VIA PRESS RELEASE | Billy Idol: State Line, a Vertigo Live concert film documenting the rock legend’s April show at the famed Hoover Dam—the first ever concert performed at the location—is set to make its US theatrical debut on November 15.
The movie highlights the history and significance of Hoover Dam and includes performances from two unique sets of Billy Idol’s iconic hits: a full band concert at sunset with special guests that electrified and illuminated the surrounding Black Canyon and an acoustic duo set on the roof of the powerhouse at the foot of Hoover Dam straddling the Colorado River, directly on the Nevada/Arizona state line. Tickets and additional info on film screenings can be found at billyidolstateline.com, with additional screenings to be added shortly.
For both sets, Idol is joined by his collaborator and lead guitarist of over forty years, Steve Stevens. Performed in front of only 250 fans, the full band set features special guests Alison Mosshart (The Kills, The Dead Weather), Steve Jones (Sex Pistols, Generation Sex), and Tony Kanal (No Doubt).
“Our show at Hoover Dam was a monumental and surreal career highlight,” notes Idol. “I’m excited to get State Line out into the world. With this film we set out to highlight the continued importance of one of the most inspiring infrastructural achievements of the 20th Century, while also bringing the power of rock n roll to a stunning, magical location. I think we more than succeeded on both accounts.”
Idol’s first person experience of the Colorado River Basin drought conditions while shooting the film at Hoover Dam inspired his ongoing efforts to promote the importance of water conservation, including appearing in a series of public service announcements being released by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Watch/share Idol’s most recent P.S.A. with Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland HERE.
Of his activism relating to water conservation, Idol adds, “The drought conditions prevalent in the American West are severe and impossible to ignore. It takes all of us conserving water in whatever ways we can to preserve the future of our natural resources for our grandkids and beyond. I’m proud to help amplify this issue in whatever way I can.”
Billy Idol: State Line is produced by Lastman Media for Vertigo Live in collaboration with the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas and is distributed theatrically throughout North America by Unbranded Events and U.K./rest of world via Kaleidoscope Entertainment.
Idol is currently in Las Vegas, close to the site of Hoover Dam, for a series of performances at The Cosmopolitan which runs through October 28. Idol will also perform in Las Vegas the same day as Super Bowl LVIII in February; see below for a complete list of tour dates.
For 46 years, Billy Idol has been one of the definitive faces and voices of rock’n’roll. Between 1977 and 1981 Idol released three albums with Generation X as their camera-ready frontman. In 1982 he embarked on a transatlantic/trans-genre solo career that integrated the bold and simple lines of punk and rock’n’roll decadence.
Touring consistently around the world for the last ten years and showing no signs of slowing down, Idol released both “The Roadside” EP in 2021 and “The Cage” EP in 2022 on Dark Horse Records, earning praise from fans and critics alike. In January, Idol cemented his name among Hollywood legends with the first Walk of Fame Star of 2023.
Idol recently wrapped the first-ever Generation Sex tour in the U.K. and E.U. The punk supergroup is comprised of Idol and Tony James from Generation X, and Steve Jones and Paul Cook from Sex Pistols. November 10 marks the 40th Anniversary of Idol’s seminal record Rebel Yell, with an expanded edition of the album due in early 2024.
