Perched in the hills with stunning views of Silicon Valley, The Mountain Winery seems to have found itself leading the way as music venues in the Bay Area start reopening. Rolling with the ever-changing guidelines, the sold-out crowd was required to show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test before getting in, but what a small price to pay for a return to a bit of normalcy after the complete shitshow of the last 18 months. And of course, there was the night’s headliner, Billy Idol!
Local rockers Down and Outlaws kicked off the evening as the sun started to set and the guests availed themselves of the ample wine selection, filling the seats as Billy Idol, Steve Stevens and the rest of the band took the stage and launched into “Cradle of Love,” his mega-hit from 1990’s Charmed Life.
All smiles, Billy played it up for the front row which was literally swooning as the band wrapped “Dancing with Myself” and Billy did a quick change of his shirt in front of the drum riser … likely an intentional tease before busting into “Flesh for Fantasy.”
While the setlist expectedly covered all the hits, there was even a little something for those wanting more, hitting on new material from his upcoming EP “The Roadside” (out September 17) with “Rita Hayworth” and “Bitter Taste.” While not rocking to the level of his early work, the pair of tunes fit in nicely with his earlier ballads “Eyes Without a Face” and “Flesh for Fantasy.”
The good news for the guitar nerds in the house is that Steve Stevens was granted some substantial airtime to show off his underrated skills. First a lengthy solo that meandered into Led Zep’s “Over the Hill and Far Away” and “Stairway to Heaven” and then a full length instrumental of the “Top Gun Anthem” highlighted why his legacy is well-deserved.
One could argue that Idol’s naturally gravelly voice is perfectly suited for an aging musician, but at 65 it’s hard to deny that he doesn’t sound as good as ever with that point unexpectedly being brought home on Generation X’s “100 Punks” where he perfectly nailed those high notes and vocal range. It was chilling in the best way possible.
The band wrapped up the main set with “Rebel Yell” during which Billy took off his shirt and threw it to one of the cougars in the front row as he left the stage for a short break (and a new shirt). For those that took the brief break as an opportunity to hightail it to the parking lot and skip the inevitable traffic jam down the hill, they missed a welcome cover of The Heartbreakers “Born to Lose” and, to no one’s surprise, “White Wedding.”
It might be easy to chalk up the epic vibes from the 90 minute set to the high of live music after such a long absence, but that would be giving short shrift to classic tunes from a legendary artist.
DOWN AND OUTLAWS
SETLIST
Cradle of Love
Dancing With Myself (Generation X)
Flesh for Fantasy
Rita Hayworth
Scream
Bitter Taste
Eyes Without a Face
Steve Stevens Guitar Solo
Mony Mony (Tommy James & the Shondells)
100 Punks (Generation X)
Blue Highway
Top Gun Anthem
Rebel Yell
Born to Lose (The Heartbreakers)
White Wedding
