The Billy Idol Thread

[Jukebox Jury]

The review from the Manchester Evening news

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/music/live_reviews/s/1060636_billy_idol__apollo

good review except the shite comment about denim and black....... what a pile of bollocks.....

Jukebox Jury

 

[mhicks]

It's great seeing a Billy Thread on here. I like others on this site, have travelled all over europe seeing moz about 30 times in the last few years but have always had a massive admiration for Billy Idol. I had never seen him til 2003 when I was in Chicago for a few months, I extended my trip by a couple of weeks when I saw he was in town. He really is a fantastic performer and has written some great tunes.
Having lived in America I have noticed how he is so much more recognised over there as here, here he is seen as more of an 80s stereotype joke I think, which is incredibly unfair.
If I had to pick my two top gigs and performers it would definitley be Moz and Billy, I'd recomend anyone to see his show and unlike Moz he does do much more of a crowd pleasing greatest hits show, but that is another discussion!

 

[Jukebox Jury]

It's great seeing a Billy Thread on here. I like others on this site, have travelled all over europe seeing moz about 30 times in the last few years but have always had a massive admiration for Billy Idol. I had never seen him til 2003 when I was in Chicago for a few months, I extended my trip by a couple of weeks when I saw he was in town. He really is a fantastic performer and has written some great tunes.
Having lived in America I have noticed how he is so much more recognised over there as here, here he is seen as more of an 80s stereotype joke I think, which is incredibly unfair.
If I had to pick my two top gigs and performers it would definitley be Moz and Billy, I'd recomend anyone to see his show and unlike Moz he does do much more of a crowd pleasing greatest hits show, but that is another discussion!

Well Generation X were never seen as a credible punk band, but new wave band wagon jumpers. And then Billy was whisked of to New York and became an MTV video star, sneered at by the British music press and really became a cartoon punk character..... indeed a caricature of himself...., sneering, lip curled up, fist punching out..... yet somehow has turned that around and has now built up a great following and a decent press support... shame he is only doing Manchester & London in the UK.......

Jukebox Jury

 

[So Far Away]

Wow there's been a lot of posts since I last came on and being the techniphobe I am I don't know how to multiquote so i'm just going to have to turn this into a ridiculously long post- unfortunately one of the few things I'm good at is writing too much as I proved with my history GCSE paper, but anyway...
I totally agree with you JJ, ready steady go was definitely one of my highlights- in the chorus I was there punching the air disrupting the view for all the people behind me in my considerate way. And haha yes I did get all the way back to plymouth in 17 minutes- impressive eh- stole Dr Who's tardis you see... nahh i'm in Burnley at my dad's at the mo- flying back to scummy plymouth tomorrow- currently suffering from post gig withdrawal

Rebel Yell was definitely also another major highlight for me as that's when I thought the whole crowd went insane- i know I did + Billy sang the line 'I'd sell my soul for you' + pointed at me so I pointed back and sang it to him then he pointed at himself + went 'me? really?!' which nearly made me collapse on the spot. Until I was punched in the back of the head by some kind person behind me anyway...
Loved the extended version of Mony Mony too - my throat is still recovering from screaming along to that one. Haha the poor sods behind me probably went deaf.

I did indeed have a blast and as for the Moz thing- I've only seen Moz the once at the GMEX two years ago, but I can't help now, in hindsight, feeling somewhat disappointed by him live... immediately after the gig I went on for weeks ranting and raving how it was the best gig of my life etc. but seeing Billy last night and really made me realise that Moz gigs in comparison are quite tame and I can't help but feel like it was a more detatched experience with Moz... I don't know if that makes any sense as I am feeling rather brain dead still from the gig last night so i'm probably talking a load of nonsense- which I apologise for- hopefully I can compensate for this rambling rant with some photos tomorrow The things Billy Idol does to my head

@Hidden by rags- no he most definitely didn't disappoint I am one happy camper right now because of Mr Idol and will have this stupid smile plastered across my face for days because of him All my friends will think I've lost the plot- they already insist that I need locking up due to liking Billy Idol at the age of 16. Like I say hopefully i'll post some pictures tomorrow if I survive the plane back to plymouth :S terrified of planes...
Sorry for the long post btw, I have too much to say...especially on the subject of Mr Idol.

 

[Hidden By Rags]

^ Uh, where's, where's Firth???????????????

I actually thought Billy had more of a following here in the States than in the U.K. But everything JJ said about becoming a self-parody is true. He's a good example, of rising from the ashes, as it were, to reclaiming (not reviving) a fab career. Something I think he lost for a short while there. What the fans have done for him this whole stretch of time is definitely not lost on him.

 

[mhicks]

Though his web sites are not as good as Moz Solo, his tour dates don't even mention London, did he not play Brixton Accademy this week? Maybe it was a last minute thing?

 

[plantaganent]

got a couple of billy idol demo's if anybody interested in hearing them..


cheers