Carnival of Sins Roars Again: Mötley Crüe, Tesla and Extreme Raise Hell in West Palm Beach
- Joanie Cox Henry
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
By Joanie Cox Henry
There are concerts, there are spectacles, and then there are those beautifully excessive nights when rock ’n’ roll arrives in a cloud of hairspray, distortion and questionable decision-making.
On Aug. 14, Mötley Crüe brought The Return of the Carnival of Sins tour to iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, flanked by Tesla and Extreme for a triple bill that felt less like a nostalgia tour and more like a loud, living rebuttal to anyone foolish enough to suggest rock is dead.
Extreme opened its set with “Decadence Dance,” and suddenly the sticky South Florida air had rhythm. Cherone remains one of rock’s most magnetic frontmen, moving across the stage like a man who has never once considered standing still. He sang, strutted, twisted and commanded the crowd with enough electricity to make the power grid nervous.
Then there was Bettencourt.
Watching Nuno play guitar is like watching someone pick a lock during an earthquake while smiling directly at you. His fingers don’t seem to obey the same physical laws as everyone else’s. “#REBEL” and “BANSHEE” proved that Extreme is not surviving solely on its past; the band’s newer material carries muscle, melody and a very modern bite.
“Play With Me,” introduced with a blast of Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” became an athletic event. “Hole Hearted” and “More Than Words” revealed the softer machinery beneath all that swagger, turning the amphitheater into one enormous singalong. But tenderness only delayed the next detonation.
“Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee” showcased Bettencourt’s nearly absurd technical brilliance before “Get the Funk Out” restored the groove. “RISE” supplied another reminder that this band is still creating songs worthy of standing beside its classics. Extreme closed with an Ozzy Osbourne tribute weaving together “I Don’t Know,” “Bark at the Moon” and “Crazy Train”—a fitting salute delivered with enormous affection and enough guitar firepower to reach the heavens.
Rock isn’t dead. It was merely out back revving the engine.I had the opportunity to meet Extreme backstage. Gary Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt, Pat Badger and Kevin Figueiredo were gracious, welcoming and effortlessly cool. Meeting a band backstage is one thing. Shaking their hands after they thoroughly demolish an amphitheater is another. It was a pretty cool experience to have on my birthday.
Tesla followed with the honest, denim-clad rock ’n’ roll that has always separated the band from the more polished creatures of its era. I missed part of their set while backstage with Extreme. There is nothing phony about Tesla. No gimmicks are necessary when your songs possess this much grit.
“Modern Day Cowboy” came charging out of the gate, followed by “Hang Tough” and “The Way It Is.” Jeff Keith’s unmistakable rasp remains one of hard rock’s great human instruments—weathered, wiry and incapable of sounding manufactured. Tesla played like five guys who still believe plugging in and meaning it can solve most of the world’s problems.
“Heaven’s Trail (No Way Out)” landed with bluesy weight, while “Mama’s Fool” and “Call It What You Want” kept the set rugged and gloriously unvarnished. “Love Song” brought thousands of voices together beneath the West Palm Beach sky, proving that a great power ballad does not need to apologize for having a heart.
“Little Suzi” bounced with infectious energy before Tesla closed with its signature cover of “Signs.” Decades after the band transformed the Five Man Electrical Band tune into an acoustic-rock anthem, the song still works because its frustration remains universal. Signs may tell us where to go, what to wear and who is allowed inside—but Tesla has never sounded interested in following instructions.
And then the carnival came to town.
A carnival-barker video announced Mötley Crüe’s arrival before “Red Hot” tore open the set. “Louder Than Hell” and “Wild Side” followed, and for a few delirious minutes, 1987 didn’t feel like ancient history. It felt like it had escaped, stolen a motorcycle and crashed into West Palm Beach.
This tour celebrates both Mötley Crüe’s 45th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of the original Carnival of Sins tour, but the band did not treat the evening like a museum exhibition. Nikki Sixx stalked the stage with bass-slinging menace, Tommy Lee hammered the drums with his usual joyous violence, and John 5 attacked every guitar part with surgical precision and supernatural speed.
At the center of it all stood Vince Neil, leading the crowd through the beautifully disreputable songbook that turned Mötley Crüe into one of rock’s most notorious institutions.
“In the Beginning” ushered in “Shout at the Devil,” which sounded less like a song and more like a mass exorcism. “Too Fast for Love,” “Looks That Kill” and “Too Young to Fall in Love” carried the raw danger of the band’s early years, while “Take Me to the Top” rewarded the diehards with another trip back to Crüe’s grimier beginnings.
“Primal Scream” still snarled, while the inclusion of “Afraid” added a welcome shade of late-’90s darkness. Then came “Home Sweet Home,” the piano-led power ballad that somehow turns an arena full of tattooed troublemakers into one swaying, sentimental choir.
After John 5’s guitar solo, the show hit its final stretch with “Smokin’ in the Boys Room” and the ferocious “Live Wire.” “Girls, Girls, Girls” transformed the amphitheater into a Sunset Strip fever dream before the unmistakable opening pulse of “Dr. Feelgood” sent another surge through the crowd.
Naturally, there was only one way to finish.
“Kickstart My Heart” exploded like a car engine fed jet fuel. Tommy Lee pounded, Sixx prowled, John 5 shredded and Neil delivered the rallying cry as the entire amphitheater shouted along.
Mötley Crüe has spent 45 years outrunning scandal, changing trends, shifting tastes and occasionally common sense. That they are still here. They're still loud, still excessive and still capable of filling a venue.
Extreme supplied the musicianship. Tesla supplied the soul. Mötley Crüe supplied the skin and the sin. Together, they delivered one gloriously loud reminder that rock ’n’ roll in fact is the fountain of youth.
All images by Larry Marano:
Extreme:
Tesla:
Mötley Crüe:
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