Concert: Billy Idol

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Billy Idol Concert Schedule

Chicago Gigs

Billy Idol

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Billy Idol was one of the first pop rock artists who achieved enormouse success in the early '80s due to the then brand-new U.S. television network, MTV. He minutely blended his bad-boy good looks with pop hooks, punk attitude and dance beats rocketed him to stardom, before hard living derailed his career and almost proved fatal. Idol worked as a solo artist and gradually became MTV staples with "White Wedding" and "Dancing with Myself". Idol quickly ascended to stardom with an appealing blend of pop hooks, punk attitude and dance beats. The founder of the punk rock band Generation X which signed to Chrysalis Records, released three successful albums before breaking up. Whiplash Smile was a great hit including the hits "To Be A Lover," "Don't Need A Gun," and the Country-flavored "Sweet Sixteen". Idol pursued his career as a solo artist while he was disappointed with Generation X's demise.

Billy Idol's first LP, "RebellYell' (1984) fetched him tremendous success and established him as an arena headliner statesside. with singles like "Eyes Without A Face," "Flesh For Fantasy," and the title cut. Simultaneously with massive success came many distractions which prevented him from issuing a new studio for three years. 1987's "Whiplash Smile" failed to live up to the lofty expectations. Vital Idol, an eight-track best-of set was issued which proved to be the year's most heavily played MTV videos -- a live version of the initially recorded cover of "Mony Mony" which contributed in Idol's popularity. Idol reappeared in the summer of 1989 as part of an all-star rendition of the Who's Tommy. Idol played the role of the sadistic character Cousin Kevin.

Around the time of Idol's next release, 1990's Charmed Life, the singer met with a serious motorcycle accident in which he almost lost his leg and had to walk with a cane for some period of time. The album was a huge success which filmed him in the lead-off-single, "Cradle of Love", from waist up. The video was often shown on MTV in 1990. He took a break and acted in The Doors, directed by Oliver Stone. Charmed Life was the fourth Idol album in a row to achieve the reach platinum sales.

During the advent of Cyberpunk in 1993 , Idol had adopted dreadlocks to spiky peroxide hairstyle and experimented with techno beats which proved to be unwise. The album was a failure and sank from the charts. During that period Idol was highly drug addicted approaching death due to the overdose and had to be treated in a Los Angeles hospital in 1994. Idol was again into the lime light in 1998 with his cameo appearance in the hit Adam Sandler Drew Barrymore comedy The Wedding Singer, which resulted in renewed interest. Idol appeared on VH1 Storytellers with his successful issue of Greatest Hits CD in 2001 and issued a more extensive Greatest Hits set, the latter of which sold 500,000 copies in the U.S. Alone. His album "Devil's Playground" released on March 22, 2005, was his first new studio album within a span of 12 years.