Concert Review: Billy Idol, Morton Amphitheater, Riverside, MO (Kansas City), Sep 16, ’26, With Special Guest Susanna Hoffs

*Picture of Billy Idol & Steve Stevens in front of giant Billy Idol head taken by your intrepid blogger and yes… my camera stinks. Although it’s a poor craftsman who blames his tools. 

The Rock Chick and I, on her excellent suggestion, ventured out in the hot, hot, humid KC air last night to Morton Amphitheater, my new favorite place to see a concert here in town, to see Billy Idol. I haven’t been that hot at a show since I saw Pink Floyd at Arrowhead in ’94 on the Division Bell tour. Arrowhead ran out of all drinkable fluids that night and everyone I was with was on acid. What a night?!

We got to the Idol show about 7:30, just as special guest/opener and former Bangle Susanna Hoffs hit the stage. We actually sat out by the merch stands and food places and just listened. I’d have liked to go in and see her but surprisingly it was the Rock Chick who said, “Nah, not interested.” The people watching made up for it…

I was content to sit and sip my 1 allotted beer and listen. Instead of strutting in wearing my concert T ike the old days at school or on campus the next day I had get up early for the dentist… sigh. Hoffs’ voice isn’t the strongest and it was noticeable. She had a trumpet player who joined in on a couple of songs which was… odd. She did a host of Bangles tunes and solo stuff.

Towards the end she hit an impressive run of a covers she described as “her influences.” The covers included Velvet Underground (“Sunday Morning”), Beatles (“Another Girl”) and Little Feat (“Willin'”). She finished up with “Hazy Shade Of Winter,” the Simon & Garfunkel track the Bangles so famously covered. You might consider making it to the show for her… if you’re not with the Rock Chick and dug the Bangles.

The Idol show was a nice stroll through the memory lane of his greatest hits. When I left I thought, “Wow, he really played it safe tonight.” But that’s not really true. He played, to me, an obscure Generation X song, and he dug deep into Charmed Life for a deep track. And best of all he played 3 songs from his latest album, Dream Into It.  Although I may be the only one who digs when old bands play new music.

Sure, I would have loved to see him dig deeper into his catalog: I really wanted “Trouble With The Sweet Stuff,” which has been in and out of the setlist (I jinxed that one). I would have loved to hear something from his latest couple of EPs like the song “Cage,” or really anything from The Cage EP. And I thought “Bitter Taste” was the best track he’d done in decades but we didn’t hear that either.

While there was a thick air of nostalgia about the show it was still energetic and very entertaining. Idol’s voice is fine form, the man is a born crooner. And Steve Stevens has the ability to make his guitar sound like it’s 1983. And I don’t know where they found the titanic hippy bass player Stephen McGrath but kudos to him as well.

Sharp at 9 o’clock local time, Idol’s band hit the stage led by the aforementioned, amazing, and slightly overlooked lead guitarist Steve Stevens who shredded all night. The band was also: Billy Morrison (rhythm guitar), long haired Stephen McGrath was a beast on bass; and Erik Eldenius (drums). There was also a keyboard player whose name I didn’t catch and two great back up singers whose names I couldn’t find either.

The show started with the first single from Idol’s nostalgia drenched 2026 LP Dream Into It, “Still Dancing.” Stripped of its studio-polished-pop-sheen, the tune was even better live. That led to a raucous “Cradle Of Love,” where Billy oddly walked the stage and sang a line or two to each band member. It still slayed.

Next up was classic “Flesh For Fantasy,” which was preceded by a little electric guitar intro from Stevens. After which was “77” which was a duet with Avril Lavigne from his latest LP. Obviously she wasn’t there. The day of the show I told the Rock Chick, he should sub in “Too Much Fun” from that record for “77” and play “Sweet Stuff.”

Instead he played “77” and then asked if we wanted to have some fun which led to yes, “Too Much Fun” which replaced “Sweet Stuff” on the setlist. My voodoo for jinxing myself on song selection knows no bounds.

Of the two, I liked “Too Much Fun” best… it’s a “boy, was I wild in my younger days,” kinda song and yes we all were. After that, Stevens sat down for a guitar solo – an acoustic guitar solo, no less – that included snippets of “Blackbird” (The Beatles) and “Eruption” (Van Halen). Very impressive stuff.

Then it was time for “Mony Mony.” Idol brought the backup singers out and flanked by those two lovely women, Idol got a look on his face like he was having some very fun 80s flashbacks… if you know what I mean. After that he skipped over “Sweet Stuff” or even “Prodigal Son” from Charmed Life and played a subdued and slightly obscure “License To Kill.”

Then it was time for the Generation X cover, which Billy Morrison played lead guitar on, “Night of the Cadillacs,” which I quickly added to my Playlist: Songs About Cars. I’d never heard it before, but the older I get the more I love punk rock.

That led to Stevens playing an electric guitar solo, probably to restore his place as actual lead guitarist,  complete with funky foot pedal effects, and then into my favorite deep track “Blue Highway,” with a strange Top Gun coda… the guy can play anything on guitar.

At that point, Idol talks about randomly being in New York in the 80s, and he’s at a birthday party with the Stones and they’re all drinking a southern bourbon… sour mash, I believe, and it was called Rebel Yell. Which yes, is what came next. That one brought the house down.

The encore – spoiler alert – was all from his solo debut. “Dancing With Myself” (which actually wasn’t on the original debut LP) led to “Hot In The City” – and believe me, it was… he kept singing “Hot in Kansas City” and he meant it – and finely an epic version of “White Wedding.” Wow. It was 11:30 and we’d been blown away.

This marks the third time the Rock Chick and I have caught Idol – once in Vegas, and once at the Uptown here in KC – and each time they’re really great, fun shows. I think most people will love the set list – I’m probably the only one clamoring for the new stuff or for “Trouble With The Sweet Stuff,” but then that song probably resonated with me a little harder than most folks back in ’90.

Despite the heat the crowd was really into it. So many knee high, black leather boots and shorty shorts. And that was just the dudes (kidding). I haven’t seen this many people dressed in a similar way since I saw Adam Ant a few years back. These 80s British guys know how to inspire the ladies’ wardrobe choices! And the place was packed!

If Billy Idol and his cohort Steve Stevens come to a town/theater near you – buy the ticket see the show. These rock stars of yore are really putting on some kick ass shows, but for how much loger? Like the title of his rockumentary, Billy Idol Should Be Dead. Thankfully he’s not. Between this one and the Black Crowes concert a few months back, it’s been a great concert summer.

Cheers!

(“I got trouble with the sweet stuff, oh yeah, And I’m never ever gonna shake it…” Unless I have to be up early for the dentist…