August 16, 2002
Rock Idol rises

TORONTO -- Like one of his own leather-bound fists, the great rock pendulum has swung back in Billy Idol's favour.

And, if Wednesday's gig at the Kool Haus was any indication, the singer has grabbed on for what is clearly a hell of a ride.

It was tough to tell who was more enthusiastic about this inevitable comeback turn: Idol, or the sold-out crowd of 2,000.

Certainly, the remarkably well-preserved '80s icon, now 46, looked as if he'd been training for his return since he faded from view a decade ago. There was little evidence of the Idol who spent the late '80s and early '90s in self-destruct mode -- even if those stories of perilous excess now make great VH1: Behind The Music fodder.

It was tough to imagine a more apt or willing poster-boy for the ongoing '80s nostalgia trip.

The audience itself was largely comprised of people in their late 20s to early 40s, and was a curious mixture of sentimental revelers, curious onlookers and a handful of die-hards who apparently hadn't given up Idol's ghost in the lean years.

What was so effective about Idol's approach was that, unlike some other more reluctant nostalgia artists, he didn't shy away from embracing the very schtick that resonated with his audience in the first place -- however in-and-out of vogue it's wavered since.

He may have looked like a caricature, but at least he wasn't in denial.

There was no sign of convenient historical revision, no newfangled song retreads, no false "I-was-more-cutting-edge-than-you-thought" claims.

Sure, Idol came from the more accessible end of the '70s British punk wave with his old band Generation X, and he feted that part of his past with a take on Ready Steady Go that stood among the evening's best tunes.

As he switched between white T-shirt and flashy jacket, he was really celebrating his (most un-punk) rock stardom.

With original guitarist Steve Stevens lending indispensible support -- among the other things that remained unchanged from yesteryear, Stevens still gets almost as much time in the spotlight as Idol, though they didn't seem to be fighting over it this time -- Idol and his lean band knocked out the hits: Rock The Cradle Of Love, Dancing With Myself, Flesh For Fantasy, White Wedding, Sweet Sixteen, Eyes Without A Face, Rebel Yell, and encore offerings of Hot In The City, Mony Mony, and a somewhat anticlimactic rehash of L.A. Woman.

The chronologically diced setlist did underscore the decline in quality of Idol's output over the years: I mean, if Rebel Yell was enough to make me feel 11 again, To Be A Lover reminded me why I soon dropped the guy like a bad habit.

But then, at least there was lots to choose from. And a winning notion that the second time around, placed in the right leather-bound fists, can be as much fun as the first. (More on Billy Idol)

JAM! Rating: 3 out of 5