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Anybody been dreaming of hearing an acoustic “Rebel Yell”?
No?
Me neither. Yet New Wave/post-punk icon Billy Idol still decided to hit the road with longtime guitarist Steve Stevens for an acoustic tour — dubbed the Turned On, Tuned In and Unplugged Trek — which opened a two-night stand at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco on March 7.
The result was a fairly interesting evening, showcasing Idol in a very different fashion than most of us have seen before, yet the concert wasn’t nearly as exciting or fulfilling as Idol’s usual plugged-in affair.
The problem wasn’t so much the performance, which was solid enough, though clearly lacking some of the electricity — literally and figuratively — of a regular Idol show. The bigger issue was the concert was too messy and jumbled, as Idol tried, but failed, to really execute any type of concise or coherent game plan for the night.
. @billyidol opens SF acoustic show with Dancing with Myself pic.twitter.com/lvzj00bydz
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) March 8, 2019
It was organized storyteller style, with Idol taking the time to talk, often at length, about the songs he was playing. Some of the anecdotes were interesting and one — addressing his late father — was quite moving. But overall, it just felt like there were too many narrative threads going on and Idol never managed to tie them together in a satisfying way.
That said, Idol picked a good starting point, opening the show with “Dancing With Myself,” a song that he originally recorded with the U.K. punk outfit Generation X (later Gen X).
The song flopped in Britain and Idol would eventually leave the band and cross the Pond to try his luck in America. But he wasn’t sure what Americans would think of his punk-rock look, sound and attitude.
“It was like REO Speedwagon and poodle hair,” Idol said of the U.S. at the time. “They didn’t even wear leather — they wore denim.”
Eyes Without a Face @BillyIdol pic.twitter.com/mUUgZ6KuTS
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) March 8, 2019
He thought he might have to change in order to be accepted here. Then “Dancing With Myself” took off in the U.S. — with a re-recorded version eventually becoming Idol’s first solo hit — and one thing become clear to the singer.
“I suddenly realized — (expletive) I don’t have to change a (expletive) thing,” he recalled.
The audience got another Generation X song a bit later with “Kiss Me Deadly” but, as expected, it was the hits — like “Eyes Without a Face” — that connected the most with the roughly 1,000 fans that filled the theater to capacity. But he spent too much time talking rather than serving up even more longtime fan favorites.
Even some of the hits didn’t stand up all that well in the unplugged format. Acoustic versions tend to spotlight the lyrics — and that’s not always a good thing when you’re dealing with the Idol songbook. It’s much better to have the fans focus instead on the energy, charisma and pure rock ‘n’ roll power that Idol usually brings to the table.
Not coincidentally, one of the very best songs of this acoustic outing was “I’m Not Like Everybody Else.” But that was a cover of a Kinks tune, written by the great lyricist Ray Davies.
Mr @BillyIdol covers the kinks pic.twitter.com/AehSdRIElZ
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) March 8, 2019
Idol and his talented guitarist ended the main set with “Rebel Yell,” which had fans calling for “more, more, more.” And the duo gave it to them with an encore that included the MTV classic “White Wedding.”
More more more @BillyIdol pic.twitter.com/iMchIGtdFj
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) March 8, 2019
