Mötley Crüe‘s “The Return of the Carnival of Sins Tour” hit Tampa, Florida, at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater with supporting acts Extreme and Tesla on August 15, 2026. The day was red hot in Central Florida with no afternoon showers to cool things off. It was hot, hot, hot. The temperatures didn’t deter the fans from flocking into the amphitheater as the Florida State Fairgrounds venue was sold out and the crowd was ready to get rowdy and rock out to some Motley Crue. There was an initial question inside many of the heads of the fans: How would the band sound? Could Vince Neil pull off his iconic vocals? How would John 5 fill in for Mick Mars?
Extreme started the carnival five minutes early of the 6:30 PM start time. They started the show with “Decadence Dance “ and frontman/ vocalist Gary Cherone, who defies his age of 65 years old, was all over the stage with ease like his 30-year-old self. Nuno Bettencourt was fantastic as always on lead guitar, being one of the premier guitarists of our lifetime. Bassist Pat Badger and drummer Kevin Figueiredo set the groove as the band rocked the audience with songs “BANSHEE,” “I Don’t Know” / “Bark at the Moon” / “Crazy Train” (Ozzy Osbourne covers), and the most sought-after Extreme song, “More Than Words.”
In most shows, Extreme performs as the headliner. It seemed odd that they were actually the opening band. Their set was short, only an eleven-song set that had those in attendance wanting more!
Extreme Band Members:
Gary Cherone – Lead Vocals
Nuno Bettencourt – Guitars/Keyboards/Piano/Backing and Lead Vocals/Brass/Orchestration Arrangements
Pat Badger – Bass/Backing Vocals
Kevin Figueiredo – Drums/Percussion
Setlist:
1.Decadence Dance
2. #REBEL
3. BANSHEE
4. Play With Me
5. Hole Hearted
6. Midnight Express
7. More Than Words
8. Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee
9. Get the Funk Out
10. RISE
11. I Don’t Know / Bark at the Moon / Crazy Train (Ozzy Osbourne cover)
Tesla was on the stage by 7:40 PM promptly and started their set with “Modern Day Cowboy.” The crowd had settled in and were ready to rock. Tesla played their longtime favorites “Love Song” and the cover from The Five Man Electrical Band, “Signs.”
Bassist Brian Wheat and guitarist Frank Hannon initially formed the band in Sacramento, California, in 1981 with the name City Kidd. They evolved into Tesla in 1984.
Lead vocalist Jeff Keith founded the band in 1981 with guitarist Dave Rude and added drummer Steve Brown in 1984 when the band changed names.
This band has been performing for over 40 years, and the joy and passion they show on stage is really remarkable. They truly love the crowd and performing in front of a live audience.
Tesla is a great and fun band to watch as they put on an effortless performance. Their longevity and love of the performance radiate to the audience, and you can’t help but return the love that’s on the stage. This is a great band!
Tesla Band Members:
Brian Wheat – Bass/Backing Vocals/Keyboards/Piano
Frank Hannon – Guitar/Backing Vocals/Keyboards/Piano/Organ/Theremin/Bass/Mandolin/Harmonica
Jeff Keith – Lead Vocals
Dave Rude – Guitar/Backing Vocals/Bass
Steve Brown – Drums/Percussion
Setlist:
1.Modern Day Cowboy
2. Hang Tough
3. The Way It Is
4. Heaven’s Trail (No Way Out)
5. Mama’s Fool
6. Call It What You Want
7. Love Song
8. Little Suzi (Ph.D. cover)
9. Signs (Five Man Electrical Band cover)
By 9:00 PM, everyone seated in the outdoor venue was ready for the main course, Mötley Crüe! The show started with the stage cloaked in a large curtain of red and white stripes. The video screens started a reel of a scary carnival MC with a top hat and a tuxedo of sorts with striped pants. It was a bit creepy and unnerving to tell the truth.
“The Return of the Carnival of Sins Tour” was about to start as 17th-century-clad working ladies started to appear from behind the curtain. Girls, Girls, Girls, this is totally appropriate for a Mötley Crüe show!
The curtain fell, and all the fans’ questions were immediately answered. From the first song, “Red Hot,” the band kicked ass; Vince Neil’s voice sounded great, and John 5 held down the leads as if it was Mick Mars playing. All was good. Drummer Tommy Lee played strong, and bassist Nikki Sixx played great, as he has always been the epitome of cool. The set included “Wild Side,” “Looks That Kill,” the ballad “Home Sweet Home,” and fan favorites “Girls, Girls, Girls,” “Dr. Feelgood,” and ending the evening with “Kickstart My Heart.”
Mötley Crüe is alive and well, and everyone that attending the show left fulfilled and got their bad boy rock ‘n’ roll fix until next time!
Mötley Crüe Band Members:
Nikki Sixx – Bass/Keyboards/Backing Vocals
Tommy Lee – Drums/Percussion/Piano/Backing Vocals
Vince Neil – Lead Vocals/Occasional Guitar
John 5 – Guitar/Backing Vocals
Setlist:
1.Red Hot
2. Louder Than Hell
3. Wild Side
4. Shout at the Devil ’97
5. Too Fast for Love
6. Looks That Kill
7. Too Young to Fall in Love
8. Take Me to the Top
9. Primal Scream
10. Afraid
11. Home Sweet Home
12. Guitar Solo (John 5)
13. Smokin’ in the Boys Room (Brownsville Station cover)
14. Live Wire
15. Girls, Girls, Girls
16. Dr. Feelgood
17. Kickstart My Heart
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Photographer and Editor/Founder of AllMusicMagazine.com. My love of live music has taken me to incredible experiences with the top bands of all time in stadium shows to the smallest venues with equally inspiring musicians. Using the medium of photography and my publication, these memories will last forever.