North on the 101 Freeway past the Capitol Records building, exit down Highland past the Hollywood Bowl, onto Sunset Boulevard in front of Hollywood High School. With each passing mile, the klieg lights that swept the sky became more distinct as my course for the night neared… a visual X marked the spot on the treasure map. Destination: the House Of Blues (HOB) on the Sunset Strip, or as it was renamed for three nights this week in September, the House Of Billy. As in Billy Idol.

For these events, the HOB took on a new look. The exterior of the building was draped in images of Idol created by acclaimed Obey Giant graphic designer and illustrator Shepard Fairey, who also designed the album artwork for the June 2008 release The Very Best Of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself. "My own house is way too orderly, so we decided to go down to the Strip and make a mess," said Billy in a recent press release. 

As I arrived at the HOB, there was another change up. The traffic on the Strip was at a standstill! I’ve been to this venue many times and I have never seen such a mob surrounding it. Not only that, they were the most eclectic group of fans for a single performer than I’ve ever seen. Old-time punks wore the “colors” that showed their affection for bands like Agnostic Front, Black Flag, and The Damned with worn and ragged tee shirts, ripped denim, leather and Doc Martens. On the other hand were a lot New Wave enthusiasts in the leggings/stonewashed jeans and skinny tie fashion modes. And in between just your average Joe/Josey of every age group over 18. Quite a mix-up of characters, considering that they were all there for the same reason… to worship in the House Of Billy.

The set list gave every one their monies worth. “Cradle Of Love,” “Dancing With Myself,” “Flesh For Fantasy,” and “White Wedding” were the opening tunes. Very high energy from Idol and his band and the crowd was with them all the way. I think the audience got a little lost during “John Wayne” (one of two new songs on Idolize Yourself) but the band kicked up their energy level even higher and kept it there for the rest of the (nearly two hour) show.

“To Be A Lover” drew the audience back in and it felt like the atmosphere in the whole place was on vibrate. When “Eyes Without A Face” started out pretty mellow, it lead to a surging build that left everyone panting for more. And the hits kept on coming after that; “Blue Highway,” “Rebel Yell,” “Hot In The City”.  Best of the lot for me was the inclusion of my ultimate Billy Idol tune taken from his early days, “Ready, Steady, Go”. WOW! Was it actually thirty years since that first Gen X album came out? It doesn’t seem possible and yet the song still sounded fresh and exciting.

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