Monday, July 31. 2006
 Peaches
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
http://www.peachesrocks.com/
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Emo's (Austin, Texas)
Also: Deadboy and the Elephantmen, The Ugly Beats
Peaches Tour Schedule
Peaches Concert Photo Gallery
For someone who has spent an inordinate amount of time of late reviewing testosterone-driven metal shows, the estrogen level at this show was thick and obvious, almost a visible fog settling above the audience as they awaited the arrival of the much buzzworthy artist Peaches to burst forth onstage. It didn't help that the temperatures in the sold out crowd were still in the 100s when she hit the floor a little after 11, nor were the presence of many " bearded ladies" in the audience any boost to the testosterone level. This was most obviously girls night out and I was packin' the wrong equipment. Nothing more frightening (and disorienting) to your average card-carrying hetero male than an audience full of socially (and sexually) empowered women.
 Luckily, at least I was packin' the right photographic equipment. I had a new f/1.4 lense I was dying to try out and Emos is a great little venue to dial stuff like that in, though not necessarily during a sold out show like this one. By the time Peaches made it out it had become a fight to maintain any location near the stage, with fans literally crawling on the floor in hopes of "popping up" closer in. Still I was able to remain close enough to the stage for 2 of my 3 photo songs before being forced back by the throngs.
Many fans were surprised to find out that the Peaches show had sold out, unfortunately most of those same surprised fans expected to be able to pick up tickets at the door. They were of course disappointed, but have only themselves to blame as no one could expect to get in show night at a small club with an artist who has this much "buzz."
 Boy, did they miss out too. Peaches put on a 90 minute set that just blazed and those who made it in just ate up the experience. Peaches' music has been described as "Electroclash" which wikipedia defines as "a style of fashion, music, and attitude that fuses new wave, punk, and electronic dance music with somewhat campy and absurdist post-industrial detachment in addition to vampy and/or camp sexuality." That description is spot-on from what I experienced. Peaches blends dance, hip/hop, and punk with a purposely shocking amount of sexual content (to the un-initiated) and a smattering of politics (her latest disc is titled "Impeach My Bush") guaranteed to turn conservative moral majority members a whiter shade of pale.
Me, I'm a bit tougher to shock. I mean saying the word "fuck" onstage hasn't caused outrage in this town since Phil Tolstead of The Huns got arrested onstage at Rauls in 1978 for supposedly uttering it, earning Austin its first chops as being the Texas punk mecca. In fact the truth is much better than the legend and could itself be a Peaches story, and my god it's 2006 and even Willy is singing about gay cowboys. It's just tough to be truly shocking anymore.
Peaches stripping out of the gold lame down to a bikini with the assistance of a roadie or two during "Two Guys (For Every Girl)" was an interesting touch but I wouldn't want to crowd surf that way. This was a fun show that crossed many genres and genders and anyone who can handle the overt and graphic sexuality of the music and the musician will enjoy themselves.
 Stepping up to second bill and filling the shoes of the missing in action openers, the Eagles of Death Metal, Deadboy and the Elephantmen from Houma, Louisiana filled in well. After appearing at SXSW and being the first music act on Henry Rollins IFC show that has now featured such artists as Slayer, The New York Dolls and Thom Yorke of Radiohead, they are poised to be something big. A good portion of the crowd had come just for them and they have a substantial street buzz of their own.
I got a chance to chat with Dax Riggs between sets and he said he really enjoyed doing Henry's show and appreciated his support, and that they really liked doing shows in Austin. Based in Louisiana, Dax formed Deadboy after his metal band Acid Bath split up in 1997. His music with Deadboy is best described as kind of a southern flavored White Stripes with a spicy cajun edge. He has an original sound that is stripped lean raw and expressive. I look forward to reviewing his disc and will definitely put them on my list for the next tour.
Rounding out the nite were show openers The Ugly Beats, a local Austin band. Go-go boots, tambourines. They had a poppy, punky 60s feel and were well suited to the other acts musically, complementing their sounds, rather than clashing.
Once again thanks go out to the Emo's crew and to Peaches and her tour manager for hooking me up with a photo pass.
I will try to catch one more show before I head out to the National Reptile Breeders Expo in August to hand out club kingsnake T-Shirts, if not my next review will probably be the "As the World Burns" tour featuring X and The Rollins Band at Stubbs on August 30. I am still trying to get a photo pass for that show, so cross your fingers.
Technorati Tags:
Peaches, Austin, Deadboy and the Elephantmen, Emo's
Tuesday, July 25. 2006
 Ozz Fest (Second Stage)
http://www.ozzfest.com/
Saturday July 22, 2006
(Apple Valley, Wi)
Ozz Fest Tour Schedule
Tattoos and body piercing, chronic candy, painted breasts (no free photos people), choppers, free cigarettes and condoms, $6 water. This is Ozz Fest.
Make sure when attending to leave enough time (and money) to play in the Village of the Damned. Lots of fun stuff to do. Tattoos for the true hard core folks and body painting for the kiddies (or the exhibitionists). I totally loved the free condoms. Safe sex is a good thing and Trojan was there supporting the cause. One thing to take a little extra time (and leave a few bucks behind) to check out the Dimebag tribute. For those who haven't figured it out yet, I am still a huge Dime Mark. " A Guitar Art Tribute to Dimebag Darrell Abbott" was AMAZING. Paul Booth designed the sickest guitar I have ever seen. Truly amazing. Charlie Benante's was totally Dime and James Hetfield's was cheesy, but very cool.
My brain is still waking up. It is 8:30 AM and well it doesn't work well that early. I must say as well at the start that this show ran on a strict schedule and boy did they manage to not only stick to it, but gain speed as it went.
Second Stage, the proving grounds. The place where bands play for free to earn a chance to be the next big thing. The judges are harsher than Simon Cowell on a bad hair day. The judges will actually propel these bands to fame, or force them to be lost in the mix. One peice of advice from this judge, talk to the audience. No matter how cool it is to growl your intros, song titles, names, etc, it is much easier for someone to remember the spoken rather than the growled word.
BTW, while you see some pictures here, check the photo gallery for the full set.
We missed "seeing" The Red Chord and Strapping Young Lad. Both bands sounded pretty spiff from where we were, however due to the early hour and a slight delay with the arrival of our tix we didn't make it in at the start. The smaller acts played for approximately 20 minutes. While I didn't catch all the song titles, I have a few, most of which you can hear samples on their websites. Many of these bands were new to me, so this was a great place to sample and choose. 
Finally got in to see what was happening in the middle of Between The Buried And Me. Heard two of their songs. There was some nice switching between the melodic and the guttural growls in the vocals. No song titles folks. That's what happens when you come late to the party.
 Before I get into the next band, I just want to say that girls just fucking RULE! This next band proves it. Most of the bands were new to me and this was one of them. However I fully intend on catching up with this band. The band's name is Walls of Jericho and the girl's name is Candace Kucsulain and she rocks! In line for the first of my many $6 waters, I heard the band intro and then I heard the voice. I turned around and there was a little pixie of a girl RIPPING out of the gutter hard core demon voices. For years we heard us girls couldn't be hard core. We couldn't really LIKE the music. We just liked the guys (I always said it was an added benefit). She proves we are the music. 
"Through the Eyes of a Dreamer" rocked. They closed with "A Little Piece of Me". Both songs are off their 2004 release All Hail the Dead. They have a new album out August 22 called With Devils Among Us, so expect a review.
 The band that almost wasn't there, Full Blown Chaos, had a recent accident with their RV. It was totaled along with their trailer but with folks on the tour offering space to the band they have the chance to continue. Live Ray Mazzola, the singer, seemed to do the cookie monster growling, however he sounds much cleaner on recordings. Could be the road, the stress and all that shit. The double bass with this band is heavier than all hell. The song "Solemn Promise" is a touching tribute to Ray's mother and her struggles with cancer for the past ten years. Very heartfelt and dedicated to all those who have had struggles that try to bring them down. They closed with "Wake the Demons." Their new album titled Within The Grasp of Titans was just released on July 11. Check out some of their teasers on their My Space page. "Solemn Promise" is one of the teasers.
 Bad Acid Trip describes themselves as "Energetic Bursts of Psychopathic Energy." They look like an old school straight edge band. Listening to them, I got the feel of definite Primus influences. A little bit funky, and whole lotta hardcore. Kinda like a carnival ride straight to hell. If you are getting the feeling that this was my new big find of the day you are very right. This is the kind of band I paid big money to find at Metal Fests back in the day.
 A high energy band on stage, the props have got to go to vocalist Dirk Rogers for the most laughs earned. A true smart ass and someone who laughs his way through life (or so it seems) he holds the honor for the BEST quote of the day. You can be straight edge, but you can still smile. I'm still not sure this is the song title, but hell, its how he introduced the song. He dedicated it to all the posers out there and it was called "Please Don't Hurt Me." They also played a new song called "Black Metal."
to be continued...
 Alice in Chains
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
http://www.aliceinchains.net/
Saturday June10, 2006
Download Festival (Donington Park, UK)
Alice in Chains Tour Schedule
Excitement was mounting! The on-stage changeover between Arch Enemy and Alice In Chains seemed to take forever. We waited with bated breath for the second time that day. The World Cup and England's first game in the tournament against Paraguay was about to kick off, at literally the same time as AIC. We hoped desperately that this wouldn't scare the band off in any way. It couldn't, we'd all waited for so long for this precious moment.
With only a 40-minute set, they knew they'd have to blow our minds, keep us distracted from the footie on the screens. I felt like a teenager again, never mind the other 70-odd thousand people there. I pushed myself as far forward to the front of stage as was humanly possible. Camera in one hand in hope of a glimpse of one of my heroes - Jerry Cantrell - and in the other my sister's hand, dragging her happily through the sweaty lager spilt crowd. Boiling hot sun on our heads and dust billowing around the field, did it matter? Nah mate, even my allergies wouldn't hold me back for this one.
And on they walked, the cheer was deafening. The first note was hit and I knew immediately it was “Man in a box.� I squinted around me quickly on my tiptoes, there were excited smiling faces all around. AIC had done it, they'd caught our attention and we weren't ever going to look away. They played their way through eight hit singles and our gaze never broke away from theirs. “We Die Young� came next and I knew everyone was thinking about Layne, RIP brother.
 I felt like I'd written the set list, this is what I wanted to hear. During “Them Bones,� I caught my mate's eyes for a moment, Marek, he looked mesmerized, he threw me back a knowing look. Yes, this is what he'd asked for too.
Jerry and Mike Inez were all over the stage like a cheap suit, and William found himself in the midst of the crowd, singing to them with his beautiful voice. I tried desperately to grab some shots of the band, difficult when there are thousands of heads in the way and metal hands in the air. I could hear Naz, my sister's voice, at least she was in tune unlike the couple behind me. “Down in a hole� I heard her chorus. This is just too good to be true, “What amazing musicians,� I kept repeating to anyone who cared to listen.
I could have cried when they finished with “Would?�. Those metallers’ voices must have carried for miles, free for all karaoke. Wonderful! My heart belongs to AIC once again. Come back to the UK soon boys, we'll miss ya.
Set list:
Man In The Box
We Die Young
Them Bones
Down In A Hole
Again
No Excuses
Rooster
Would?
Monday, July 24. 2006
 Kate Rusby
http://www.katerusby.com/
Sunday July 2, 2006
Alban Arena(St Albans, UK)
Kate Rusby Tour Schedule
“My stern gland needs greasing!� I said as Vic sat down next to us. Her eyes rolled as she realized that she would need to explain the remark to the rest of our clueless group.
“It’s his boat!� she said. “He needs some work done on his boat.�
Vic’s fella Andy used to work in a boatyard and was the ideal person to sort out my stern gland issues. I was hoping he would be at the party too but apparently he was away on tour.
“Who with?� I asked.
“Kate Rusby,� she replied, waiting for me to admit that I had never heard of her.
“Never heard of her,� I said.
“Folk music mate, not your thing,� she scolded.
“Hey, I have an eclectic musical taste I’ll have you know!� I retorted.
“Turin Brakes and a Mozart box set do not make an eclectic musical taste,� said Vic.
She had a point.
As it turned out Kate Rusby would be appearing on my doorstep at the end of that very week, at The Alban Arena in St Albans. After a couple of phone calls back and forth the deal was sealed. Not only would Andy come to my aid on the boat, but I could go to the gig with him that evening. It would be rude not to do a review at the same time.
Typing her name into Google I was feeling lucky, and it took me directly to the Kate Rusby website.
Kate was pretty without a doubt, and not at all like the cider soaked folk singer I had expected. She’d been around for a while too, having several albums and a live DVD available on the site along with a string of awards and accolades. I listened to a couple of streamed song snatches and checked out her biography. Hailing from Barnsley in the North of England, I was sure she was going to sound like something from Rita, Sue and Bob Too.
That Sunday, with my stern gland freshly greased, we set of to the venue. Kate was already there when we arrived. Sitting eating a biscuit in the dressing room, she was shorter than I had imagined.
“Are you that boat boy Andy went to see?� she asked as Andy and I walked in, rolling a strong but incredibly smooth northern English accent.
“Yeah I am; you must be Kate, thanks for the pass.� I replied.
“No problem.� she smiled and pointed at the teapot. “Grab a cuppa.�
Soon it was time for sound-check. I tagged along and sat in the wings. I dunno why, but I had no idea that Andy would actually be a performer. (All of my other mates in the industry are techs or sound engineers or lampies, and I’d assumed Andy would be the same.) As he stood there with his button accordion I began to get a feeling of where the night was headed. This was real folk music, all but the beards and real ale. I stayed to hear Andy’s squeezebox sound-check and then followed him back to help drink the rider.
As showtime approached I chatted with the band through the underground rabbit warren of corridors leading to the stage and auditorium. As I approached the stage I was collared by the tour manager. “I’ll get you a seat in the auditorium,� he said as I realized I had probably overstayed my welcome, what with just minutes to go before the show opened.
The auditorium was full for a sold out show so as the first song was almost done I pulled up a seat in the aisle next to a pillar.
Continue reading "Concert Review: Kate Rusby, St. Albans, UK"
Wednesday, July 19. 2006
 Rancid
Hometown: Berkeley, California
http://www.rancidrancid.com/
Friday, July 10, 2006
Emo's (Austin, Texas)
Also: Street Dogs, Complete Control
Rancid Tour Schedule
Rancid Concert Photo Gallery
In the documentary film Punk: Attitude, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders states that "punk" only lasted 100 days back in the 70s. If that in fact is the case, no one bothered to tell the band Rancid, currently ripping through a 100+ show cross country tour over the summer and fall, including a two-day gig at Austin's Emo's. That's a lot of days crammed into a tiny tour bus. Lotta bad food, hotels. That's pretty old school punk, if you ask me.
This show was in Emo's open air stage area, half of which is covered, but the open air didn't mean cool refreshing breeze, Austin's neverending heat wave roiling all. This was purely a punk show, by definition. There was no mosh pit. The whole audience was the pit. Loud, fast, long, this was a great old fashioned get in there grind 'em up and sweatfest.
 Rancid played for more almost two hours, covering a number of songs from their catalog (they say they are picking from 150 songs each night and each set is different), including a number of acoustic songs towards the end of the set. I kept pushing into the crowd taking a few pictures, then getting slowly pushed back, then trying to work my way up again. Luckily everyone who saw me with my camera kind of helped out, but I always seemed to end up behind the same tall guy.
 Unfortunately in all that slamming and crowd surfing I wasn't really able to keep track of the set list (I was too busy trying to duck the steel-toed boots), but Rancid seemed to play forever, stopping only to save a fan from being crushed and again later to gear up for the acoustic set. They wandered all over their music catalog, covering most of their charted songs as well as a number of crowd favorites. They did cover most of their songs from " ...And Out Come The Wolves." Tim and Lars were defintely the real energy focus coming from the stage, but Matt and Brett slogged away in the heat, not missing a beat.
This is a great band to see live if you want to go see a punk show in a small venue, but be prepared for the crowd. It's not often you get to see such a big name band playing small clubs. If you get a chance to see Rancid, this would be the tour to do it.
Unfortunately I didn't make it into the show in time to catch either opening act. Thanks to Bill at Emo's, Rancid's tour manager, and Rancid for hooking me up with the photo pass.
 I liked festivals, when I was 25. Spending a long weekend wasted was cool back then but nowadays the recovery period is far too elongated. The only time I’ll go to festivals now is if I’m working and so that’s how I ended up at T–in the Park in Scotland.
A mate of mine has a stall selling festival hats and t-shirts etc and needed me along to drive and look after the stall.
“Who’s playing,� he said.
“Yeah, I was gonna ask you who was playing.�
�No, Who’s playing!� he said.
“I dunno, I was asking you!� I replied.
“Forget it!� he said.
After spending 11 hours driving up there, three days setting up the stall and two days dragging pissed up Scots back onto the stall to pay for their “goods,� I was knackered. However, I was looking forward to the last act of the last day and had booked the time off. Bring on the Who!
I regrettably missed the Chillies, Arctic Monkeys and the Zutons, all of whom bust out great sets which could be heard from our pitch between the two main stages. In retrospect, I wish I had got down there. The Who however are one of those bands you have to say you have seen, it’s like “Yeah, I’ve seen Buckingham Palace, I’ve seen England play at Wembley and I’ve seen the Who.� Job done.
By the time I got there the main stage was packed. I tried to make my way a bit closer, but even the back of the crowd was packed out with certainly the biggest crowd of the whole festival. The TV footage apparently showed members of all of the other bands who had stayed back to see the Who. These guys are truly legends, especially the dead ones.
It soon became clear why I don’t like watching bands at festivals or indeed stadium rock.
I had “pissed up twat falling all over me.�
I had “cigarette burn to the back of my neck� from dick head behind me.
“Vomiting fuckwit� was fun too, as was “Oi! You’re in my way I can’t see.�
THERE’S 35,000 PEOPLE HERE AND YOU’RE 5 FOOT 2. OF COURSE YOU CAN’T SEE! PISS OFF!
However, the highlight was the bottle of warm amber liquid that landed on the lass next to me. Thankfully I only suffered minor splash-age.
Oh, yeah, sorry. The Who were playing, weren’t they. I was up for a great time, I really was. “Can’t Explain� started the set well and got people moving slightly. By the time “Won’t Get Fooled Again� was underway I was screaming at the top of my voice and caught myself doing that “fist in the air� stadium rock thing. What was I doing???!!!! Any attempts to dance were met with a disapproving look from those next to me in the crowd. They were gonna hate it when I started to spin my air guitar arm Townsend-style! Liven up for fuck sake!
After that things went downhill. Yeah, they banged out the classics – “Who Are You?�, “Pinball Wizard,� “Substitute,� and “My Generation� all got air-time and were ace live. These guys are good! Even the replacements such as Townsend’s son Simon seemed to gel seamlessly. The performances, though, were slightly diluted by how they dragged out each decent song with a 15 minute reprise. Sorry, but this just leaves me standing.
While the guy in front of me jumped up and down with his rucksack clocking me under the chin I felt it was time for me to leave. Yeah, The Who are damn good, I don’t think that they were the reason I was left frustrated. I just don’t think I’m made for this festival/stadium rock thing. Like it says in my profile, if there are 35,000 people there then it’s probably not gonna blow my skirt up. I think I would have enjoyed this gig more from the back, dancing on my own like a loon. The songs built me up but there was no vent, no chance to let loose. Gimme a small venue any day. At least you don’t get pissed up Scottish chav women squatting down next to you to take a piss. Please!
Monday, July 10. 2006
Slayer
Hometown: Huntingon Park, CA
Friday July 7, 2006
The Rave Ballroom
also: Thine Eyes Bleed, Children Of Bodom, Mastodon, Lamb Of God
Unholy Alliance Tour
 Maybe I should start the story at the beginning. The Rave NEVER sells out. EVER. Period. They just keep packing in bodies until no one can move. Seen it a MILLION times. To avoid massive ticketmaster charges we always get our tickets at the box office the day before. Well, the day before, the truck was in the shop, the first shift girl called in sick at the job that pays the bills, and I was running around like a chicken with her head cut off. Never made it. Email Thursday night tells me that I not only did not win the Slayer guitar in The Rave's contest, but our plans for celebrating our third wedding anniversary with Slayer (for those who do not know, slayer lyrics were written in our vows, "Dead Skin Mask") had died. A couple of depressed emails went out to folks. Friday morning. First shift girl called in sick, full time needs me. Working part time, in a bad mood, rescheduled tattoo appointments, shitty day. But get home from work, see an email. A darling friend told me to hang tight. 5 PM hope is lost and then there is a phone call. "There are tix waiting at the box office will call window in your name." The shining light in a day shot to hell. I did underestimate the power of SLAYER. I was wrong and after 20 years of listening to them, I should have known that the show would have sold out. I'm just glad I have friends.
We were late. Naturally, with getting the tix at 5 no way to be on time. Not when a girl is involved. Gotta get the war face on. So I am vain. Deal.
First off, The Rave Ballroom sucks for sound. If you have never been there, you would think the band was off. Milwaukee crowds are great, but the sound sucks. We all know this, we accept it. The Ballroom was actually at one point a gym. Basketball games were played there. It's big and open with huge high ceilings and open alcoves. Sound sucks. A dixie cup of water is $3 and a dixie cup of beer is $6.
Mastodon was just finishing up their last song as we walked in. I'm just getting into Children of Bodom and the Rave was NOT the place to get further in. From their CDs I love them, but the Rave is just plain bad to get introduced to new bands. Had we gone downstairs to the Rave itself (the old presidents' room for you Milwaukee old fogies like me) it would have sounded better. You just can't see anything.
Lamb of God is a band that I have been into for a little while. They played a 30-40 minute set. And hell they had a midget on stage, that earns extra points! They are a nice show to watch. Very high energy. They played a decent selection of songs from their catalog. No I can't remember what they played. The last thing I thought of was my notebook when I was walking out the door. Some we can remember: "Now You've Got Something to Die For," "Laid To Rest," "Hourglass," and "As the Palaces Burn." One thing I have to say: LOG had the single best pit going at the Rave that I can remember. The pit was an old skool circle mosh. When a singer calls for an all floor circle mosh and the room listens, it is a beautiful thing. For those not there, imagine a basketball court sized mosh pit. It was lovely. Those on the sidelines watching it were all smiles. In the words of Nedley Mandico, it was hot.
Slayer is like heaven to my ears. While I can't remember the set list, I can remember most of the songs. Naturally they opened with "South Of Heaven" and closed with "Angel of Death." Songs played (not in this order): "Cult" (the new one), "Mandatory Suicide," "Dead Skin Mask," "Chemical Warfare," "God Hates Us All," "War Ensemble," "Raining Blood," "Blood Red," "Hell Awaits," and a shit load of others that I can't remember. I was disappointed not to hear 213 (being Milwaukee and all, they need to give us our props on good ole Jeffery). The show was great, Slayer may be getting older, but they move through the songs like butta. A smidge of a break that you barely notice. The inverted cross Marshall stack was pretty darn skippy and the laser show was noticed about half way. We were on the side of the stage so we missed most of the images on the big screen. I did however hear they are pretty disturbing at times. And contrary to what he said, it didn't seem like Tom was taking a break. Lastly it was great for me to see all four back together. If I remember correctly (and when trying to remember that is a BAD thing sometimes) I do not think Dave was with them last time. But I could be wrong.
Afterwards, with thanks to some friends, we got to see Kerry at the aftershow. It's been a long time since being back stage at the Rave. Memories of Dee Dee Ramone relieving himself in the stairwell, having a smoke with Dime, a beer with Chuck and Ice , and other good times came back. Sitting there, smelly and sweaty after the show, having a beer with Kerry was cool, but add to it talking snakes. Now that is good times. Mentioned I was going to have to write a review and damned if I was going to remember everything they played. Kerry told me just to say they were good. Well Mr. KFK, you are wrong. As always Slayer is just plain Fucking Insanity and a little Taste of Heaven on Earth. Slayer FUCKING RULES! See ya in Daytona Big Man! This was my at least my tenth time seeing them, and they never have disappointed me yet.
Now I am off to ice my old ass neck. While I skipped the pit because it is AWFULLY hard to explain a black eye as being a good time in an office situation, I didn't just sit there like a stump either. However I don't think the show was nearly loud enough because my ears aren't ringing. Or maybe that is early hearing loss setting in.
One last thing, Thank you K! You bailed me out girl! I owe ya!
Monday, July 3. 2006
 P!nk
June 27, 2006
The Fillmore (San Francisco, CA)
http://www.pinkspage.com/
I've tried to approach this like a good reviewer and write a balanced, objective, factual review of P!nk's concert at the Fillmore in San Francisco. But I can't, so I won't.
Why fight it? I'm just a fan and much of that is not just because I like her music ... because I do like it, but that's really all, I like it, I don't love it ... but because I like HER. I like her attitude, I like her brains, I like the way she tries to get the little girls to THINK, I like her sneer and her sass and I like the way she looks in a rock and roll can-can girl skirt and motorcycle boots, I just fucking like her.
Other than some minor sound mix problems and a few equipment glitches, the show was great. If you didn't like her when you went in, you'd probably love her when you left. She focused on her best-known and most popular songs, particularly those on her newest album I'm Not Dead ( review), including "Stupid Girls" and her new single, "Who Knew." She ripped through bouncing renditions of "Trouble," "Just Like a Pill," "18 Wheeler" and other stuff from her back catalogue.
She sang a shorter second set, in the guise of an encore, of some of her slower stuff, including the crowd-pleaser "Dear Mr. President."
She chatted with the crowd, which worked really well in a venue the size of the Fillmore. The sold-out crowd was only about 20 percent teenagers, although they made up most of the fans down in the front.
So I loved it. She's great. Sue me.
|
|
