Metalheads young and old united last Wednesday for Cruefest, so named for headliner Motley Crue. With a bill running the gamut of metal sub-genres –Trapt, Sixx: A.M., Papa Roach, Buckcherry, and Crue — the crowd was a Mulligan Stew of characters, from 35-year-old yuppies in golf garb to 55-year-old bikers to goth kids to PYTs to moms with their 6-year-olds.

Trapt kicked the evening off at 5 p.m. while most showgoers were still buying drinks and finding their seats. Despite the heat, they rocked their alterna-metal hardest nonetheless, with radio hit “Headstrong” standing out among tunes from their surprisingly decade-long career.

It seems standard at outdoor amphitheater shows that opening acts get the short end of the sound-mix stick, and such was the case not only for Trapt, but for Crue bassist Nikki Sixx’s side project, Sixx: A.M. The midrange seemed completely absent. Nonetheless, tunes from Sixx’s The Heroin Diaries — a soundtrack to the book he wrote chronicling his ascent from the depths of drug abuse — were recognizable thanks to the hearty vocals of producer-turned-frontman James Michael. The threesome, completed by guitarist DJ Ashba (who is a native of Fairbury, Illinois, home of IE’s own publisher emeritus David Roberts) translate what was only supposed to be a studio project very well, with vocal melodies recalling The Cult propped up against aggro guitars and beats a la Korn.

Papa Roach played the crowd like they were the headliners. Frontman Jacoby Shaddix whips, stomps, and slides all over the stage wild-eyed, entertaining the crowd for every second of their 30-minute set. The band’s draw is their ability to write a contagious pop-worthy hook while maintaining metal’s tension and angst. Not one song failed to satisfy; highlights were “Getting Away With Murder,” “Forever,” and “. . .To Be Loved,” which will be on a record coming out in the fall.

Buckcherry played the favorites from their current multi-platinum record with their usual swagger — “Everything,” “Broken Glass,” “Sorry” . . . They played a new song from an upcoming album, “Too Drunk To Fuck,” which is a humorous anecdote though a little lengthy in verse and a bit uncharacteristic for the band. Then, what seems to have become signature for Buckcherry shows, frontman Josh Todd speaks an apropos setup to the naughty hit “Crazy Bitch.” This riff has changed over time, and this night it should have come with a X-rated warning.

Cruefest kicked off days after the release of Motley Crue’s first studio record in more than a decade. All four original members — Sixx, guitarist Mick Mars, and rockers-turned-reality TV schlubs Vince Neil and Tommy Lee — have remained reunited since their 2005 tour. This band, who sat at the top of the ’80s hair/cheese metal heap, have also managed to regain their stamina for the stage — their show is bigger than ever. These guys must have given up cheeseburgers and beer to be able to carry off an hour-and-a-half show with the same enthusiasm they did 20 years ago.

Behind the band were giant metal letters spelling out “Los Angeles” backwards. In true Crue style, there was plenty of pyrotechnics. They opened with “Kickstart My Heart,” and the rest of the evening was filled with the hits — “Same Old Situation,” “Live Wire,” “Girls Girls Girls,” and more. Songs from the new record fit right in; their infamous “titty cam” came out before “Mutherfucker Of The Year.” Members of the other bands came out to chant along with Neil to “Saints Of Los Angeles.” Then about halfway through the night, three of of the four left the stage for a pee break leaving Sixx to chat with the crowd about how much Detroit fans hate Chicago fans, and could show them up by doing a crowd jump from their seats for the camera (also for that video). They left the stage after “Dr. Feelgood,” the crowd went wild, then a piano was rolled out onto the stage and Tommy Lee started playing “Home Sweet Home” for the encore.

You just don’t see rock shows like this anymore.

Motley Crue’s Mick Mars can still rock a mean guitar and for that he is thankful. The musician says that having Ankylosing Spondylitis has not been easy for him. He tells Music Radar, “It’s caused by a gene. You first start noticing pain in your hips, usually when you’re in your teens. What it does is it slowly fuses you bones together – your spine, your ribs. With most people it stops in their 30s when the disease is still in their lower back. In my case, I have a rare form of the disease that hasn’t stopped.” Mars says the disease has reached his brain stem and has squeezed his rib cage together so much that he’s lost some height. The condition makes it difficult for the rocker to move his head and he’s unable to drive, but luckily he can still play. “It’s not in my hands or finger joints. I can be thankful for that,” says Mars. “We really, really, really have to get going on stem cell research. It can help so many people – people in wheelchairs, spinal injuries, osteoporosis. There’s so many diseases and conditions we could stop in their tracks if we just got serious.”

Last year, Sixx: A.M. released an album that served as the soundtrack to frontman Nikki Sixx’s memoir The Heroin Diaries. Back then, they released “Life is Beautiful,” their first single. Well, it’s taken a year, but the band has finally sent a new single to radio stations. It’s called “Tomorrow” and the band have been playing it to rave reviews as they cross the country with Crue Fest. Having his side project head out with the festival almost didn’t happen, as the Motley Crue bassist told Blabbermouth.net. He stated, “People really wanted this band to tour, and we’d considered doing a very short run of club dates. And then Motley started happening, I had to put that on hold, so I figured Sixx: A.M. was just gonna go on the back burner until Motley Crue was over and everyone was like, ‘No, dude.” Nikki plays in Sixx: A.M. and the Crue, and both bands will perform with Crue Fest tonight in San Antonio, Texas. Meanwhile, Nikki said he and Sixx: A.M. are already working on material for their second album.

Atlantic recording group Buckcherry has announced early details of its fourth album, "Black Butterfly." The album, which follows 2006's RIAA platinum-certified blockbuster, "15", arrives in stores at all digital retailers on September 16th.

True road warriors, Buckcherry will follow their current tour with legendary rockers Motley Crue, with a full-scale co-headline tour alongside Avenged Sevenfold, slated to kick off in mid-September, running through the beginning of October.

"Too Drunk…," a featured track from "Black Butterfly," recently appeared online at a number of BitTorrent sites. Buckcherry has released an official statement regarding the song's unscheduled arrival, declaring, "Honestly, we hate it when this s*** happens, because we want our FANS to have any new songs first."

In response to the leak, the band quickly cut "a down and dirty video" for "Too Drunk…" which can be viewed on www.Buckcherry.com. "I just wanted something that was funky," notes lead singer Josh Todd, "so we all collaborated on it and turned it into something with a lot of space to breeze along and tell a story."

"Black Butterfly" is now available for preorder via www.Buckcherry.com. Fans who preorder the Limited Edition Fan Pack will receive the track "Too Drunk…" at the time of their preorder. The ringtone for the track is also available on the band's website. The album – co-produced by longtime Aerosmith collaborator Marti Frederiksen (the co-writer of Buckcherry's top 10 smash, "Sorry") and Buckcherry's own Keith Nelson – will be offered in a standard CD package; a "Limited Fan Club Edition" version, which comes with bonus tracks and a one-year membership to the Buckcherry Fan Club; and a "Limited Fan Club Edition" bundle which adds a "Black Butterfly" T-shirt to the previous package.

*Co-headline dates with Avenged Sevenfold:
SEPTEMBER
16 Moline, IL IWireless Center
18 Sioux Falls, SD Canaries Stadium
19 Kansas City, MO Sandstone Amphitheatre
20 Oklahoma City, OK Zoo Amphitheatre
22 Lincoln, NE Pershing Auditorium
23 Wichita, KS Kansas Coliseum
24 Tulsa, OK Riverparks
26 Huntsville, AL Big Spring Jam
30 Clemson, SC Little John Coliseum
OCTOBER
4 Mobile, AL Bayfest

*Additional dates to be announced at a later date.

Mötley Crüe has partnered with Deeprockdrive.com, an online concert venue, to show their upcoming performance at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.

The hard rock band is currently on the Crüe Fest, a nationwide tour with Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Sixx: A.M. and Trapt. Those bands are expected to be seen during the show on Deeprockdrive.

Bands such as Disturbed, O.A.R and Lloyd have previously had their shows broadcast by the site. The August 1 show will be promoted by advertising on sites such as therockvine.com, street teams and email blasts to Mötley Crüe, Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Sixx:A.M. and Trapt fans. 10th Street Entertainment, the marketing and management firm with offices in New York and L.A., is promoting the event.

According to The Pulse of Radio, SIXX: A.M. has sent a new single called "Tomorrow" to radio stations almost a year after "Life is Beautiful", the first single from the group's debut disc, hit the airwaves last summer. The project led by MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx is currently on the Crüe Fest tour, with Sixx doing double duty in both bands each night, and he told The Pulse of Radio that putting SIXX: A.M. on the tour wasn't his idea at all. "You know, (concert promoter) Live Nation was like, 'Look, this band hasn't toured, and it's really in demand,'" he said. "People really wanted this band to tour, and we'd considered doing a very short run of club dates. And then MÖTLEY started happening, I had to put that on hold, so I figured SIXX: A.M. was just gonna go on the back burner until MÖTLEY CRÜE was over and everyone was like, 'No, dude.'"

SIXX: A.M.'s debut album served as a soundtrack of sorts to Sixx's 2007 memoir, "The Heroin Diaries".

The bassist recently said that the trio is already working on material for its second album.

MÖTLEY CRÜE issued its ninth studio album and first in eight years, "Saints of Los Angeles", last month.

In addition to the CRÜE and SIXX: A.M., other acts on the Crüe Fest bill include BUCKCHERRY, PAPA ROACH and TRAPT. The tour stops on Tuesday (July 22) in Houston.

SIXX: A.M. performing "Life is Beautiful" on July 12, 2008 in Camden, New Jersey: