Billy Idol gives "More, More, More"

Billy Idol Tour Shirt 2013

I had seen Billy Idol in concert twice at Alpine Valley in the 1980s. So when I heard he was coming to Summerfest on June 27th, there was absolutely no way I was going to miss his show. My first inclination was to call Amy, my best college friend and bosomy buddy. She and I had gone to Billy's concerts together back in the day. However, she just had a brand new baby boy (shout out to Baby Alexander!), so she was not available. My other friends were going to see another band, and my 40-hour-a-week employed friends could not get the day off. So the honor of attending the hard-rocking concert with me fell to…you guessed it…my Mom. 

The Festival Experience 

Just outside the Marcus Amphitheater at the south end of Henry Maier Festival Park is the new BMO Harris stage. It's an amphitheater about 1/2 the size of Marcus, with it's stage facing west and the audience east (a set up that is opposite of Marcus). Reserved tickets could have been ordered in advance online for a $5 handling fee per ticket. Festival-goers could get free reserved seats at 2 p.m. at the box office on the festival grounds on the day of the show. By the time we had arrived just after 2 p.m., we learned eager fans had waited in line since noon and all the free tickets were given out in less than 20 minutes. At that point, there was no choice but to take our chances with the totally free "first-come-first-served" bleacher seating. 

It was Senior Day and admission for Mom was free, so I only had to use one ticket for myself. (Shout out to my buddy Khay for the ticket!) The day started out sunny and hot, even down by the lake it was a balmy 78 degrees. But shortly after arriving, true to typical Milwaukee weather, clouds rolled in from the Northwest and there was a sudden downpour of rain. Thank goodness we were under the protection of the amphitheater! It cooled off some, but the clouds drifted over Lake Michigan, the atmosphere heated up again. 

We made our way slowly from one end of the festival park to the other, looking at exhibits and gathering freebies along the way. We grabbed dinner at Wong's Wok. The Wok is always a good value at Summerfest as the food is fresh and hot, the proportions are generous, the prices are reasonable and the lines are short and move quickly. Mom and I shared an Empress plate of Sweet Sour Chicken with Shrimp Fried Rice and an Imperial Egg Roll for under $10. Yum!

Scoring some decent bleacher seats for Billy Idol's concert.

Setting the Stage 

About 7 p.m., we meandered to the bleacher section of the BMO Harris stage and found seats centrally located in the fifth row. The people around us seemed fun and nice and not at all obnoxious. The median age of the audience was a comfortable 40-something. There were only a handful of folks that were "dressed the part". One really old lady was covered head to foot with faded wrinkly tattoos. She was a hot mess. Another skinny old lady wore a blue spandex dress with a Union Jack design, white fishnet stockings and white knee-hi go-go boots…all of which hung very loose on her skeletal form. Another woman seemed out of place because she wore a gold sequined mini dress as if she were attending a wedding reception and not a lakefront music festival. Nonetheless, it was fun to "People Watch." 

A bit of a heavenly light show before the concert.

The opening act "Cherry Pie" performed music from artists like Tesla, Skid Row, AeroSmith and AC/DC. The weather began to turn ominous again…nasty clouds, lightning and wind…and the band finished their set with an appropriate rendition of "Rock U Like a Hurricane". Mom was getting concerned, but I felt safer in BMO than I ever did at Marcus during a storm. 

Eventually, the storms moved out over the lake, and the clouds broke in the west and a double rainbow appeared. God put on one wild nature show to which no man-made light show or pyrotechnics could compare! 

It's Show Time! 

Finally...FINALLY...the sun went down and Billy Idol's band came out exactly at 9:45 p.m. Suddenly, I was 21 again...screaming like a...a...crazed fan! I can't believe how exciting it was! I forgot how electrifying Billy Idol is! Billy opened the show with "Dancing with Myself" to the deafening cheers from a crowd filled to capacity. Although he did not sport his signature fingerless gloves, he was clad in a mix of black leather and demin with studded details, and a variety of shirts from a white button-down to black t-shirt. Billy Idol still has it. He's still hot, hot, HOT. 
 

Going into the concert, I was a little worried about how Billy's persona would have held up over the years. Sometimes, its possible to carry great memories of a Star's younger days only to find the Star's "glitter" has faded to a disappointing level. But this is not the case with Billy Idol. MAN! Whew! I'm smiling still just writing about it. He is in great shape physically. He made his wardrobe changes directly on stage, taking his shirts off (to the delight of the crowd) quite often. His voice is still easily identifiable "Billy Idol". 

I was also concerned about Mom. It was a long day, turning into a long night and I wasn't sure what her stamina level would allow. Plus, I was a little worried that Billy might say or do something that she might find offensive. When she leaned over to me and quoted Adam Sandler from the 1998 movie The Wedding Singer: "Billy Idol gets it", I knew she was having a good time. Additionally, I think she was enjoying ME having a good time. 

Billy Idol and his Abs on the JumboTron

In a mix of riotous tunes and melodious ballads, Billy performed some of this greatest hits with a seasoning of lesser known songs and delighted the audience with a catchy new single "Love and Glory." Versatile and talented, he sang songs like "Sweet Sixteen" and told a little history behind the song. When he sang "Mony Mony"...there's always that little added segment that starts out "Hey! Hey What?"...some of you may know the rest of the R-Rated response, but I always preferred the tamer Wisconsin version of it: "Eat Cheese, Drink Milk".  

Moving On Up

About midway through the show, some people two rows ahead of us left the concert. The people in the first 2 rows weren't standing much, so I told mom we'd move up so she could sit during the show and still see Billy. We were then in the 3rd row with a little better view. 

There was a musical interlude when the entire band left the stage, save for master guitarist Steve Stevens, Billy's long time lead guitarist. He played a riveting guitar solo that encompassed classical fingering with a Spanish flavor and the opening measures of "Stairway to Heaven" which delighted the fans. 

Then, the people in the first row of the bleachers left, and Mom shouted, "Come on!" and we went down further to sit in the front row. We could not have enjoyed better seats! Billy performed "White Wedding" to the pleasure of the crowd. When he sang "L.A. Woman" he substituted "Milwaukee" in place of "L.A." and, of course, the audience LOVED that! 
 

Classic Billy Idol and his "Rebel Yell"

He finished his show with "Rebel Yell" as his encore, the light show behind him displayed multiple images of his face and his name in rapid succession of colors. He then introduced each band member, especially thanking Steve. Then Billy addressed the audience: "Milwaukee...thanks for making my life so f***ing great!" Then he shouted, "I'm on guitar and I'm Billy F***ing IDOL! See you next year!" and his audience went wild! And truly, it was HIS audience. This crowd came to see Billy Idol and he gave them everything they came for. 

A Lasting Impression

There were smiles all around the sea of concert-goers as Mom and I slowly made our way to exit at the main gate. "Well," I commented to Mom, "Billy only used the F-word a few times." "Yes..." Mom replied, "But why did his mom name him THAT?" (You gotta love Mom's sense of humor!) "Eh," I mused, "That might have been his dad's idea." We walked along further. "When I tell people I saw Billy Idol," Mom informed me, "I'm not going to use his middle name." "That's fine...." I laughed as I put my arm around her shoulders. "In the Midnight hour", as we walked down the street to our parked car, Mom smiled, "Your friends missed a good show." Indeed they did. 

Billy Idol and me...

Epilogue

Over the years, I have attended many "Oldies" concerts with Mom. Together we've seen performances by Ricky Nelson, Jan and Dean, Bobby Vee, The Platters, Frankie Vallie, Peter Noone, Gene Pitney, and The Buckinghams, just to name a few. But here and there, Mom has come with me to see some of the bands and performers my friends and I used to listen to on the radio: Survivor, Loverboy and now Billy Idol. I waited a couple days to post this entry on my blog, because I wanted to get a sense of Mom's overall impression of Billy Idol and his show. I overhear Mom readily relay her concert experience to family and friends, and it sounds like she had a pretty good time. That makes me smile. 

One last thing: If I could, I'd say "Thanks, Billy" for yet another memorable concert experience.