Today's MTV may have killed the video star, but that doesn't mean you can stop Billy Idol.

The early 1980s MTV hero packed First Avenue Sunday night at an unprecedented $70 a ticket and delivered the kind of turn-back-time show that made you forget that he's 60 and you had a crush on Nina Blackwood (or was it Martha Quinn?). He was the right combo of adult-punk attitude, rock 'n' roll snarl and MTV cheese to make the night triumphant.

Buoyed by longtime guitarist Steve Stevens and a solid band, Idol played a generous, energetic 1 3/4-hour show, covering everything from 1981's "Dancing with Myself" to tracks from his 2014 album "Kings and Queens of the Underground."

Idol was in very good shape (he eventually went shirtless), pretty good voice (sometimes the band drowned out his vocals) and good hair (it's not as spikey but he's got a head full). He changed outfits about four times, opting for a different top, jacket or vest.

Stevens, who sports a poof of '80s metal hair, delivered lots of lightning licks, including a 6-minute solo when he played all kinds of classic-rock riffs from the Led Zeppelin catalog.

Of course, the hits like "Rebel Yell," "Dancing with Myself" (featuring three electric guitarists) and "White Wedding" (which started acoustic and then went into full band explosion) were big crowd-pleasers.

But the highlights were when Idol and Stevens created together: an unannounced version of Prince's "Controversy," set to a dark punk-funk groove with fiery vocals, and "To Be a Lover," a rockabilly workout with a Chuck Berry-like guitar solo by Stevens and Idol's most impassioned vocals of the night.

The First Avenue performance reminded first-generation MTV lovers that Idol really is more than just a telegenic snarl and spikey hair.