Bands and eight balls. How cliche can you get?
But egg ball? Do tell, Rubblebucket!
“It’s basically a combination of dodgeball and volleyball,” the band explains of their favorite downtime game in the premiere webisode of Pamper The Band. And that’s exactly the type of rare, unique tangents that SpiritHouse Productions’ Danny Bernini hoped to capture after plying interviewees with good food, spa treatments, hot tubs and more.
“The concept came about while a bunch of us were sitting at SpiritHouse right after LuxDeluxe came back from a tour and they were regaling us with dining and hotel horror stories,” Bernini says. “Lux has six members, so two of them often sleep on hotel floors and such, and I thought; how about bringing bands in off the road and totally pampering them?”
Episode 2 stars Noho’s own And The Kids.
To learn more about the series, watch full episodes or contact the Berninis (son Gabe hosts the show) about how your band can soak up some sumptuousness — and perform a couple of tunes — kindly point your browser to pampertheband.com.
In other, “as promised” news, the Crawler recently caught one of the final, New England stops of Motley Crüe on what they are billing as the Final Tour of the band’s 34 year career. Unlike other such supposed sayonaras-cum-cash grabs, the Crüe’s live, sonic swan song has all the hallmarks of an authentic adios.
This evening’s Mohegan Sun performance was highlighted by Rodger & Hammerstein’s “So Long, Farewell” and Sinatra’s “My Way.” There was also, of course, a press conference before the band went out on the two year trek that claims the iconic rockers would suffer a significant, financial hit if they ever toured under the Motley banner again. Singer Vince Neil would later add the caveat that the band would probably do a “one-off” if inducted into the Rock ’N’ Roll Hall of Fame. But more than all that, they played like there was no tomorrow and genuinely seemed to stop and relish every moment basking in the ovations and stopping to thank fans for all the support along the way.
The set was stacked and packed with proven fist-pumpers like “Girls, Girls Girls,” “Wildside” and “Shout At The Devil,” and radio friendly sing-a-longs “Girl, Don’t Go Away Mad,” “Smoking In the Boys Room” and “Home Sweet Home.” With a spot-on cover of The Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy In U.K.” thrown in for good measure.
The show was, quite simply, the most ferocious audio/visual assault unleashed upon the Crawler’s cranium in some time. He had previously seen Motley open for KISS a few year ago. Perhaps the West Coast bad boys picked up a few tricks from the New York kings of big toys — then added a few of their own. Burning pentagrams gave way to levitating stages, massive, swooping cherry pickers … little people, scantily clad female back-up singers, masked men in orange jumpsuits with supersoakers. All of this plus the concert was basically a pyro-palooza. The Crüe offered no quarter. Literally, the centerpiece of this rock circus was Tommy Lee’s rolling, rotating drum kit that spins on its axis while moving him out the length of the arena some 60 feet up in the air. “I call this the Crüecifly, and this is a lifelong dream come true for me man,” he declared once touching down safely on the other side.
The only two area plays left on the Crüe itinerary include Bridgeport, Connecticut, Webster Bank Arena Oct. 16, and the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, Oct. 17. From there, the band hits Canada and Europe before ending with three nights at LA’s Staples Center Dec. 28, 30 and, of course, Dec. 31., ‘Crüe’ Year’s Eve.
Last but not least, a program note. The Kills scheduled Sept. 22 engagement at the Pearl Street Ballroom in Northampton has been nixed due to a scheduling conflict. Ticket holders should call (413) 586-8686 for refunds.•
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 394-4262 or email garycarra@aol.com.
