Introduction

This show is certainly one of the better shows available on video from the band during the 1980’s.

Background

This shows was the 25^th date on the nearly 130-date tour that also included stops in Japan and Europe. Rumour has it that this show was filmed as an intended pay-per-view but was not officially released by the band for some unknown reason.

Video Specifics

This show is pro-shot. There are numerous cameras; in fact, it sort of reminds me of the Tokyo ’77 show in terms of camera angles (stage shot then cut to a close-up or vice versa). The picture is not as crisp as some of the stuff that is on the official home videos but it is still very good in terms of quality. For some unknown reason, the audio volume gets low for about the last three songs of the show. I’m not sure if the audio is like this on every copy of this show or just mine.

The Show

Love Gun- there is no grand entrance. The band members walk on stage and wait for the “ You Wanted the Best…’’ intro. Paul is wearing the typical ripped “ Muscle ’’ T-shirt and spandex pants. Gene is wearing all leather and Bruce is wearing, arguably, the worst outfit ever wore by any band member. The outfit is that black-and-white “ Radioactive ’’ design outfit. This song is played with nice energy and solid drumming by Eric Carr. For some unknown reason, Carr is wearing sunglasses while he is playing.

Cold Gin- a few hands and heads get in the way during this song (in front of the camera on the

“ Gene side ’’ balcony and in front of one of the cameras in the front row), which is odd for a pro-shot show but is nothing major at all. For most of the show, Gene has various bras and panties dangling from his bass guitar. Toward the end of the song, a beach ball is thrown on stage and misses Paul’s head. Gene kicks it back into the audience.

Bang, Bang, You- call me crazy but I like this song in a live setting. Eric’s drums sounds bit cavernous but overall one of the better live songs from the “ new ’’ album.

Fits Like A Glove- Gene’s vocals are a tad ragged but not awful. Paul spends a decent amount of time hamming it up for the camera in the front row. Prior to the next song, there is a bit of a guitar and drum intro by Eric and Bruce, which is made annoying by the rapid camera switches. The intro leads into…

No, No, No- this song is a mess. The vocals are rather hideous and musically, this song is all over the place. Not my favourite song of the night. If you look closely, you will see Paul fix a small onstage fan with his foot (I’m not referring to a person but to the fan that is used for cooling). Prior to the next song, there are lengthy solos by Bruce and Eric, which are marred by rapid camera switches that left me dizzy.

Crazy, Crazy Nights- Gene has returned to stage in a sleeveless leather jacket that has silvery tassels at the shoulders. Not a good look ! This version is rather decent but the backing vocals are a bit annoying

War Machine- a solid version highlighted by some good work by Bruce. At a point in the song, Gene motions “ up ’’ to the road crew. I’m not sure if he was referring to the vocals or bass level. Both sounded fine to me.

Reason to Live- musically this sound sounds very close to the album version but Paul’s vocals almost crack a few times during the song. Toward the last half of the song, an audience member throws something (I’ll guess a flag) that hits Paul’s mic stand and causes him to alter his vocals slightly.

Heaven’s on Fire- prior to this song, someone throws a pair of jeans on stage. Paul says “ I don’t know who’s these are but I can smell her in the front of them ’’. This occurred frequently on this tour, which would lead me to believe that this was not as spontaneous as one might think. Especially since I can’t recall this occurring at all during any other tour in the bands history. The song itself, is one of the better versions. A well played and energetic version is slightly hampered by Gene’s near growling backing vocals.

Bass solo- a very brief solo with no pyro at all (i.e. guitar gun not used) but lots of posing by Gene. Early on into the solo an audience member hops up on stage and corralled by a roadie, much to Gene’s amusement. We don’t actually get to see the fan being carted away. The bass solo leads into…

I Love It Loud- a solid version with Gene, Eric and Bruce all holding there own. The next song begins with a “ dirty story ’’ by Paul that leads into…

Lick It Up- this is where the vocals get low for some reason. There is a shot of Eric not wearing sunglasses but he seems to wear them for most of the show. This version isn’t anything special and ends with Gene and Bruce doing a hand-in-hand twirl. Similar to something someone would do if they were square dancing with a partner. Paul makes the following comment after the song

“ I see a girl who has been sitting on a guys shoulders for most of the show and he is wondering why his shoulders are getting wet. Girls like that give you more milk then a Heifer cow ’’. This gets a hearty chuckled out of Gene.

Rock and Roll All Nite- a standard version with low vocals. A fan appears to run onstage but the camera operators seem to go out of their way to minimize the viewer from seeing this. The song ends with Paul smashing his guitar.

White Christmas- all band members return to the stage and crowd around a single microphone and sing an acappella version of White Christmas. The audience response is favourable.

Detroit Rock City- Paul’s vocals are very low, which doesn’t help. The song ends with lots of pyro.

Overall

I liked this show despite the fact that most fans view this tour as one of the worst in the band history. The rapid camera switches (as mentioned above) and low vocals near the end of the show are the only two negatives. If you were going to get a non-makeup show, this would be a pretty good place to start. Overall, an 8 out of 10.