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In a city where you can find a show filled with the songs of Motley Crue literally several times every month…

In a city where the actual Motley Crue played their BIGGEST show ever, literally two weeks ago…

In a city where every single weekend there are at least a dozen tribute band performances that can amaze the heck out of you…. why… Why… WHY? And most importantly HOW, can a local tribute band show stand out and become memorable? I’ve only ever talked to a couple of the guys in CRÜEligans - A Tribüte To Mötley Crüe briefly at shows (disclaimer [and self-promotional bit]: I’ve held podcast conversations with two of their harmony singers and visual performers [links in comments], but we talked about a lot other than Crueligans’ shows) so I have no idea of what their thought process is for their band, but I am guessing they did the hard work of planning to create a show worth attending, a concert that merits telling your friends about, and a spectacle deserving to be considered one of the best tribute shows in town! AND THEY HIT IT OUT OF THE PARK!

If you attended their Carnival of Sins Tour with Crüeligans - Mötley Crüe Tribüte and special guest American Slang at Lava last night, you need to read no more. You agree it was quite the event. If you didn’t attend, here’s the one liner: Crueligans chose the hard road to reinvent their show, attempted to outperform themselves, surprise the audience and hit a grand slam!

Their show used the songs of Motley Crue as a footprint to create incredible LIVE renditions and made them sound better the original band does, and on top of it, they blew the roof off the top of what a tribute band can achieve. One day, not too far, this band will be touring all over the country, and hopefully internationally, when Motley Crue finally honors their cessation agreement, but all Motley and rock fans will be entertained with Crueligans and their unique rock and roll spectacle. If, like me, you missed the rotating drumset concert a few months ago thinking “I’m sure I’ll catch it at the next show”, you’re wrong! I missed it because I was at another show that night, but didn’t make too much of it thinking it would be their live staple for at least another year. NO! The guys in Crueligans refuse to be predictable. I’ve been fortunate enough to see their concerts now four times, and every single time it is a different show! Make sure that whatever their next show is, YOU DO NOT MISS IT. And hope, beg, and pray, that they will sometime repeat this Rock Circus spectacle in town, because it is an event to remember.

The visual spectacle you can see in the many videos that people are posting. Believe me, the videos are great… and yes, they only capture a little bit of what it meant to be there. The pictures? Cool, too! But again, it is just a little bit of the sensation. Those incredibly attractive and energetic visual performers that dance, sing harmonies and bring your attention to the stage because they have the looks that kill, well, they’re red hot, and yes, they make the video for Girls, Girls, Girls look boring, because it’s on video while here… well, they are there in real life, right there before your eyes, dancing like the stars they in perfectly choreographed moves to many of the songs we love to rock out to. And the band? Impossible to highlight one performer. Given Motley Crue’s incredible ability to succeed as four different personalities more than any other band (name any other bass and drums in a guitar-rock band duo that overshadows Nikki and Tommy? I’ll wait!) the guys in Crueligans do know their role in living up to the visual expectations, and man do they succeed! With flame-throwing basses and rotating drumsets at some shows, or with sheer exceptional musicianship, Crueligan’s rhythm section nails the parts and more. The guitar player is incredible! You might say Mick Mars’ never was a virtuoso, but to millions of us he is and has been the guitar player that made us air-guitar more than anyone else… and Crueligans makes sure the sound is there!

While using the word “highlight” is not fair to the other three musicians, hearing the voice of Donovan Williams is when you feel much happier to be here than at a Motley Crue show. I never want to say negative things about Vince, whose voice made me so happy for decades, but if Entertainment or Death is Motley’s motto, Vince’s live vocals are one thing, while watching Crueligans live with Donovan’s vocals IS entertainment!

And beyond the instruments and visual spectacle, there is the setlist. In the era of the internet and setlist,fm, you can arrive to a show knowing not only the order of all songs, but even the specific jokes a singer tells an audience. And here, with the setlist, again, Crueligans aimed to surprise, and they did!

Nineteen songs that anyone would agree deserve to be played on any given night. And yes, a different setlist than any of the other three times I’ve seen Crueligans. And heck yes! Aiming to keep a high energy musical pace to match the visuals, they combined Without You (Motley’s weakest song in my opinion) with Home Sweet Home and it was not their closing song. No, not Crueligans. When Motley Crue has chosen to end their shows on a piano melody and singalong sending everyone off to their home sweet home, Crueligans chose to do it with a terrific four-rockers in a row, that chose to end the night with Kickstart my heart so you run away high, instead of coming home low.

Stop reading now. Again, if you went to the show, share your thoughts, pictures and favorite moments. If you missed it, kick yourself once in the pants, then go check Crueligans facebook, subscribe to their notifications and make sure you do not miss their next show. Will there be a circus? A rolling drumset, a flame throwing bass, 2 or 3 dancers on stage? I have no idea… but I will be there in the audience to make sure I do not miss out, and you shouldn’t either.