So Neil Young was blowing into town for what I assumed was support of his new album “Chrome Dreams II” (I don’t have it yet, as anyone can tell you, I’m a vinyl addict, so I’m waiting until Jan. 8th when it comes out in my favorite black plastic format.) I assumed it would be at the usual horrible venue of Madison Square Garden, where I had last seen him (thanks to an industry connection box seat, with food and booze.) This was during the Greendale tour, and while I enjoyed the show, I did not feel inspired to buy the album (strange, since I own a good majority of all his other albums, even the much maligned but entertaining to me “Trans”.) Busy with work and what not, I let it slip under my radar that it was not the usual MSG concrete stadium horror show (no free press box seat nd booze this time), but instead was going to be six nights at a somewhat small (3000 capacity) church turned performance hall in Washington Heights, the United Palace Theater. Two fseperate riends who went the first night raved that it was one of the best shows they have ever seen him do. My pal John Neilson said something to the effect of “he was on fire like I haven’t seen him in years”, or something to that effect. Ok, seeing Mr. Young several times since the late 80s, I knew I had to go. All shows sold out, and so wanting the avoid the hideous fees of “professional” scalper sites (who probably bought up a third of the tickets, thanks douchebags, well, that’s business), it was Craigs List to the rescue! I ended up going the final night, and have great regrets…that I only went one night.While there were tickets available on all nights, it was harder to get them for the last evening of the run, but I’m glad I did. Not even the scalpers outside had any tickets for sale, there was quite a buzz/vibe/whatever ya wanna call it in the air. Seems like everyone had been hearing about what amazing shows there
Filed under: rock
Mudhoney came around a couple weeks ago to play all of “Superfuzz Bigmuff”, plus early singles, etc. Having seen them since 1989 (first album tour, opening for the Sonics doing “Daydream Nation”), I figured “What the heck”, it would be fun to hear them dig into the old stuff. Unlike some folks who dropped off after the first couple of albums, I actually bought their last two LPs, and saw them, I dunno, two or three years ago (last time I had seen them before that was, I’m guessing, early to mid-90s. Plus I will never forget them at Maxwells New Years Eve 1991 going into 1992, with bodysurfers in the slamming crowd kicking out (by accident) all the stage lights except for one. Great mayhem!) When I saw them that time two or three years ago in Brooklyn, it was nice to find that they were still a good, solid band. Nothing new, but they delivered nice. This time was a bit more special, as it was “all the old hits” and many an ageing hipster (do I fit in there???) turned up. The band (all original save for John Belushi imitator/original bassist Matt Lukin) were pumped up, super-on, and seeming to enjoy revisiting their past catalog with much gusto. The crowd responded with a bit of a slam pit, with some of the elder “hipsters” joining in for old time’s sake. Included in that group, to my joyful surpise, was my friend Dave Anderson, slamming with much abandon (myself, I gave up the habit in the mid to late 80s, does that put me in the “I’m too cool” or “I became lame” category, or neither.) Dave had the quote of the evening “This is MY classic rock! Not Fred Zeppelin or the Rolling Flintstones.” He was right, even if one had not listened to that EP or early singles in years, each time one of those songs were played, it was an instant “OH YEAH! That song!” Made me remember what a milestone that Superfuzz/Bigmuff ep was. I mean, me and a couple of my college radio DJ pals spun that record to death on the air. And seeing them with the Laughing Hyenas and Sonic Youth on the same bill in NYC in 1989 will go down in memory as one of the best shows ever, with a young n’ long haired Mudhoney freaking and tearing up the stage, and forcing Sonic Youth, who followed, to put on one of the most rocking shows I have ever seen them do (they had no choice, Mudhoney were that powerful and HOT.)
Watching the band now, well, it was great, for sure. It did not come off as a nostalgia show for ca$h, but a well-honed band revisiting with joy what put them on the map. Still, it ain’t 1988 anymore. I enjoyed myself very much, but the usual nostalgia feelings about when live rock music used to be a RELIGION to me came up. Hey, I still enjoy seeing bands, heck, still play music for now, but after 25 years of experience with something, it’s hard to get that new/holy feeling happening. But that can happen with lots of exposure to anything, and I sure am glad I got to see all the stuff I did in the 80s and 90s (and Village People in the late 70s, I kid you not, first concert, I think I was 12. It left an impression, heh heh.)
After the show, hanging out with Dave and a couple of his friends, we go to chat with Mark Arm at the bar. Very nice fellow, got to talk fuzz pedals for a little bit (he now uses some cheap 90s Ibanez fuzz, Steve still uses a Big Muff), the band, etc. This was not their “last tour” as some have said, but just that they can’t tour much except in short spurts (they flew out to NYC for four shows, then flew back.) While Mark works at Subpop and can tour whenever he wants, Dan the drummer is a stay-home dad, so they can’t do real tours anymore. They have a two week stint coming up next year, and first thought of Australia, but due to logistics of long travel and fewer shows there, they are doing either Europe or the US (I forget which.) Mark was sort of bummed, as he wanted to go back to Australia (they have not been their in a while.)
Filed under: music, rock, travel | Tags: Bobby Conn, Califone, Germany, music, Wolfmother
From an email sent to a good friend from the WONDERFUL city of Berlin (no sarcasm there, I enjoyed my time there very much, and will return…) Saw Wolfmother tonight. Har har…I have a like/not always like relationship with that band, but they did rock (but other bands do the 70s rock thing better), the Germans loved them. Germans make for GREAT rock audiences. Califone played to a pretty full (for the club) audience, maybe 75 to 100 people, and they were loved and cheered on for an encore (and favorite songs acknowledged.) Wolfmother (or as I jokingingly have been saying in my head with a German accent VULF MOOTER!) played to a few thousand people who were super enthusiastic. Ya know how in NYC at some bigger shows the singer trys to get the audience going with handclaps, and maybe a third the crowd does it for 15 seconds or so (have to admit I am one of the lazy ones!) Well, at this show the crowd started it numerous times, everybody into it. They love rock in Berlin (well, techno, dub, etc, too, and some punks around as well.) What was interesting was the crowd. In NYC at a show like this, the majority of the audience would be well under 30. But at this show I would say a third of the crowd was 30 or over, and I kid you not that besides numerous folks in my age range (late 30s to early 40), I saw at least a couple people who had to be 50 ! It was not like one of those shows were I look around and all I see are early 20 somethings and I start to feel older. It seems like there are more people here who stay seriously into music (or at least going out) as they get older. Nice. At Califone, saw one German couple who were somewhere in that end of 40 or beginning of 50 bracket, and they were the most excited and loudest people at the show in regard to their cheering. Interesting.Bobby Conn rules! I had a great time seeing them in Philadelphia at lil ol Kyber Pass a few years ago. They rocked. Like Queen.
S.I.C.K….or is it awesome? Or is it just “wrong”? Or is it just
challenging our “sacred beliefs”? Or do I not know what the fuck I’m
talking about? (I think I’ll go with that one.)
Yeah, that fucking VW ad with Nick Drake. Also add to that Nike using
Stooges “Search and Destroy” a few years ago. But I guess Iggy’s bank
account was a little better after that (if he owns publishing of Stooges
music.)
It’s lonely being a Zappa fan. I would say that 9 out of ten music lovers I
know can’t deal with his stuff at all, my friends (save one or two) hate
him. A high-end audio designer I knew (now deceased) used Zappa’s symphonic
lps to drive people out of the room at high-end audio shows when it was time
to shut things down for the night.
