Billy Idol, Auckland NZ, 2020

Billy Idol

19th January 2020
The Outer Fields Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.

Auckland turned on the sun once again for a cruisy afternoon at Western Springs – the second night in a row for the outdoor venue – but while Fat Freddys Drop and Billy Idol may be on opposite ends of the genre scale, the New Zealand music vibe ran strong throughout both shows.

Alt-pop locals BEACHWARE were the first to welcome early arrivals, their unabashedly kiwi sound with an underlying current of danceable tuneage a suitable appetizer for an afternoon of soaking up the rays while stretched out on the lush green grass; their Christmas tune ‘Take Away the Tree’ an unexpected musical highlight of last December. Crowd numbers beginning to swell, and more attendees joined the hardcore Billy Idol fans on the front barrier as none other than Elemeno P entered the stage for a sweet set that included all of their most popular hits.

When it comes to distinctively recognisable voices, lead singer Dave Gibson has to be one of the first to spring to mind, his baritone vocals and unapologetically New Zealand accent half of the beauty of their music. Bringing the first taste of the rock n roll vibes to the afternoon their cover of ‘Death and the Maiden’ was a nice little nod to those that have come before them, The Verlaines a band that many in the audience would have nestled in the heart of their vinyl collection.

Thanking the audience for coming out early to see them Gibson drew their attention to the coloured flags ringing the outside of the field, pointing out how nice they were and that he had a story about them, quizzical faces soon turning to joy as summer sing along number ‘Fast Times in Tahoe’ from their debut album Love & Disrespect rang out, bassist Lani Purkis soon tearing up the stage as ‘Baby Come On’ followed, the fast-paced tune seeing many of the next generation of fans exuberantly bounce around with their parents down in front. It seemed appropriate then that they closed with arguably their biggest hit, Gibson quickly disappearing to collect his young son from side of stage to introduce to the audience as he told the story of how he met his amazing wife at none other than the infamous K’rd café Verona after which their closing track was named.

Turn over between sets was just a little on the slow side, and made for a long afternoon for the dedicated down front, the wait thankfully made easier by the house music which was obviously being run by someone with taste, tracks such as ‘Pet Sematary’ by the Ramones, the classic ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ by Joy Division and R.E.M’s ‘It’s the End of the World As We Know It …’ breaking up the usual and expected 80’s hits that saw many of the fans reliving their glory days.

Having called it quits in 2010, only to reform again in 2018 for a couple of shows, it was somewhat of a welcome surprise when Stellar* was named on the support bill for last night’s show, their more laid-back compositions suiting that Sunday late evening feel. Looking just as stunning as ever, Boh Runga took centre stage in a simple crisp white shirt, bass player Kurt Shanks opting for the same. Beginning their set with ‘All it Takes’ and ‘Undone’, Runga soon dropped a little humour into the mix as she poked fun at the nostalgic aspect of their appearance by introducing the band and informing fans that they may remember them from such bands as, well, Stellar*.

While songs such as ‘Whiplash’ and ‘Fasting’ may not have been as well known outside of their fan base, ‘Taken’ and ‘One More Day’ which upped the energy levels soon had the crowd singing along as did the very popular ballad ‘Part of Me’. A somewhat surprising but welcome addition of a cover of the 1983 Sharon O’Neil classic ‘Maxine’ was made in dedication to the fellow New Zealand artist, Stellar* quickly closing the set with ‘Violent’ from their 1999 debut Mix, which just last year celebrated its 20th anniversary with a re-release on distinctive red vinyl, a must have for any collector.

Sun setting on the horizon and an electricity filled the air, the anticipation of Billy Idols arrival seeing many scramble to seek out the best vantage points while Sisters of Mercy – a request no doubt by Mr Idol himself – blasted through the speakers, ‘Vision Thing’, ‘Ribbons’ and the glorious ‘Detonation Boulevard’ only adding to the atmosphere before the beautifully trance like ‘Hallogallo’ from German krautrock band Neu! ushered in the band.

Welcomed like a conquering hero, Billy Idol and his partner in crime, the incredible guitarist Steve Stevens absolutely oozed rock n roll as they arrived decked out in all black, ‘Cradle of Love’ immediately getting the crowd rocking. Unfortunately while Idol had lost none of his stage presence – the iconic punk rocker hairstyle and lip snarl still firmly in place – his vocals seemed a little worse for wear as he pushed himself through ‘Dancing with Myself’ and ‘Flesh for Fantasy’ which also saw Idol get shirtless momentarily (much to the crowds delight) as he performed a mid-song costume change.

While he may not have been vocally as strong as his last Auckland show back in 2015, it seemed to matter little to the crowd who sang along to every track as they fist pumped the air, ‘Can’t Break Me Down’ soon leading into a touching monologue from Idol as he spoke about the death of his father who had embraced his son William’s last album Kings & Queens of the Underground after years of never truly understanding why Billy did what he did; ‘Ghosts in my Guitar’ a poignant composition that saw a calm momentarily settle over the crowd as they appreciated Idol’s emotive deliverance that obviously carried with it many memories of his father’s last hours.

Taking a short break from the stage following ‘Eyes Without a Face’ and it was Steve Stevens turn to unleash his virtuoso guitar skills upon the audience, a display of breathtaking flamenco style finger work soon morphing into short instrumental versions of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Over the Hill and Far Away’ as well as the classic ‘Stairway to Heaven’ which drew a collective sigh of contentment from his fans. The Top Gun theme for which he won a Grammy for in 1987, the icing on the cake.

Both Idol and band back in place, guitarist Billy Morrison and drummer Erik Eldenius still oozing absolute swagger, and it was time for a little delve back into the Generation-X archives with both ‘Your Generation’ and ‘Ready Steady Go’ once again pumping up the crowd as signed set lists and drum sticks were handed out to lucky members of the front row. The break backstage seemed to have given Idol the fuel he needed for the second half of the set, his vocals coming back far stronger which made for absolutely rocking versions of his personal favourite ‘Rebel Yell’ and the thrilling encore of ‘White Wedding’.

It certainly wasn’t the longest set (considering the wide breadth of classic tracks the man has) with the absence of songs such as ‘Mony Mony’, ‘Hot in the City’ and ‘Shock to the System’ amongst others – but all in all it was a little bit of nostalgic fun for a summery Sunday afternoon. And who could honestly complain about that?

Were you there at The Outer Fields for this magnificent rock show? Or have you seen Billy Idol perform live some other time? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Setlist:

1. Cradle of Love
2. Dancing With Myself [Generation-X Song]
3. Flesh for Fantasy
4. Can’t Break Me Down
5. Ghosts in My Guitar
6. Eyes Without a Face
7. Soul Standing By
8. Your Generation [Generation-X Song]
9. Ready Steady Go [Generation-X Song]
10. Blue Highway
11. Rebel Yell
12. White Wedding [encore]

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