Shaun Astor / Tahoe Onstage
Billy Idol’s musical chops date back to the early British punk scene.
He’s been a fixture in the American rock scene since his most popular record, “Rebel Yell,” was released in 1983,
The singer once strutted across stages in the mid-1970s as a guitar player before stepping out front as the vocalist for Generation X, a group that would play the same clubs as the Clash and the Sex Pistols. Generation X openly embraced commercial rock music rather than sneering it off as did other punk bands at the time. The result was Generation X’s records that always had a bit more musical sensibility, including Beatles covers with their own songs, such as “Dancing With Myself.”
After Generation X broke up, Idol headed to the United States, where he re-recorded “Dancing With Myself.” After linking up with guitarist Steve Stevens, Idol released a slew of songs like “White Wedding,” “Rebel Yell,” “Mony Mony,” “Eyes Without a Face” and “Cradle of Love.”
While his career has fluctuated between music and other pursuits like acting or raising his children, those songs have never left the radio. Steve Stevens continues to write and tour with Idol, releasing the EPs, “The Roadside and “The Cage,” in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Among recent accomplishments such as performing a string of residency concerts at Las Vegas’ Cosmopolitan Casino, publishing a memoir, and receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, Billy Idol is embarking on a cross-country tour, of which Reno’s Grand Sierra Theatre is the second stop.
Having played together for more than 40 years, Billy Idol and Steve Stevens will be playing a set list of songs spanning Idol’s career from those snotty punk days in 1970’s London to the MTV rock anthems from the Rebel Yell era to music spanning his eight studio albums.
Tickets are extremely limited.
-Shaun Astor
Billy Idol
When: Saturday, April 1
Where: Grand Theatre – Grand Sierra Resort & Casino
Tickets: LINK
