Of all the bands which dominated Rock and Metal during the 1980s era, few were more explosive than Mötley Crüe. Truly a wild bunch who lived the ‘Rock-n-Roll lifestyle,’ initially established in 1981, they would go on to unprecedented success. In fact, in terms of Heavy Metal/Hard Rock, Mötley Crüe are probably among the Top 10 on everyone’s list from the ‘80s; alongside Metallica, Iron Maiden, Guns N’ Roses, and AC/DC. A matching of fiery personalities and a killer set of songs – ranging from 1981’s “Live Wire” and 1983’s “Shout at the Devil,” to 1985’s “Home Sweet Home” and 1989’s “Dr. Feelgood” – it is hard to deny this band of Rock-n-Roll misfits.
Continuing on along through the decades, they did their share of touring through the ‘90s (’92-’97 with John Corabi on vocals), the 2000s, but in the later 2010s decided it may be time to wind everything down. A bittersweet time for fans, dubbing it their ‘final tour,’ it all commenced on July 2, 2014, spread over 2 years, and lasted 158 shows until boldly going out on New Years Eve, December 31 2015. A fitting way to end it, if that was not enough, the tour concluded in their hometown of Los Angeles, CA at The Staples Center. Just 10 miles from West Hollywood, where they dominated the strip for many years, naturally this final show would gross the highest attendance of the entire farewell tour… closing in at what was said to be just under 42,000 concert goers! Truly an historic event, it would only make sense to document it to video, right? Of course, and that is exactly what happened, leading into a CD, DVD and Blu-ray release of the final concert in the Fall of 2016 under the title Mötley Crüe: The End – Live In Los Angeles. An obvious must watch for Mötley Crüe fans, now in 2024 this documented concert is making its way to 4K for the first time ever.
Still under the title Mötley Crüe: The End – Live In Los Angeles, the new 4K format arrives on April 5th through Mercury Studios. Mirroring the content of the previously released DVD and Blu-ray edition, the clear attraction here is a more clarified image and sound quality on a 4K disc. Now, if you are not a 4K player owner, chances are you will have little interest in this release. However, if you are someone who is curious about 4K, and what all the hoopla is about, it is honestly a step up from DVD to Blu-ray. While most could not see a significant jump in quality from DVD to Blu-ray, the upscale with 4K is real… and you feel it within releases like Mötley Crüe: The End – Live In Los Angeles to the advanced format. Granted that the concert was captured in 2015 (during a modern era of high-definition cameras), once you pop this disc into your player and watch it, you will feel like you are transported to the concert as it unfolded in real time. Crystal clear, deep in color, and with superb audio, it is a transfer well worth your time. Going with it, the packaging itself is compact digipak style, opposed to a harder plastic casing, and this can be a positive or negative for some, depending on preferences.
In all, to many it may feel anticlimactic at this stage to relive the farewell tour; considering in late 2019 word came down that Mötley Crüe would indeed be reuniting for touring once more. A reunion tour that was paused due to COVID restrictions throughout 2020 into 2021, from 2022 and on, they have been fully active on the road. An exciting return for fans, there are even talks of new music on the horizon. However, it cannot be ignored that many are disappointed to find that the return of the band does not include co-founding Guitarist Mick Mars, who retired from touring in 2022. A messy situation, but one you can only respect each party without bias, nonetheless, seeing Mötley Crüe active again is certainly a big plus. That is why even though it really was not the end, experiencing Mötley Crüe: The End – Live In Los Angeles in 4K is a must, because Cryptic Rock gives this release 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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