Billy Idol & Steve Stevens kicked off their duo tour in Vancouver, BC and stopped at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles for two nights (15/16) this past weekend. After Generation X broke up in 1980, Idol moved to NYC from England just a year later. Not too long after Idol re-launched his career as a solo artist in the U.S. his manager suggested Stevens become his guitarist. Stevens stated Friday night how he always wanted to a be part of an iconic guitarist/singer duo like Mick [Jagger] and Keith [Richards] [Robert] Plant and [Jimmy] Page. Stevens knew that Idol was the partner he was looking for. Idol released his self-titled full-length album in 1982 with his new band including Stevens, after releasing an EP a year earlier. Since then Idol became of the most popular artists of the '80s and was in heavy rotation on MTV as well as having 10 VMA nominations and one which he won.
After a few
Sometimes high-paced hits like Idol’s don’t work so well acoustically, but with a guitarist like Stevens' they can play anything together and it sounds great. The show lasted nearly 90 minutes and started with “Dancing With Myself,” which was one of two Generation X songs in the set.
Before performing “Ghost in My Guitar,” Idol told the audience a very personal story about how his father was diagnosed with lung cancer at the time of the release of his last album Kings & Queens of the Underground and during his last month before passing would listen to that album. Idol shared that his mother told him that his father was listening to “Ghost in My Guitar,” at the time he passed.
Idol played many of hits including “Eyes Without a Face,” “Rebel Yell” and “White Wedding.” In addition to Idol hits, Idol/Stevens performed The Kinks’ “I’m Not Like Everybody Else,” William Bell’s “To Be a Lover,” which he covered on Whiplash Smile, and Johnny Kidd & the Pirates’ “Shakin’ All Over,” which was the closing song.
Idol & Steven’s tour ends April 4 in Red Bank, NJ.
