Billy Idol’s “It’s a Nice Day To…Tour Again!

Legendary musician Billy Idol is recognized for his contributions to the London punk rock scene of the ’70s. Beginning his career as Generation X’s frontman and lead singer, Idol released three albums with the band before pursuing a solo career alongside guitar virtuoso Steve Stevens. Idol’s music, a mixture of rock and roll with punkish elements, earned him worldwide acclaim. Now, nearly five decades later, Idol has remained an integral artist in an evolving industry. His most recent album, “Dream Into It,” was conceptualized in conjunction with a documentary, “Billy Idol Should Be Dead.” Both are in-depth encapsulations of his life up to this point and have been warmly received by his fans and critics.

Beginning in April, Idol’s “It’s a Nice Day To…Tour Again!” featured Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and ran until late September. Performances were held at countless major venues, including the Acrisure Arena, located in Palm Desert. Doubling as the home of the Coachella Valley Firebirds hockey team, it was an ideal venue to hear Idol’s music in person and a memorable experience for lovers of punk rock. Idol’s touring band members included him as the leading vocalist, Stevens, as previously mentioned, Stephen McGrath, Billy Morrison, Erik Eldenius, Paul Trudeau, Jessica Childress, and Kitten Kuroi.

Idol’s likeness was illuminated in red and blue neon lights on stage, a massive set piece behind the band. Rushing forward, Idol began with “Still Dancing,” and continued with “Cradle Of Love.” Endearingly enough, he was seen approaching each of his band members over the course of the song. Their focused expressions would ease into light-hearted smiles during these brief instances. Idol promised a night full of fun. Between songs, Stevens stunned the crowd by playing guitar solos, some nodding to rock classics. Next was “Flesh for Fantasy.” Once again, credit where it is due, as the set design was wildly creative. The visuals backdropping the band made it appear as if the “Flesh for Fantasy” music video, released way back in 1984, was being broadcast on towers of vintage, boxy televisions. Even in his seasoned era, Idol has retained the charisma and confidence he exuded in his youth. Their next song reflected that.

“This next song is about today, about when I was young. I’m still young,” Idol said, pacing back and forth onstage. The audience chuckled, humored. Titled in reference to the British punk rock movement of 1977, “77” is a collaboration between Idol and singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. Her vocals are featured on the recording. Considering Lavigne’s catalog of songs that embody defiance and how she popularized punk in the early 2000s just as Idol did throughout the ’70s and ‘80s, it couldn’t have been a more fitting match.

From “Too Much Fun” to “Eyes Without A Face,” the setlist traced the evolution of Idol’s sound: past, present, and what’s to come. It was a journey the crowd was eager to go along with. “Mony Mony” demonstrated this well, as Idol didn’t even need to sing any of the “yeahs” woven into the lyrics. The shared intensity and passion of the audience members were enough to match his own. All Idol had to do was hold out the microphone, signal them to sing, and thousands would join in.

“This next song, it was the title track to the new album ‘Dream Into It.’ Got to say, when we finished it, there were moments when I was listening to it that I actually cried,” Idol revealed. “It’s kind of my life story. This life is kind of happy and sad; it’s bittersweet. It’s great, though, heavy too.”

Another song that Idol selected to sing, one from his time with Generation X, was “Ready, Steady Go!” But before Generation X, Idol was with a group called Chelsea, alongside Tony James. For six months, Idol and James were in this retro, maud band, wanting to be part of a punk-rock group instead. “The manager said to me, ’cause I was trying to get Tony in the band. He said, ‘Well, if you can write songs, Tony can be in the band.’ I said, ‘Of course we can!’ We’d never written a bloody song in our lives! We went off, and this is what we came up with. Ready, Steady, Go!” Idol exclaimed, jumping straight in.

“Love Don’t Live Here Anymore,” “Night of the Cadillacs,” and “Blue Highway” each passed in a musical bliss. But on the subject of stories, Idol revealed how he landed on the name for one of his well-known songs. One night, at a birthday party for one of The Rolling Stones’ members, Idol had seen them drinking a large bottle of bourbon whiskey. At first, he didn’t recognize the brand. When he looked closer at the label, he saw a Confederate officer on it and realized it was called ‘Rebel Yell.’ He thought that he could use that title, as he supposedly had no ideas at the time. That same night, he went home and started writing with Stevens. By the next day, they had finished the song. “And thank God we did, because how the f*** would we get to this point in the show if we didn’t have ‘Rebel Yell’?!” Idol shouted.

To the surprise of no one, the encore collection of songs was perfectly chosen. These included “Dancing With Myself,” “Hot in the City,” “People I Love” and finally, “White Wedding.” Though the North American tour has since finished, Idol has remained active. Earlier this October, both Idol and Stevens were welcomed to The Grammy Museum, not only to celebrate the completion of “Dream Into It,” but to discuss their creative process and have an acoustic performance. In addition, Latin American tour dates were announced as far back as August. From Brazil to Argentina, to Mexico and back, performances are expected to carry on throughout November. It’s the last chance to see Idol sing live until next year. Announcements and more can be discovered at https://billyidol.net/.