Long-Awaited Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison, Joan Jett Stadium Tour Devours Toronto

Motley Crue Toronto 2022

More than two-and-a-half years after it was announced, The Stadium Tour finally arrived at Rogers Centre in Toronto on August 8 with Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts plowing through more than six hours of hard rock fun. Bringing back memories of the glory days of flashy rock and fist pumping beats, there were enough 80s and 90s hits to form a deluxe box set; and the hot summer heat made the ol’ Rogers Centre a sweaty sauna. But it was all worth it.

This was the first show in Toronto in a few years for all the bands, but none were more excited than Poison, who came out of the gate with more energy and excitement than all of the bands combined. Reports from other dates on the tour have claimed Poison was stealing the show, but until you saw it, you’d never believe it. Poison brought the goods and exploded like never before.

Poison’s Bret Michaels live at Rogers Centre in Toronto 2022 – photo by Dan Savoie

Their shorter set was to the point with hits like opener Look What The Cat Dragged In, Talk Dirty to Me, Your Mama Don’t Dance, the ballad Every Rose Has Its Thorn and the show ender Nothin’ But A Good Time. And with Poison it was most certainly a good time. Singer Bret Michaels was loaded with passion and seemed genuinely thrilled to be in front of the large crowd – “This has been two years in the making to get here,” he said before they launched into the 1990 single Ride The Wind from their huge album Flesh & Blood.

Guitarist C.C. Deville was in fine form. Since he announced his sobriety, he just keeps getting better and better, with more energy and stage presence than he ever had. He’s become the rock star fans desperately wanted and needed from him in Poison’s rising younger days.

Joan Jett live at Rogers Centre in Toronto 2022 – photo by Dan Savoie

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts were the pinnacle cool rock bands when hits like I Love Rock and Roll, Crimson and Clover and I Hate Myself For Loving You were the iconic hits on the radio. Jett, who’s now 63, still dresses in black and plays one mean guitar, but she still performs and sings like a punk rock Queen. The career spanning setlist also included a couple classics from The Runaways, including Cherry Bomb, which came early in the show, and You Drive Me Wild, both from the band’s debut album in 1976.

Def Leppard’s Joe Elliot live at Rogers Centre in Toronto 2022 – photo by Dan Savoie

Def Leppard are known for some pretty legendary shows and music – the Hysteria Tour and album is still one of the masterworks of the late 80s and there’s enough hit singles from their 12 studio albums to fill more than 2 hours in any given show. The Stadium Tour is one of their shorter setlists, featuring about 17 tracks from albums like Hysteria, High ‘n’ Dry, Pyromania, Euphoria and Diamond Star Halos, their latest release.

It had to be hard for Def Leppard to come out after such a powerful Poison performance, but Lep is a totally different type of Animal, if you will. A Def Leppard show is about feeling the music, whether it’s a touching ballad like the new single This Guitar or anthems like the three show closers Pour Some Sugar On Me, Rock of Ages and Photograph. The band uses slick graphics and gorgeous light patterns to give those songs life and substance. The last time I caught the band live was in London before the pandemic and the arena was one of the loudest crowds Budweiser Gardens had ever had. Tonight, was no different – the crowd was incredible and the good vibes flooded the stadium as the band cranked out 11 bonified hits, and a few new and rare tracks. I got to hear what the audience sounds like behind the scenes when I was escorted from the photo pit to the backstage area during Animal – the crowd was so loud, you could barely hear the band. It was something I’ll never forget.

Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil live at Rogers Centre in Toronto 2022 – photo by Dan Savoie

Mötley Crüe brought the largest of the stage shows for this tour. With smoke, lasers and what looked like a mechanical apocalypse stage set, Crüe had the makings of an epic return to touring. Yup, this is the tour that was never supposed to be after the band signed an iron-clad “Cessation of Touring Agreement” in 2014 legally forbidding them from touring. After finding a “loop hole” in the agreement and three years of playing the pandemic waiting game, here we are in 2022 with the Crüe’s long awaited return to Toronto. Although nowhere near as cool and energetic as the first time I saw the band in 1984 at the CNE Coliseum on the Shout At The Devil Tour, there’s something about Mötley Crüe that keeps me coming back for more.

Their 15-song setlist was actually longer than the one in 1984, spanning the vast majority of their major albums, with most coming from their iconic 1989 album Dr. Feelgood, produced by legendary Canadian producer Bob Rock. The difference between Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard is the amount of sweat that comes of the Crüe band members. They really do give it everything they have and at times they can over do it. The sound is loud, brash and in your face, with sing-along anthems that last the entire show. It’s actually a very strange matchup when you put the two bands side-by-side, the music styles, although bold anthemic rock, touch the emotions in very different ways.

Surprisingly, support act Classless Act was not widely promoted or announced as part of the bill, but their short five-song set was a great introduction for all that were there to witness them. The five-member band all me via social media back in 2018 and have kept with their initial mission to keep the music style of the epic bands that paly after them on this show. The band’s debut album Welcome To The Show is the foundation of a modern take on this classic hard rock sound. The recording even features Crüe vocalist Vince Neil on their theme song Classless Act, which the band performed to closed their show. In some ways, having Classless Act on this tour is Mötley Crüe’s way of handing over the keys to the hard rock world – these guys are the future of hard rock.

The Stadium Tour
Rogers Centre
Toronto, ON
August 8, 2022

All photos by Dan Savoie

Motley Crue:

Wild Side
Shout at the Devil
Too Fast for Love
Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Saints of Los Angeles
Live Wire
Looks That Kill
The Dirt (Est. 1981)
Rock and Roll, Part 2 / Smokin’ in the Boys Room / White Punks on Dope / Helter Skelter / Anarchy in the U.K.
Home Sweet Home
Dr. Feelgood
Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)
Girls, Girls, Girls
Primal Scream
Kickstart My Heart