HOT: He Will Rise Again …
Despite the disingenuous declarations that it was “shocking,” Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister’s death on Dec. 28 was definitely sad for Rock & Roll. But with one of his final interviews (with a German TV station), the 70-year-old left the world with a jab at ’80s New Wave and proof his comedic timing was in tact. After joking that death would possibly stop him from playing, Lemmy said, “I could haunt somewhere. Mess up somebody else’s gig. Tears for Fears or somebody — appear in the middle of it and go, ‘Everybody out!’
”
WARM: Crüe Intentions
Mötley Crüe finally concluded its massive final tour in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve and, for a band that has had its share of Spinal Tap-ian moments, the group’s career ended on a perfect note. During the concert, Tommy Lee’s drumset-on-a-rollercoaster (which would be plenty enough ridiculousness for most bands) got stuck upside down while Lee was riding it, causing a delay in the show while he was “rescued.” The Crüe members signed a contract before the tour promising it would truly be the end. But when Coachella 2021 money gets thrown at them (see below), does anyone really think they won’t find a loophole?
Tommy gets stuck upside down at about the 3:45 mark:
COLD: Reunited and It Pays So Good
This year’s lineup for California’s much-ballyhooed summer music fest Coachella is a case study of the modern phenomenon of every single broken-up band that can make money with a reunion reuniting. With the Axl/Slash/Duff show (aka the Guns N’ Roses “reunion”), we see how almost two decades of spite and hatred can be instantly alleviated by a multi-million-dollar payday. With LCD Soundsystem’s appearance, we are offered fuel to a conspiracy-theory fire that suggests most breakups and “farewell” concerts are calculated, long-con career moves (though James Murphy's sincere post-announcement note addressing disappointed fans makes it hard to get too mad at the band). And with British band Lush’s return, we see that even the almost-completely-forgotten can bury hatchets and swallow pride long enough to cash nice paychecks.
At the 1:15 mark, see Axl go nuts on an audience member. Ah, the good ol' days:
Don't be sad, LCD Soundsystem — you'll be back soon enough!:
