Billy Idol!

 Billy Idol is one of those not quite great rockers that I don't understand why isn't considered great. Idol has been rocking so long and has so many hits and deep cuts that it was a shock to me that at 68 years old he's older than me. In your face, Idol! 

Idol and his band rocked the Pinewood Bowl in Lincoln Thursday night for a solid 90 minutes that got the overwhelmingly over 50 crowd home early. Just as we olds have learned to love.

Opening act, The Effect, obviously a new band, played only 4 original songs and got off stage within 30 minutes. The band has one helluva pedigree with band members including Nic Collins, son of some drummer from England and Trev Lukather, son of some guitar player from LA. No seriously, this is the kind of breeding that would make this band a favorite in any horse race. They are good.

Billy Idol took stage at around 8 pm and launched immediately into hits Dancing with Myself and Cradle of Love, my personal favorite Idol tune. We were off to the races. Idol and his guitarist Steve Stevens obviously have a chemistry from the decades of working together. Idol lets Stevens shred the guitar so often it's like getting two concerts at once. The hits were there, Mony Mony, Eyes Without a Face, and the show closer Rebel Yell. Other songs played included newer songs like Cage and the haunting Running From the Ghost, a ballad/rocker Idol wrote about his heroin addiction. 

The encore included the mandatory White Wedding which is a song not dated whatsoever.  People all on their feet singing along as Idol allowed the crowd to sing the chorus. So much fun and then at 9:30 pm he and his band were gone and we all high tailed to the car.

My only problem was we didn't hear Don't Need a Gun, my second fave Idol tune. But if that is all I can complain about, I had a great time.

Bill Idol at 68 can still get it done. Yeah, his voice isn't as strong as it was in 1986 and he can't hit certain notes but he allows the crowd to fill in the blanks and lets Stevens take control when necessary. And he can still "owwww" with the best of them.

If you get a chance, the answer is yes yes yes to see what I consider a great rock n roller. He delivers.