On stage Thursday night outside Chicago, Billy Idol and guitarist Steve Stevens kicked off a U.S. tour following a rollicking opening set from Joan Jett.
“Nice to be here, Chicago,” said rocker Billy Idol on stage Thursday Night just outside the Windy City as this leg of his “It’s a Nice Day to… Tour Again!” U.S. run kicked off on stage at Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Illinois. “I think we’re gonna have some fun tonight!”
Fun has been a mission statement of sorts for Idol over the course of nearly 45 years, a central component of the four records he made with British punks Generation X prior to nine full length studio albums of his own.
Writing and recording largely with guitarist Steve Stevens, Idol has tallied a gold record and five platinum albums as a solo act, selling in excess of 40 million albums globally.
With Stevens co-writing iconic Idol hits like “Rebel Yell,” the pair collaborated on each of the nine tracks on Idol’s latest project Dream Into It, with Idol applying a rare autobiographical approach this time around.
Following a quick run of North American dates this past spring, Idol’s current jaunt resumes this Wednesday at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, one taking him across the country into late September before moving abroad through November.
“Mr. Steve Stevens is here…” mused Idol early in Saturday’s performance, glancing right as he set up the Stevens co-written “Flesh For Fantasy.” “Give it up for Steve!” shouted Idol. “Let’s everybody see where Mr. Stevens takes us tonight.”
Off came Idol’s jacket on a warm night in Chicago. A thumping bassline gave way to synths during the evening’s third song following a one hour opening performance by Joan Jett. Idol ended “Flesh For Fantasy” with a ridiculous series of fist pumps, closing his hand upon the final one before drawing his fist to his heart at the conclusion of the sultry rocker.
“We’ve crossed paths over so many years. Way back in the day, I had actually guested with Joan. I got up and played with her at, I think it was Disneyland. She did a show in Los Angeles,” said Stevens, looking back during a conversation this past May. “Obviously, I was there from the moment that Billy pretty much arrived in the U.S. So, there’s a lot of shared craziness that’s gone on!” said the guitarist. “Those were crazy times – and amazing years to be successful. I was all of 22 years old. And we enjoyed every bit of it, you know?”
On his latest album, Jett sings alongside Idol on “Wildside,” delivering an age-old tale of refusal to slow down.
