Idol Eyes Crushes It At Boonie’s Debut Leaving Crowd Screaming For ‘More, More, More’

By Joanie Cox Henry

Photo By Susie Fineberg

Billy freaking Idol? Check. Platinum wigs? Check. A bass player so blessed with his own rock locks he didn't need one? Check. A crowd dancing joyfully with itself at Boonies on March 7? Enormous check. Idol Eyes has arrived and this is the Billy Idol tribute band that will leave you feeling “Hot In The City” tonight. 

From the first snarl of "White Wedding" to the last thunderclap of the encore, “Rebel Yell,” this was a room transformed. Bodies didn't stop moving. The hits and the drinks kept coming. People didn’t budge from the dance floor and every table was taken too.

Let's be clear: Billy Idol's catalog is not easy material to pull off. The man occupied a peculiar, glorious space between punk and new wave shimmer, between leather-jacket swagger and arena-sized hooks. To do it justice requires something deeper, perhaps something even primal and Idol Eyes deliciously delivers. 

Photo by Joanie Cox Henry

The Lip Curl Is Real: Brad Raker Commands the Room

Front and center, Brad Raker is the kind of animated frontman who is a firecracker on stage. Every song was a full-body declaration. He attacked "Rebel Yell" like he'd been waiting his whole life to scream it. He prowled through the sensual menace of "Flesh For Fantasy," and delivered "Eyes Without a Face" with a surprisingly tender intensity that hushed the room before igniting it again. 

The Right Hand of Rock: Stevan Carter Doesn't Miss

On guitar, Stevan Carter emerged with everything you need in a band like this. His riffs on "Hot in the City" had an electric edge that rattled the bones, and his rhythm work locked in perfectly with the thunderous low-end all night long. Carter is a player who makes it look effortless, which is, of course, how you know exactly how much work went into it.

Photo by Susie Fineberg

Eyes With A Bass: Fernando Santomaggio Owns the Low End

Let the record state, for posterity, that Fernando Santomaggio does not need a wig. While the rest of Idol Eyes leaned into their wigged out personas, Santomaggio arrived with his own God-given rock locks and the natural swagger to match. But it was his bass playing that truly made the evening and cause the audience to stop and stare. When the band rolled into "Daytime Drama," Santomaggio kicked it off with a bassline so insanely powerful, so deeply felt, it growled like a Ferrari F1 engine unleashed at the starting line on race day. His bass line didn't just fill the room. It vibrated through your DNA with a low, relentless thunder that made the air itself submit. This was not background music. This was architecture. Those who hadn't been paying close attention started paying close attention. A moment, full stop. His low-end held down "Mony Mony," "Dancing With Myself," and "Cradle of Love" with equal authority offering a tectonic presence that the whole night was built upon.

Keys to the Kingdom: Morgan McCormick Holds It All Together

Every great rock band needs a secret weapon, and Idol Eyes found theirs in Morgan McCormick. The only woman on stage, McCormick anchored the sonic landscape with keyboards that filled every corner of the room, adding layers of atmosphere and texture that elevated songs like "To Be a Lover" and "Blue Highway" into something genuinely cinematic. And her backup vocals? Lush, powerful, and perfectly placed often the difference between a good performance and a great one. McCormick is a musician's musician, the kind of player who makes everyone else sound better just by being there.

The Beat Goes On: Oscar Dorta Drives the Machine

Behind the kit, Oscar Dorta a rock-solid foundation that never once stalled. Each song grooved with precision, and his work through "Dancing With Myself" had the kind of propulsive, relentless energy that made moving your body feel less like a choice and more like a biological necessity. 

The Setlist: A Mixtape of Billy Idol's Greatest Hits

The band moved through Idol's catalog with purpose and joy with classics such as "Eyes Without a Face,"  and "Catch My Fall," the hits kept coming with barely a breath between them. They even threw in a beautifully bluesy, gritty cover of The Doors' "L.A. Woman," a curveball that landed beautifully, proving this band doesn't just cover Billy Idol. They also acknowledge the cool covers he recorded too.

Costume Change, Identity Shift: Enter The Crush

Photo by Joanie Cox Henry

Just when the crowd thought the night had peaked, Idol Eyes exited and something else walked back out.

Three of the band's members, including Raker, Santomaggio, and Carter, returned as The Crush, as one of South Florida’s most versatile cover bands, until March 7, hadn’t reunited for a while. Raker swapped the Idol rock ensemble for a 90s beanie and a new kind of danger. The mood shifted. The air changed. And the crowd was right there to

breathe it in.

The Crush kicked things off with a tasty run through Stone Temple Pilots' "Interstate Love Song" and from that first churning riff, it was clear this was no half-hearted afterthought. This was a second band with its own identity and ferocity. "Smoke on the Water" thundered out next, a reminder that some riffs are eternal. Then Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me" got the whole room singing back every word, and David Bowie's "Fame" hit with a funkier, darker edge that showed The Crush's versatility.

But the standout solo moments were something else entirely.

Santomaggio, already a hero of the night after his "Daytime Drama" bass work, stepped forward and delivered a killer rendition of "Don't You Forget About Me" that was genuinely moving. Emotional, soulful, and charged with just enough nostalgia to make you feel 17 again in the best possible way.

Carter took his turn with Bryan Adams' "Summer of 69" and made it feel like the anthem it was always supposed to be with joyous riffs and audience members singing along.

And then Raker, already having given everything he had,  reached somewhere deeper and summoned a primally delicious cover of Prince's "Kiss." Stripped down, funky, and absolutely ferocious, it reminded everyone in the room what pure rock charisma sounds like and why Prince will always be king.

The crowd was not ready to let The Crush go. They cheered. They stomped. They refused to accept that the night was over. And so the band gave them exactly what they needed: Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" with a wall of sonic thunder that rattled every rib in the building and sent everyone home with enormous grins.

Verdict: Boonies Will Never Be the Same

Idol Eyes, and their alter-ego The Crush, didn't just put on a show on March 7. They introduced themselves as a live act worth clearing your calendar for. Two bands, two identities, one incredible night. Brad Raker's primal charisma, Stevan Carter's guitar mastery, Fernando Santomaggio's legendary bass work, Morgan McCormick's essential keys and delicate vocals, and Oscar Dorta's powerhouse drumming. Together, they are something rare: a tribute band that transcends tribute. You won’t be able to take your eyes off Idol Eyes. 

For more on Idol Eyes, check out their Facebook page.