the chance to see the fearsome foursome tearing it up again live. Clearly, I wasn’t alone - the tour was a huge success. Here on this brand new 2 DVD set, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars, and Tommy Lee rip through a 27-song ‘greatest hits’-style set, spanning their nearly 25 year career.
This set captures all of the sights and sounds (and, thankfully, not the smells) of the live Crue experience. The pyro, the freaks, the girls, and the tunes - it’s all here! The show was filmed in Grand Rapids, MI last April and is broken into two ‘sets’- the old school then the ‘not as old’ school. The old school portion is the highlight of this set, punctuated by such never before performed, and hardly-ever-before performed Crue classics as “On With the Show”, “Too Fast for Love”, and “Louder than Hell”. Definitely cool additions for Crue connoisseurs who have seen it all before. The ‘not-as-old’ school set seems to dip a bit, with the inclusion of new Crue tunes like “If I Die Tomorrow”, “Glitter”, and “Sick Love Song”, but is still far more enjoyable than any Motley release from the 90’s.
The second disc of the set includes several documentaries on the process of executing the monstrous Motley stage show, music videos, and backstage footage. This is what sets “Carnival of Sins” apart from most of the other concert DVDs that artists release these days. Young upstart rockers take note: video of the band horsing around, and explaining the workings of the tour, as well as their points of view is a very welcomed addition. And yes, even the most useless feature of the concert gets its own special look- The Tommy Lee-manned “Titty Cam” where the drummer badgers female attendees to show their goods. Settle down, Beavis.
Let’s face it; the Motleys aren’t getting any younger. Luckily, the concert footage was shot in widescreen so the increasing Crue-girth isn’t nearly as noticeable. Some vocals have been overdubbed, which is a good thing ‘cause your boy Vince never really was known as a great live singer. We all know they hate one another. But screw it! This is rock n’ roll. And this could very well be the last tour the Crue completes, (and it ain’t over yet, so chances are still good that the wheels will fall off this band once again) and if nothing else “Carnival of Sins” is a nice snapshot of a band whose best years have passed but still offer up one hell of a spectacle.
Reviewed by: Corey Rotic | December 2005
