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Nugent, Ted: Motor City Mayhem (DVD)

There is something that seems so right about the 4th of July, Detroit and Ted Nugent being together. Add to that the fact that this was Uncle Ted's 6000th concert and you have all the makings of a heavy metal circus!

When Terrible Ted breaks into the "Star Spangled Banner" to start the show, with a girl popping out of a cake amidst the assorted weaponry on the stage, you know that there is going to be mayhem at the DTE Energy Music Centre provided by the Motor City Madman himself!

For almost two hours, Nugent gives you a rock and roll history lesson. Interwoven with his constant between song expounding upon the virtues of American freedom is a dynamite collection of songs that covers pretty much the whole career of Teddy. From a duet with his guitar instructor doing "Honky Tonk" to the three song reunion with former guitar mate Derek St. Homes, Nugent gives the audience a terrific account of his historic contributions to the world of rock and roll.

Sure there is more than just a touch of grey to his mane. He also is not the frantic madman running from one side of the stage to the other. But, when he puts the pick to the six string and all those familiar old classic songs come rolling out, there is little chance that you can avoid being swept up by the nostalgia and pure love of rock and roll that oozes through every moment of the disc. This is the music that I grew up with and it will always be one of those things that bring back fond memories.

As he whips through the treasure trove of great guitar music from his collection such as "Free For All", "Dog Eat Dog", "Stranglehold", "Cat Scratch Fever", the list goes on and on, I get a feeling of how overlooked Nugent's music really is. Maybe it is his other pursuits that get most of the credit now but this guy has given us some of the songs that are embedded upon the American psyche when you think about the history of rock and roll. Songs that may not appear on any list of the greatest but still ones that you know and sing along with every time you hear them. This is something that seems so right when you have the 4th of July, Ted Nugent and a few M-16s on stage. It is pure Motor City rock and roll!

Track Listing

1. Ted Nugent Intro
2. Star Spangled Banner
3. Motor City Madhouse
4. Wango Tango
5. Free For All
6. Stormtroopin'
7. Dog Eat Dog
8. Need You Bad
9. Weekend Warrior
10. Love Grenade
11. Honky Tonk (with Joe Podorsek)
12. Wang Dang Sweet Poontang
13. Bo Diddley/Lay With Me
14. Baby Please Don't Go
15. Geronimo And Me
16. Jenny Take A Ride (with Johnny "Bee" Badanjek)
17. Soul Man
18. Hey Baby (with Derek St. Holmes)
19. Cat Scratch Fever (with Derek St. Holmes)
20. Stranglehold (with Derek St. Holmes)
21. Great White Buffalo
22. Fred Bear
23. Outtro

Added: October 29th 2009
Reviewer: Scott Ward
Score:
Related Link: Official Ted Nugent Page
Hits: 1943
Language: english

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Nugent, Ted: Motor City Mayhem (DVD)
Posted by Ken Pierce, SoT Staff Writer on 2009-10-29 13:10:17
My Score:

While it's probably safe to say that if you have seen one Ted Nugent live video concert then you have seen them all since many follow a particular standard when it comes to the set list and one can always count on Uncle Ted being at his audience appeasing best with the guitar and his electric dialogue. That being said this particular DVD is yards ahead of the many that have preceded it and that's because this is one of total celebration of a life lived and breathed in the fires of Hard Rock & Roll. Presenting "Motor City Mayhem", the 6000th official show ever done by the musician, filmed in front of a hometown audience on July 4th 2008. It doesn't get any more American if you ask me and the show starts off with a bang as members of the US Armed Forces greet the musician and as he enters and performs "The Star Spangled Banner", an absolutely stunning young bikini clad model pops out of a giant cake. Talk about getting a party started right, and through it all Ted is his humble self telling the audience to wish him a happy anniversary before he kicks the show into gear. Of course no one seemed to be complaining by the looks of the crowd in the video. The live performance comes released to the masses a few short months after the CD that bore the same name and presented the full set on two discs for his fans to enjoy. Now the Nugent completist can properly see just what the audio teased them about by showcasing it on a nice big TV with the speakers pumping at full volume.

Having reviewed the CD already I had to say that I really preferred the video side of the release more than just the audio one and that was based on the special nature of the shenanigans and guest stars that Ted puts forth during this particular show. Hearing someone announce a guest star on an audio release is nice, but when the musician calls to the stage the guitar player who gave him lessons fifty years ago it just snares you by the heart strings. He jams with Joe Podosek on "Honky Tonk" and it's definitely a special moment to see happening during the show. A little later in the set after more jokes and more ripping selections from the Ted archival and recent catalog we get treated to the tale of how he once saw Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels and was so impacted by them that he was proud to have drummer Johnny "Bee" Badanjek up there on the kit doing his thing for "Jenny Take A Ride". This is a classic even today and one can find numerous cover bands attempting to do justice to the original number and only a few managing to come close. As expected during this tune, drummer "Wild" Mick Brown (Dokken) sits out while Johnny "Bee" does his thing. The band is later joined by original Nugent singer Derek St. Holmes who helps Uncle Ted by belting out a number and sticking around for a couple of more. Truly this show was one of the most fun that I had ever seen from the Nugent camp and one that looked as if the audience would be leaving with lifelong memories of being a part of.

Nuge is clearly having a blast during the show and talking up a storm whenever he is not too focused on his guitar work; with bassist Greg Smith and drummer Brown providing a solid back end to his wildfire playing the show seems to go off without a hitch and is exciting from beginning to end. I would have to say that if you still don't own the CD and can live without it that the only purchase you really need to make is on the DVD. I still wish that these kinds of releases were packaged together for a reasonable price but that day has not yet come and at the end of the day I felt much more satisfaction after watching the film than simply hearing all of the fun on the CD. Congrats on your 6000th show Uncle Ted and also for being 60 years old and still at the game like a young dude whose just getting his first go at it. You are an inspiration to all players who wish to make a career of a life in music and you show that one only gets better with age as opposed to needing to sit in a chair complaining about the day.



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