Punk Rock legend Billy Idol is known for his electrifying performances that drive crowds crazy all around the globe. So why not slow down for a little bit and do an acoustic tour for the hell of it. According to Billy that was pretty much the main thought behind the recent Turned On, Tuned In and Unplugged tour Billy just wrapped up with his long time guitar player Steve Stevens.
The last show of the tour was played in the beautiful South Jersey town of Red Bank which is known for frequent sightings of New Jersey Rock legends Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi who live nearby, in beautifully renovated Count Basie Theatre that is undergoing a big expansion.
Billy and Steven opened the show with Dancing with Myself, Billy’s debut single that brought him to stardom, followed by Catch My Fall and Kiss Me Deadly. Before each song Billy shared some intimate stories about his life, career, and how he came about writing that song.
He also performed Kinks cover I’m Not Like Everybody Else and of course considering that this was an acoustic show he performed his most well known slower hit songs like Sweet Sixteen and Eyes Without A Face. These two songs were absolute perfection for this night with stage ambience set in darker blue and black tones and sounded splendidly on point.
An emotional story about his relationship with his dad and how he felt when he passed away was followed by the as emotional song Ghost in My Guitar. Steve Stevens also had his moment to shine on the stage by himself, performing his trademark guitar solos. The crowd showed him as much appreciation as to Billy and Steve also had a chance for a little talk himself, telling stories about dropping out of school to become a guitar player and meeting Billy to join his band.
As Billy explained himself, that even heavier songs can be played on acoustic sets without losing the vibe, because most of them are written in the studio while using acoustic guitar to begin with. And that was undoubtedly proven with his closing song Rebel Yell tied in with some funny story about how he came up with it, while attending a party with Rolling Stones band members and seeing them consume a particular beverage with the label Rebel Yell.
He and Steven followed up by performing Billy’s smash hit in an acoustic version that felt in a way like absolute musical perfection. For a moment it was easy to forget that only Steve was on guitar and Billy singing with no drums and bass. This triggered the crowd to flock to the front of the stage and sing along.
This was an amazing performance by Billy and Steve, just proving how talented they are and how timeless Billy’s music really is.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Andris Jansons
