Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach: Motley Crue’s Vince Neil revs up crowd

Vince Neil, the ‘80s rocker tasked with thrilling fans during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach’s Saturday nighttime concert, took to the signifier 30 minutes late.

But erstwhile the Motley Crue beforehand antheral yet arrived, helium didn’t disappoint.

He delivered a show that matched the anticipation of the archetypal Grand Prix — and Saturday nighttime performance — successful 2 1/2 years, aft the coronavirus pandemic canceled past year’s event.

Racing lovers, Neil shouted aft his archetypal 2 songs, are the “best fans successful the world.”

Those opening tunes were the Motley Crue classics “Dr. Feelgood” and “Shout astatine the Devil.” The second tune had a quintet of lyrics that summed up the past 18 months of isolation, societal distancing, sickness and decease – and, astatine last, joyousness dilatory returning contempt the pandemic’s persistence:

“Oh, lonely is our lives,

“My head’s spinning ’round and ’round,

“But successful the seasons of wither,

“We’ll basal and deliver,

“Be beardown and laughter …”

For Ventura County nonmigratory June Dubreuil and the hundreds of others who converged successful beforehand of the Long Beach Performing Arts Center Saturday night, Sept. 25, seeing a bully performance made everything look each right.

“Festivals are happening,” Dubreuil said, “so it’s each good.”

Many of the concertgoers, similar Dubreuil, were successful downtown Long Beach for the racing, not the music.

But that’s thing Neil, whose set personified the hedonism of 1980s stone groups, could appreciate.

He digs racing arsenic well.

The rocker, successful fact, competed successful the 1992 Firestone Indy Lights Championship and finished successful the apical 25 that play aft completing 3 races. Neil was truthful into racing that it was reportedly 1 of the reasons the set broke up that aforesaid year.

But Neil’s bequest volition ever beryllium Motley Crue.

The set — Neil, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars and Tommy Lee — celebrates its 40th day this year. During that time, the bandmates survived rehabs, arrests, a near-death experience, break-ups and more.

And monolithic success: Albums similar “Too Fast For Love,” “Shout astatine the Devil,” “Theatre of Pain,” “Girls Girls Girls” and “Dr. Feelgood” propelled the radical to much than 100 cardinal albums sold and a spot successful the pantheon of metallic glam stone stars.

Neil, a Hollywood autochthonal who turned 60 successful February, kept the hits coming Saturday night. He adjacent belted retired the band’s metallic ballad deed “Home Sweet Home,” dedicated to veterans. One of Neil’s bandmates brought a vet connected stage, prompting the assemblage to chant “USA.”

Yet, too that homage to the country’s work members, the nighttime was a long-awaited party. The ambiance was energetic. And everyone, it seemed, had a bully time.

“I deliberation it complements the race,” Erik Klanderud from Aspen, Colorado, said astir the concert. “It’s fun.”

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