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Spiky hair and sneer intact, Billy Idol still has the swagger that propelled him to ’80s MTV stardom. And with his trusty guitar-slinging sidekick, Steve Stevens, still in tow, the Kings and Queens of the Underground tour promises to be a frenzied, high-octane sing-a-long.
It’s a healthy-and-fit Idol we’ll get at the Tower Theater on Jan. 24. While you can read about his past journeys and travails in the recently published autobiography, Dancing With Myself, 2015 is shaping up as a big year for both Idol and Stevens. It’s marked by the release of his first new music in a decade, the aforementioned Kings and Queens of the Underground. Plus, Stevens fronts the current issue of Guitar Player magazine.
The new album draws on ’80 stalwarts like producer Trevor Horn (the Buggles, Yes, Art of Noise) and keyboardist Geoff Downes (Yes, Asia). And Main Liner Eric Bazilian (the Hooters) is a co-writer on the album’s opening song. Bazilian recalls the recording session well: “When we were cutting vocals, Billy was doing great. But suddenly, out of nowhere, he ripped off the headphones and said, ‘F—k this, I’m a PUNK singer’, then stormed out of the room. When he came back in, we had a good laugh about it and knew we were on the right track.”
From the moment he shed his given name, William Michael Albert Broad, Billy Idol has continued to prove that once a punk, always a punk.
Billy Idol
Tower Theater
Saturday, Jan. 24
8 p.m.
Tickets $35-$69.50
www.livenation.com
