Billy Idol, Steve Stevens Impress Rialto Crowd: Ferak

JOLIET, IL - I didn't go to Thursday night's Billy Idol concert at the Rialto Square Theatre as a journalist. I was there as a rock-n-roll fan who grew up listening to the radio in the 1980s. In January, when I saw that the Rialto had landed Billy Idol for a show around my birthday, I told my wife, Andrea, that we had to go and make it a date night. So Thursday night's tickets were in essence my birthday present.

Billy Idol and guitar wizard Steve Stevens put on quite a concert. This was a sellout. We were in the sixth row of the balcony and the entire balcony was packed. It was a 7:30 p.m. show, no opening acts. Billy Idol and Steve Stevens took the stage around 7:35 p.m.

My main takeaway? Billy Idol is 63 years old but he's 63 going on 36. This English punk rocker is in tremendous shape. He's still got a great voice. He's matured from his "Rebel Yell" days, but he still drops plenty of F-bombs, that's for sure.

During a thunderous ovation toward the end of the concert, Idol returned to stage and exclaimed, "All right, it's fantastic being here in Joliet. I want to thank you Joliet. Thank you for my making my life so (expletive) great! Thank you!"

As for the concert, this was not wild and crazy Billy Idol from the 1980s. For instance, he did not perform "Mony Mony."

My wife figured he probably sang about a dozen or so songs - including several of his underrated ones. Two of my favorites from the night were"Don't Need A Gun" and "Flesh For Fantasy."

Idol struck a chord with his Joliet audience. That's for sure.

At one point, he talked for more than 10 minutes straight, telling us intimate details about his relationship with his father, going golfing with his father, talking about his father getting old, battling health issues and ultimately passing away.

So, while most of the crowd - including myself - were blown away by many of Billy Idol's sing along hits like "Eyes Without A Face," "Rebel Yell," "White Wedding" and "To Be a Lover," one of the most touching moments came when Idol played "Ghosts in My Guitar."

Another of his most impressive numbers was his rendition of The Kinks' "I'm Not Like Everybody Else." (I went on YouTube and published a version at the bottom of this column.)

I can't write this column without paying homage to Steve Stevens. The guy deserves an A plus for his mastery of the guitar. He's just awesome. He and Idol performing together is magical.

One of my cousins, David Vonch, happened to be on the main floor, front-row seats, and on Friday he posted on his Facebook page, "Awesome performance last night at the Rialto by Billy Idol and Steve Stevens.

"Billy sounded really good, lots of energy, passion and enthusiasm. Steve Stevens was fantastic as well. Both have a chemistry that made the performance a success," he told me.

He's a Vonch. I'm a Ferak. He's one of the most loyal Chicago Cubs fans around. I'm a die-hard White Sox fan.

But, we definitely agree, the Rialto Square Theatre hit a major home run with its booking of Mr. Idol and Steve Stevens.

The crowd loved them. Idol looks great and sounds spectacular for 63. It's no wonder why he was booked as the main headliner for this July's summer sensation, the Naperville Ribfest.

As for North Chicago Street, if the Rialto keeps putting on quality events, quality comedians, quality concerts, people will patronize Joliet's downtown after dark, there's no doubt about it.

It's already happening.

But now is not the time for the Rialto to rest on its laurels. Quite the opposite; the Rialto's marketing and promotions staff needs to continue to up its game.

Momentum - and public support - are gaining now in the Joliet area. The Rialto and VenuWorks have been booking lots of popular shows and entertainers of late. That trend must continue through the rest of 2019 and certainly into 2020.