Billy Idol rocks the Australian Open with a rebel yell
Billy Idol has spent the last few days watching tennis — low key and in plain sight — at Rod Laver Arena. But last night he took centre stage with a masterful rock performance
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He came, he scowled, and he rebel yelled the hell out of the Australian Open.
Billy Idol, the former Generation X frontman who evolved into a punk-rock-electro superstar, commanded the AO Live Series stage on Wednesday night with classic hits and a charismatic performance, powered in no small part by his longtime collaborator, guitar hero Steve Stevens, and an exceptional band.
At 64, Idol, in good shape, and with even better hair, has let the material age gracefully, applying the occasional lower run where his younger self would’ve howled or screeched.
But the key moments of Idol’s big weapons — White Wedding, Rebel Yell, Eyes Without A Face, and Dancing With Myself — remain splendidly intact.
On Wednesday night. the crowd hung on, or sung on, every word, especially the closers, Rebel Yell and White Wedding.
Idol said he was in the crowd at Rod Laver Arena watching Roger Federer’s miracle match against Tennys Sandgren on Tuesday. “F---ing hell,” the rocker said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
He addressed the bushfire crisis and pledged all proceeds from merchandise sales and meet and greet packages will go to animal rescue causes.
There were moments of Idol’s 70 minute show that were surprisingly personal, too. He spoke with pride about the relationship his parents, Bill and Joan Broad, had with his music.
“Mum was always interested, and my dad didn’t really care half the time,” Idol said.
But for some reason, Bill connected with Idol’s 2014 album Kings And Queens Of The Underground, then started revisiting Generation X songs from the mid-1970s.
“Unfortunately, a couple of years after we made the (Kings And Queens) album, my dad caught lung cancer … and had to pass on.”
Joan said Bill passed away while listening to Idol’s songs, Ghosts In My Guitar, which he performed on Wednesday night.
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Idol’s show was also a coup for the AO Live Series, a collaboration between Tennis Australia and Frontier Touring, as it was the rocker’s only Melbourne concert.
The AO Live Series continues until the end of the Australian Open with headline acts including Matt Corby, Hayden James, Bastille and Ziggy Alberts.