Billy Idol Rocks Pechanga!

The thing I noticed most last night is how much fun Billy Idol was having. My wife and I have been going over what we liked about the concert (and neither of us can think of a single downside). We both agree the performance was even better than expected. (And Billy Idol looks fabulous.) I'm just struck by his pure lust for performing. Interesting that Vanessa Franko, at Inland Empire Press Enterprise, stressed the same thing at her review:

The reason the show worked so well is that Idol was obviously having fun, whether it was cracking jokes to his band (which included Billy Morrison, formerly of The Cult and Camp Freddy) or flashing a devilish smile and making faces at the crowd.

Check the slideshow at the link.

Another reviewer, Yazmin Alvarez, speaks to the enthusiasm as well:

Idol’s performance at Pechanga was epic and engaging while remaining intimate due to his interaction with the crowd, singing duos with lucky ladies against the stage. Crowds even got keepsakes after autographed paper plates thrown like Frisbees were tossed out by Idol during songs.

The gig opened with Gen X material, which was somewhat surprising and totally cool. Here's the song list. "Ready Steady Go" was a perfect opening number:

"Ready Steady Go"

"Dancing With Myself"

"Love Is Strange"

"Flesh for Fantasy"

"Scream"

"Sweet Sixteen"

"Scarred for Life"

Interlude with Steve Stevens into "Eyes Without a Face"

"Kings and Queens of the Underground"

"L.A. Woman"

Steve Stevens interlude

"King Rocker" (From Idol's Gen X days)

"Running With the Boss Sound" (Another from Gen X)

"Blue Highway"

"Rebel Yell"

Encore

"White Wedding" (first half acoustic with just Idol and Stevens before the full band joined in)

"Mony Mony"

Of course, "White Wedding" on encore was no surprise, although the acoustic rendition was. I've embeded two clips that capture how the concert provided bookends on Idol's career, from the origins in Generation X to the mature rocker Billy Idol playing live last year:

And I gotta give a huge shout out to Pechanga Resort. The hotel's concert hall is intimate with great acoustics. The show ran like clockwork, with the band taking the stage just a few minutes after 8:00pm. My wife and I had a room at the hotel and the accommodations matched those at the best hotels I've enjoyed previously. The night was no worries all around. We had a bite to eat at the food court after picking up our tickets at will call. My wife played some slots before we entered the arena. I kept bourbon and ice up at the room and after the show I played some roulette and actually came out little ahead. We had a great breakfast at the cafe and made it home around 2:00 this afternoon. I'm keeping my eye open for additional concert tours at Pechanga. Clean facilities and a low key staff round out the environment. Best of all was seeing my wife letting her hair down, having a couple of Coronas and forgetting about the worries of work and parenthood.