Photos and Review by Maia Kennedy
Show photos HERE
I don’t know how you spent your Superbowl Sunday, but I went to the BEST pre-game party EVER! WXRV 92.5 The River hosted Billy Idol and Steve Stevens at the House of Blues Boston Foundation Room for the very lucky few who won tickets. It was just like having Billy Idol come play in your own living room … OK, if your living room was luxuriously decorated with ornate tapestries on every wall, rich Persian carpets on the floors, and looked like a room in the Maharaja’s palace. It was almost surreal, yet the perfect setting for this beautiful singer to perform!
On-air Host & Program Director Matt Phipps started the event with an informal interview with Billy and Steve. They seemed to enjoy answering Phipps’ questions and elaborated on each one with their personal stories, talking about how they met and have been playing together for years. When Billy and Steve started playing the tunes though, everyone got excited. I don’t think it was just the women in the audience who were screaming with anticipation.
They played a mix of tunes off their new album, Kings & Queens of the Underground, along with a few of the old favorites, “Eyes Without a Face,” “Rebel Yell” and one of his hits from the 80’s, the rockabilly tune “To Be a Lover.” Every song sounded great; Billy’s voice hasn’t changed over the years, he still has the sexy deep tones and delivers every song with his signature snarl. Each song was attacked with energy and emotion, as if he were performing for a crowd of thousands. He looked as great as his voice sounded, taking off his jacket and letting the black button-down shirt fall open to reveal his bare well-muscled chest.
Steve was impressive, switching effortlessly between lead and rhythm guitar, sometimes even playing both at the same time. Both he and Billy played off of each other, seeming to enjoy each song as much as their audience. It was a lot of fun watching these two friends perform.
After the performance, everyone was invited to join Billy and Steve and have their photo taken with them. What a bonus, thank you Frame of Mind Photo! Billy was such a gentleman, warm and friendly, as if we were meeting at a friend’s party. He was never in a rush and seemed to genuinely enjoy meeting his fans. If only my highschool-self could have seen me now, standing next to the punkrock-Idol, looking just like he did when I first started watching him on MTV!! My crutches are temporary, but these memories will last forever!