20 Years Ago: The Night Mötley Crüe Set Off the Fire Alarms in Portland, Maine

On April 23, 2005, Mötley Crüe brought their high-octane Red, White & Crüe Tour to the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland (now the Cross Insurance Arena), delivering exactly what fans had hoped for—pyrotechnics, pounding drums, and all the glam-metal theatrics.

You may remember that camera quality in 2005 wasn't what it is now. That said, I still think a few of these pics are worth including, especially the money shot, seen here, that I got during the encore. If you look real close, you can see Tommy whaling away in the background.

The nearly sold-out crowd was treated to a setlist packed with Crüe classics like “Kickstart My Heart,” “Live Wire,” and “Girls, Girls, Girls,” with Tommy Lee performing on a suspended, swinging drum kit that was as ridiculous as it was awesome.

But the night didn’t go off without a little chaos.

During the encore, smoke from the band’s pyrotechnics triggered a fire alarm in a stairwell—thanks to an open door that allowed smoke to reach a detector. Blabbermouth later reported that Jay Kelley, a fire prevention officer with the Portland Fire Department, said it was a false alarm and that the system had actually performed exactly as it should. No upgrades needed—just a good ol’ rock n' roll mishap.

Strobes flashed. Evacuation announcements echoed through the Civic Center. But most of us thought it was part of the show, including myself. We stayed put, however security and fire officials began ushering fans toward the exits. Mötley Crüe didn’t flinch—they kept playing through the alarms and chaos. I didn’t even realize anything actually happened until the next day.

It’s worth noting that this show happened just two years after the 2003 Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Pyrotechnics during a Great White set ignited foam insulation, leading to a devastating fire that killed 100 people, including guitarist Ty Longley. While that was a much smaller venue—and was found to have never should have had pyro to begin with—the tragedy was still fresh in everyone’s minds. So yeah, Portland officials took it seriously.

Whether you were one of the people who got ushered out early or stayed glued to your seat completely oblivious, it was the kind of chaotic, over-the-top rock show that Mötley Crüe fans came for. Here's the setlist from that epic night 20 years ago.