BILLY IDOL
FOR Billy Idol, the elderly peroxide punk, two out of three wasn’t bad at the closing gig of his two-night Beacon Theatre stay Monday.
When it came to snarling lips and rock-star flair, the spiky-haired singer proved he’s still a master showman. Likewise, his 25-year old songbook withstood the test of time during his two-hour, sold-out concert.
His voice, however, did not fare as well. At 49, his resonant baritone has dropped an octave and he often delivered lyrics in a monotone bleat.
Is Idol’s voice shot?
It was certainly ragged Monday night, but it should be noted that when he spoke to the crowd, he sounded sick. While his raspiness hurt the more demanding vocals in songs such as “White Wedding” and “Flesh For Fantasy,” the extra grit actually improved a few tunes.
As a rabble-rousing rock showman, Idol has few equals. He not only sang the anthemic “Rebel Yell,” he literally charged at the audience like a frenzied soldier.
And while his manic approach at first seemed chaotic, he actually tended to the Beacon audience with the patience of a gardener.
He planted seeds of excitement by playing to a small section of fans near the stage. As they started jumping and fists started pumping, he turned his attention to the next few rows.
Midshow, he urged his fans to let loose. “Lemme hear you scream up in the balconies.”
As the last shrill shrieks died, Idol struck a three-quarter profile pose, curled his lip and declared, “I’m gonna give you something to scream about.” Then he stripped off his shirt to perform bare-chested. Although Idol’s face is deeply etched by years of sex, drugs and all the perks of stardom, he remains extremely trim and muscled.
Over the top? Yes. Braggadocio? Absolutely. Vain? Certainly. Rock ‘n’ roll? Completely.
But the art of preening and posing was only half the concert.
Despite his voice sounding bad, Idol’s selection of originals and covers help him transcend his shortcomings. At a show where all the best songs were more than 20 years old, there was never a feeling that this was a nostalgic, oldies affair.
Even though 1990’s “Rock the Cradle of Love” didn’t make this set, he compensated with fan favorite “Hot in the City,” performed with a slick electric-acoustic guitar arrangement.
Idol said he wrote that song while living on Sheridan Square in the West Village and expressed his New York state of mind by lamely twisting The Doors’ “L.A. Woman” into
“New York Woman.”
The coastal shift made Jim Morrison’s lyrics seem so absurd the Lizard King must have been spinning in his Parisian grave.
Idol’s own “Sweet 16” fared much better, but it paled in comparison to his tribute to the original lip-curler – Elvis. A terrific cover of “Heartbreak Hotel” captured the King’s vocal hesitance and deep tones.
And by the final curtain, as he peeled off “Mony Mony,” he had the entire house spellbound.
This was a very good show if Idol was actually ill – thought he didn’t complain about being sick. If he didn’t have a cold, he’s going to have to address what’s going on or his rebel yell will fade to a whimper.