BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION

“Nikki in a club!” “Nikki in a club!” That was the mantra I shouted at my boyfriend, Brian, all day. Could we really be paying $15 to see Nikki Sixx in a club in Albany? As long time Motley Crue fans, this was a dream come true. And we had no idea of the good fortune we were in for.

My friend Renee drove up separately and met us there. After waiting an eternity, the lights finally dimmed and…here come the Brides! The set kicked in with first single “Shut the F.ck Up” and it was evident from the start this was a band to be reckoned with. The second song played was “Natural Born Killers” and there was still no stopping the band. Nikki Sixx was right in front of me in a club. Faint.

The Brides debut album was played in its entirety, minus “Only Get So Far.” There were no ballads tonight, my friends. Drummer Scott Coogan took over vocals on the song “Life” and did a fantastic job. Singer London LeGrand did a fabulous job as well, and we were skeptical about him after the Jay Leno performance. I was really impressed. He did a great job.

The crowd was filled with a bunch of loser males that only got more and more violent and rude as the night wore on. In all fairness, there were a lot of guys that were decent and seemed to look out for my and other girls' well being. But the few losers were a really sorry bunch.

After the Brides songs, the band left the stage and then returned after a short time for their first encore. This was made up entirely of L.A. Guns songs:

One More Reason
Never Enough
Rip And Tear

The crowd got rowdier and came more alive when these songs were done. I was freaking out, as L.A. Guns is one of my favorite bands. It was awesome to see Tracii doing his thing again. London messed up the words a tiny bit on “Never Enough,” but it wasn’t enough to ruin the song. Only something a real Guns fan would notice. After the Guns encore, there was another short break until the Brides came back for their final encore, all Motley Crue songs:

Bastard
Piece Of Your Action
Looks That Kill
Shout At The Devil

As the band kicked into Bastard, this big fat jerk decided the time was right to make a running plow through the crowd from where he had been standing on the side. This was a violent act that sent us all careening into each other trying to stay standing upright. Fat Jerk smashed my foot in the process. Why do some people try to take the fun out of the night for everyone else? He did NOT ruin my night, though. I worked my a$$ off moving this week, and I’ve been sick as hell. This night was supposed to be my reward for my grueling week. I’d be damned if I wasn’t going down fighting.

As some of the XYs in the audience proceeded to lose their damned minds, I decided to make my way up front, closer to Nikki – taking my life in my hands in the process. I don’t shove through people. If a spot opens up, I simply take it and inch closer throughout the show. I finally got up front in time for “Looks That Kill,” and it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing to be so close to Nikki. Incredible. I almost didn’t notice London messing up the words a little. But, a big "screw you" goes out to the short ugly guy with the Napoleon complex flailing about on my right, repeatedly shoving his elbow into my ribcage. Even after I gently pushed him off me and he saw I was female, he kept acting like this. Completely drunk, he was oblivious to anyone else’s well being. He was so drunk that when I’d push him gently off me again he fell over. I wasn’t trying to push him over, but this made him madder. Instead of trying to be decent, he flailed about more. Also, he and a bunch of his friends would just hang on to each other and bang into everyone. They tried their hardest, but they still did not ruin my evening, thank you very much!

As the set ended, all the Brides guys shook hands with the crowd and threw picks. I didn’t touch anyone or get anything, but it was still cool to be there. The crowd was still unruly, and surging toward the stage like geeks, when we decided to get out of the mess and find Renee, who had left to check out Tracii’s side of the stage. We found her at the bar and compared notes. The crowd on her side was violent and stupid, too. But we all had ignored it as best we could and had a great time anyway.

Long story shorter, we made our way out back and met both Nikki and Tracii. Tracii was gracious enough to say he remembered us from our previous encounters with him. I still cannot even believe that I got to meet one of my bass gods, Nikki Sixx! That was a dream come true, more than I ever dared to dream would happen!!!

Here are my pictures, taken by Brian and myself:

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