Mötley Crüe Fumbles At SoFi

“you mean that’s it?” - Bon Jovi

The first time I saw Mötley Crüe was on August 14, 1985, at Madison Square Garden. To this recent high school graduate slugging away in his own basement band, the Crüe raised the bar on what a rock concert should aspire to be. Just a couple of years earlier I had experienced my first concert when I saw Queen, the band that had defined the rock concert as a show, in the same venue. Mötley Crüe took this further with pyrotechnics and their raw energy.

A highlight of that night was Tommy Lee’s drum solo. Even as a drummer watching this part of the evening is not always the most exciting part of the night. The obvious exception to this was a chance to watch Rush’s Neil Peart hold a crowd in the palm of his hand. While Lee’s technical prowess was not even in the same universe as Peart’s, he made up for it with showmanship. The Theater of Pain tour in ‘85 had him reach his finale with his drum set in a completely vertical position. The next tour had him spinning in circles. By the time Mötley Crüe embarked on their “farewell tour” in 2015, Lee’s set was attached to a roller coaster track and he was soloing above the crowd while doing flips.

Eager to see the next iteration of a Mötley Crüe show, I bought my tickets for “The Stadium Tour” in December 2019. Anticipation soon turned to disappointment as the world came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the tour was postponed for a year. And then it was postponed until August 27, 2022. As the date grew closer the anticipation grew. Would the show live up to its expectations or would it result in anticipointment?

The Arrival

This was the first time that I have been to SoFi Stadium and as we pulled into the parking lot I was struck by the immensity of the structure. It is truly a work of art.

Unfortunately, we got to take in the view for a very long time as we waited in line to get into the parking lot. When we finally reached the end we had to fork over $80 for the privilege. We also found it impossible to get directed to a handicapped parking spot. This proved to be a problem after the show as the driveway into our lot was blocked off and everything else was surrounded by a curb. SoFi Stadium really needs to do more to serve its customers who use wheelchairs.

Even after parking in what is supposed to be one of the closest lots (purple), it was a hike to the stadium. As we approached we could hear Joan Jett start her set.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

I had never seen Jett and her band before and was looking forward to the experience. Fortunately, even with the delay getting into the stadium we did get to see a few songs.

When the tour was first announced I was surprised to see her included as she really is not classified as being part of the Hair Metal scene. However, watching her perform it is clear that her sound gets watered down in the studio. The band’s live performance was more powerful and served as a good introduction to the next band on the bill.

Poison

My sister first got interested in this band when she saw an advertisement in Circus Magazine introducing their first album "Look What the Cat Dragged In." She bought the record the first day it was out and was soon begging me to take her to their show at a club in Brooklyn. Unfortunately for her, the club was 18 and over, so she could not go. She is still upset that I went anyway.

The only difference between the Poison that played on a small club stage in 1986 and the one that played at SoFi was the size of the crowd. There was also a lot less hairspray and makeup being used by the band members. After all of these years, the members of poison still looked like they were having fun and they put on a great show.

Def Leppard

As co-headliners on the tour, Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe are swapping positions on the bill. With Los Angeles being Crüe's hometown it is not surprising that Def Leppard played a supporting slot at SoFi.

In many ways, a Def Leppard show is the antithesis of one by Mötley Crüe. While the Crüe is all about being over the top visually, Def Leppard is more straightforward. Like on their records, Def Leppard is sonically polished, often sounding exactly like their records. Mötley Crüe presents a soundscape that is rawer.

I had seen a video of a previous performance on this tour and was concerned that it came off as very flat. Whether because of time spent on the road or just because the show did not translate well to a television screen, the performance at SoFi exceeded my expectations and they sounded great. Of particular note was a performance of the instrumental Switch 625 which highlighted the abilities of their two guitarists, which are often downplayed in the polished sound of the band.

Mötley Crüe

With the exceptional performances of the opening bands, the energy level was high as Mötley Crüe prepared to hit the stage. There were plenty of smoke and lighting effects set off to set the mood. An unsurprisingly cheesy video brought them to the stage with the message: “The Future Is Ours.”

As soon as the band took the stage it was clear that the settings on the soundboard had not been maintained from Def Leppard’s set. It was not only horrible, but it never got better. Tommy Lee’s normally bombastic sound was tinny like he had traded in his drums from a toy set he purchased at a Toys R Us clearance sale. Additionally, singer Vince Neil’s shrieky, decaying voice was too upfront in the mix.

The next thing that was apparent was that there would be no pyrotechnics. Absent a few bangs at the end of the show there were no fireworks or flame throwers. The Crüe had left their toys at home and did not have the musical game to compensate.

Still, I waited impatiently for the drum solo. This would surely rescue the wreck that was taking place on stage. It never occurred. Instead, Tommy Lee pulled a Weiner (dog) out of his pants.

The opening message may have been “The Future Is Ours,” but it certainly was not aimed at the band on stage. This trek out of retirement was nothing but a money grab that cheapens the Mötley Crüe legacy.

The Crüe should have stayed in retirement.

Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for students with special education needs and public education. He was elected to the Northridge East Neighborhood Council and is the Education Chair. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD’s District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him “a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles.” For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.