By Andrew Bansal
August 19th 2015, Riverside Municipal Auditorium, Riverside CA: As they prepare to release their twenty-second studio album ‘Bad Magic’, longstanding rock ‘n roll trailblazers Motörhead are celebrating four decades as a band this year, and have embarked on their 40th anniversary North American tour with support acts Saxon and Crobot (Anthrax replacing Saxon on select dates). Starting their journey in 1975, through 21 albums and countless live performances all over the world, Motörhead have been a major inspiration and influence on younger generations and have singlehandedly spawned entire genres and sub-genres of what is now known as heavy metal. This tour is an opportunity for Motörhead to look back at their own discography in retrospect, and with frontman Lemmy Kilmister’s deteriorating health, also a chance to perform on stage as much as they can before it ceases to be a possibility. The first show of the tour took place at the lovely Riverside Municipal Auditorium, and would serve as a true indication of whether or not Motörhead’s live show justifies the enormity of the career milestone, and how the two openers stack up in comparison.
Doors opened at 7:30, a tad later than advertised, but the line of ticket holders waiting outside was fairly long, and the population inside the auditorium steadily increased. At 8 PM, Pottsville, Pennsylvania hard rock quartet Crobot took the stage and played a tremendously impressive 7-song, 30-minute set. Even though the band has been in existence since 2011 and released a stellar full-length album called ‘Something Supernatural’ in 2014, only a handful in this audience seemed to be familiar with them, but as the set progressed, people started taking interest. These dudes have raised the roof off Los Angeles area venues like The Viper Room with their own headline shows in the recent past, and commanded a much larger stage here at the RMA with incredible expertise, clearly proving that they belong. Song by song, they went from strength to strength, ‘Le Mano de Lucifer’ standing out as the highlight of the performance, with ‘Fly On The Wall’ and the set-closing ‘Legend Of The Spaceborne Killer’ not far behind either. After touring with Clutch, Crobot have landed another ideal opening slot on this Motörhead run, as one simply cannot imagine a genuine Motörhead fan disliking Crobot. But to those planning on attending any of the upcoming shows on this tour, here’s a statutory warning. Crobot will compel you to rock so hard that you will have little to no energy left for the bands after.
Set List:
01. Welcome To Fat City
02. The Necromancer
03. Night Of The Sacrifice
04. Le Mano de Lucifer
05. Fly On The Wall
06. Nowhere To Hide
07. Legend Of The Spaceborne Killer
At 8:50, NWOBHM veterans Saxon arrived on stage amidst huge cheers, as they seemed to bring a sizable chunk of the audience to this show on their own and several Saxon shirts were seen in all sections of the venue. Saxon are approaching four decades of heavy metal righteousness themselves and boast a musical history no less prolific than Motörhead’s. Through a 10-song, 55-minute set, they truly gave these attendees the best and most definitive representation of their material old and new, with as many as six title tracks including that of the upcoming 21st studio album ‘Battering Ram’, slated for release on October 16th 2015. The crowd loved every moment of it, as frontman Biff Byford and his band mates were, in all honesty, at the peak of their powers. Songs like ‘Wheels Of Steel’ and ‘Denim And Leather’ were extended by singalongs which a majority of the crowd gladly participated in on Biff Byford’s command. Comparing Saxon in 2015 to their incarnation in the early years as shown in the recently reissued ‘Saxon Chronicles’ video collection, the only difference is that the spandex has been replaced by regular stage clothing, because everyone in the band sounds just as supreme and looks just as energetic as they did back then. With such a masterful performance from start to finish, Saxon undoubtedly stole this show.
Set List:
01. Battering Ram
02. Heavy Metal Thunder
03. Power And The Glory
04. Sacrifice
05. Wheels Of Steel
06. The Eagle Has Landed
07. 20,000 Feet
08. Crusader
09. Princess Of The Night
10. Denim And Leather
Besides Crobot’s foot-stomping hard rock and Saxon’s NWOBHM, the event had so far showcased the various facets, sights and sounds of a typical mainstream metal concert. The front few rows consisted of mainly three types of people, those that did not know when to mosh and crowd-surf, those that did not know how to react to others indulging in said activities, and the one drunk dude who would not shut up. Elsewhere, large groups of people would be seen dwelling the lobbies and patios, not even watching the concert and in attendance to merely pretend, pose and socialize.
But this venue certainly provides a friendly and chilled-out spacious atmosphere, aside from the proficient sound quality and an elaborate lighting setup. The stage here is a lot bigger than the one at the Shrine Expo Hall, the venue for the Los Angeles stop of this tour next Saturday. The crowd comprised some Riverside locals but many had traveled from Los Angeles and other areas. Driving a distance upwards of 50 miles does make the concert experience more memorable and in such cases there is often a stronger energy release from attendees during the show itself, as was evident here from the loud response Saxon received.
Onto the headline act, Motörhead. Saxon ended at 9:47, and at 10:30, the lights faded to black and out came Lemmy, delivering the quintessential introductory message “We are Motörhead, and we play rock ‘n roll!” to begin a set shorter in duration than Saxon’s, which was not a huge surprise considering Lemmy’s health, or lack thereof. The band was hit by sound issues during the first song and Lemmy’s vocals were nearly inaudible. That was soon fixed, but Phil Campbell seemed to gesture to turn up his guitar on a few occasions during the set. For Motörhead concert veterans, the song selections in this concert were standard and predictable, and the 40th anniversary landmark was not acknowledged, as it was by no means a career-spanning set. Some of the stronger performances by the band were on the tunes ‘Rock It’, ‘Doctor Rock’ and the delightful ‘Lost Woman Blues’, and Phil Campbell’s guitar solo was just as enjoyable. In contrast to the Saxon set, most in the crowd stood still while Motörhead played, partly because they held up their cellphones to get as many shots of Lemmy and co as they could. But the circle pit in the center of the floor was active for the entirety of the set. A girl was seen stuffing her ears with an extremely uncomfortable look on her face, which turned into a smile as soon as she was handed earplugs by yours truly. Earplugs save lives. No, Metal Assault saves lives.
On a serious note, it was not hard to decipher that the songs were played in a down-tuned setting and at a slower pace, and Lemmy’s vocal abilities are clearly not what they were even two years ago. But, his longtime band mates Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee on drums know by now that they have a greater responsibility to salvage Motörhead’s live show, and Campbell talks to the audience more than he ever did in the past.
In comparison to other aging bands, Motörhead deserve more slack, simply due to the predicament that Lemmy sounds sub-par solely because of his ill-health, not his age. If he were completely healthy in 2015, there is no doubting that Motörhead would rock as hard and fast as ever. But in the meantime until his health improves, instead of down-tuning staple hits they should perhaps delve into unexplored sections of the 21-album catalog and seek tunes that may fit Lemmy’s current vocal state better.
This Motörhead performance and set list was, in all likelihood, not deemed worth the price by longtime fans in attendance that had seen the band several times in the past, and for some, it might have even been heartbreaking to witness. But the combination of Saxon and Crobot playing sizable sets as opening acts on stages this big is worthwhile in itself, and as for Motörhead, this show of theirs is more suitable for first-timers and absolute die-hards. More than anything, go see them for the bragging rights, and for the simple reason that they may well be on their last legs.
Set List:
01. We Are Motörhead
02. Damage Case
03. Stay Clean
04. Metropolis
05. Over The Top
06. Guitar Solo
07. The Chase Is Better Than The Catch
08. Rock It
09. Lost Woman Blues
10. Doctor Rock / Drum Solo
11. Just ‘Cos You’ve Got The Power
12. Going To Brazil
13. Ace Of Spades
Encore
14. Overkill
Remaining North American Tour Dates:
8/21 – Las Vegas, NV @ House Of Blues +
8/22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall +
8/24 – San Francisco, CA @ Warfield +
8/27 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex +
9/01 – Austin, TX @ Cedar Park Center +
9/02 – San Antonio, TX @ Aztec +
9/04 – Dallas, TX @ Bomb Factory +
9/05 – Houston, TX @ House Of Blues +
9/08 – St Louis, MO @ Pageant +
9/09 – Indianapolis, IN @ Murat +
9/11 – Chicago, IL @ Humboldt Park (Riotfest)
9/12 – Detroit, MI @ Fillmore %
9/15 – Wallingford, CT @ Oakdale %
9/16 – Wantagh, NY @ Jones Beach %
9/18 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre Olympia
9/22 – Philadelphia, PA @ Tower Theatre %
9/23 – Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore %
9/25 – Orlando, FL @ House Of Blues %
9/26 – Pompano Beach, FL @ Pompano Beach Amphitheatre %
9/28 – Miami, FL @ Motörboat Cruise %
+ = w/ Saxon & Crobot
% = w/ Anthrax & Crobot