Classic Concert of the Day: Mötley Crüe at Kemper Arena, Kansas City, MO, 1989

Let’s face it. The Mötley Crüe of today is not the Mötley Crüe that still kicks ass in everyone’s memories. Mick Mars isn’t touring with the band anymore, Nikki Sixx is just there, Tommy Lee is busy trying to sell dick pics online for $40 a month, and Vince Neil — as sad as it is — can barely belt out a single verse before needing oxygen. It’s embarrassing, but at least John 5 is there to inject some youth into the aging act.

And despite all their shortcomings, this past summer’s big reunion tour with Def Leppard, Poison, and Joan Jett raked in the dollars and made headlines along the way. But nothing the Crüe does these days can hold a candle to this gig, which was filmed live at the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, MO on November 11, 1989.

This is the Crüe in their prime: touring in support of then-newly released Dr. Feelgood, Mick Mars is still mobile, Vince Neil still able to at least sorta sing, before Tommy Lee was an amateur porn star, when Nikki Sixx could still write about things other than how cool it is to be him.

Oh and this isn’t a fan shot clip either. No sir, this is a pro-shot concert, complete with great audio to boot. It’s about as close as you can get to classic Crüe without a time machine.