Freedom of Choice

Did I ever tell you about the time I went to the circus, but instead of a bunch of clowns and animals there were some old 80’s bands playing? Probably not, as it just happened last Saturday…

Okay, it wasn’t really the circus – it was the CityLights Pavilion. For those of you not in the know, the CityLights Pavilion is a big tent they set up in the parking lot of the Pepsi Center during the summer for concerts. (The li’l woman thinks it looks like it was made out of leftover material from the terminals at the airport – I’d hafta agree.) So you’re outdoors, but not really because you’re under a big tent - this was a good thing on Saturday, as it had been raining off and on all day. Otherwise, its pretty much your typical corporate venue – overpriced tickets, expensive parking, and you need to take out a bank loan if you’re going to have anything to drink. Well, that might be an exaggeration, but plastic (!) bottles of beer were $6.25 each. But there’s something about those plastic bottles…mainly, that something is that they kind of suck. Oh well, when in Rome you do as the Romans do, right? (This is where I’m tempted to quote the late, great Clinton C. Collins - “I don’t know about some of them Romans…”)

Speaking of being in Rome and whatnot, the first act of the evening was When in Rome. Certainly you all remember them, and their big hit The Promise. Actually, if you remember them you’re in the minority. That song was recently re-popularized when it was used in the movie Napoleon Dynamite, so I guess we have that film to blame for these bozos thinking that there was some sort of demand for them to reform. I didn’t know of their other songs, and apparently there were pushing a new album, but I can honestly say that they were one of the cheesiest acts I’ve seen in years. They had a conga player, two keyboardists, and a singer with just about the worst dance moves ever. It was the 80’s all over again, and definitely not in any sort of positive sense. We sat at one of the picnic tables at the rear of the venue, I sipped at my plastic bottle of beer, and we laughed harder than we have in some time.

After my sides stopped hurting, we found out seats in time to catch the Psychedelic Furs. I’ve seen the Furs several times over the years since the first time in ‘84, and they’ve always been a good live act (with the notable exception of the show I saw in ’87 at Red Rocks, blech). Their set on Saturday was short, and they stuck with the usual hits and fan favorites – Pretty in Pink, Heartbreak Beat, The Ghost in You, Love My Way, Sister Europe, Into You Like a Train, Heaven, and the awesomely weird Dumb Waiters. Vocalist Richard Butler sounded great (few vocalists have such a distinctive voice), and was as cool as ever. Playing along for a few numbers was saxophonist Mars Williams (who played with the Waitresses back in the day), adding some great noise to the proceedings. I would’ve liked to have seen them play another 10 or 15 minutes (Mr. Jones or President Gas would’ve been nice additions to the set), but I enjoyed the Furs’ too short performance thoroughly.

Next up were the reason most everybody was there – Devo! Truth be told, the set was pretty much the same one they played when I saw them last year. That said, it was a blast and it was fun to see the diehards freaking out. Lots of energy domes in the crowd, and quite a few people with their kids. I decided that I was going to get my money’s worth, and jumped around like an idiot for the entire show. Ouch, I’m still sore. And no, I didn’t buy an energy dome this time…I bought an action figure.

Big corporate concerts like this are always very weird to me. I found this one more enjoyable than most. I’m not sure exactly why, but it was. What was strange about this particular show was that it was part of a short package tour sponsored by a tequila company. They didn’t really bother to advertise it either – I saw one small print ad in the local arts weekly, and that was it. When I mentioned that Devo was coming to town to friends, not a single one of them had heard anything about it. Consequently, the turnout was small – this might’ve been why I enjoyed it so much, it was mostly Devo fans instead of the typical crowd of yahoos you usually see at big concerts. Which was fine with me, hopefully the bands got a guarantee from the tequila company. If they didn’t, they should’ve – there was a big video screen behind the stage showing ads for tequila during the first two acts (apparently, Devo had enough clout to show their own films during their set). When in Rome kept pimping the tequila onstage, but nobody else even mentioned it. Besides, who wants tequila when you can have a plastic bottle of Budweiser? (Or its distinguished colleague Budweiser Select – I challenge anyone to prove that there is a difference between the two.)

Looking at my recent posts, I’ve come to the realization that my life is getting to be like the film Groundhog Day. Once again, I went to see Devo. In my last post, I mentioned seeing The Futureheads again. And how many times have I seen The Briefs since I started doing this? Oh well, I’ll enjoy it while I can – things will be different when the baby gets here in early February.

Seven & Seven Is

Wow, it’s once again been a long time between posts. Not that I’ve been doing anything different lately…

The Buzzcocks – Any chance to see these Manchester punk pioneers is always a cause for celebration. This show at the Bluebird offered few surprises, with the exception of a new drummer who looks like he’s about 15 years old, but it was still a blast. What was interesting this time was that the first 20 or so minutes was exclusively material from their (pretty great) new album Flat Pack Philosophy. Afterwards, it was another hour or so of their classics. I was particularly thrilled to hear them play Sixteen, and my buddy JT and I declared I Don’t Know What To Do With My Life as our personal theme song. What I have noticed, however, is that they really don’t vary their tempo much in the live setting anymore. I think they’ve found a fast speed to play at that keeps the audience excited, and they keep things at this pace for the entire show. I’d like to see them slow it down for a number or two (one of my favorite memories of a Buzzcocks show was seeing Steve Diggle go into an impromptu Love Is Lies when Pete Shelley was having equipment issues), but its hard not to get swept up in the excitement watching Diggle jump around like a man half (a third?) his age. And that silly grin Shelley gives Diggle when they look at each other with an expression that says “can you believe we’re still doing this?” Priceless! (As the band left the stage, my friend Pam grabbed Steve Diggle and gave him a kiss. I think she should do this at every show – a lot more bands would want to come to Denver if she did!)

Immaculate Machine – This is a Canadian pop group with strong vocal harmonies, but with material that is a bit downbeat and quirky. I had seen them once before, warming up for the New Pornographers. (The leader of this group was pulling double duty that night, as she is also a member of the New Pornographers, providing keyboards and vocals. Apparently, she’s Carl Newman’s niece. She’s also really cute, in that “shy-indie-rock-geek-girl” sort of way.) I enjoyed them pretty well, and I’d be interested in checking out one of their CD’s. I’d definitely catch them live again. Warming up that night were my local faves the Breezy Porticos (special thanks to my buddy Andy for putting me on the “pest list”), and Cowboy Curse.

The Futureheads – Another good performance from this “angular” Sunderland group. They hit their new album News and Tributes heavily – a pretty good release, if not as immediately arresting as their debut. What was funny was that towards the end of their set, I found myself thinking “damn, they haven’t played Robot yet.” Just then, a bunch of people started screaming for that exact tune. This continued for the rest of the show: the band would play a song, the crowd would applaud, and then a bunch of people would start screaming “Robot!” The band would give each other funny looks, and then stick with whatever was next on the set list. Sadly, the never did play that one – hey guys, before you come back to Denver, please make sure you rehearse Robot. Your public demands it! Warming up were Tapes n’ Tapes, who I guess are the latest MySpace/Pitchfork/hipster sensation. They were pretty good, but I wasn’t blown away or anything. I think a lot of people were there just to see them.

X and The Rollins Band – I got a freebie for this one, so you can’t beat that. I got there early, claimed my comp from will call, and went into the Ogden eager to catch openers The Riverboat Gamblers. I had heard good things about them, so I was excited when they hit the stage and…waitaminnit, they look just like local Social Distortion wannabes Reno Divorce! Oh crap… I guess the Gamblers had van trouble and missed some shows on the tour. As I was already in the Ogden, and they don’t allow readmission, that meant I was stuck catching all of The Rollins Band. Unlike a lot of people I know, I really don’t have a problem with Henry Rollins – I liked him in Black Flag, he’s a great spoken work performer, Get In the Van was a cool book, and he’s put out some great CD’s by other artists (whatever happened to his Infinite Zero label?). And you can’t fault the man’s dedication to live performance - he’s just as intense as he ever was. Plus, the musicians in his band really are good. It’s just a shame that the music is so…well...god-freakin’-awful! A lot of people were really into it, so I guess it’s just not my thing. Finally, after what felt like a 3 hour set by Hank and his crew, X hit the stage. They’ve been doing these reunion tours for about 10 years now, and let’s be totally honest – it’s strictly a nostalgia trip. That said, it must also be said that the band delivers an excellent show. John Doe still has the smoothest voice in punk, Exene is always aloof and snotty (and drunk?), DJ can still drum like a maniac, and Billy Zoom is far and away the coolest guitar playing, smiling, and winking statue you’ll ever see. They stuck with material from their first four (amazing!) albums, with little room to breath in between numbers. A lot of old people (and even a few young ones) jumped around like idiots, while people who were there to see the Rollins Band scratched their heads and tried to figure out what was going on. A terrific night, it may have been the best X show I’ve ever seen. And boy was I sore the next day! Maybe I’m getting too old to pogo. Nah, that can’t be it…

Gary Numan – I decided to make the trip up to Boulder last Thursday for this one. I like a few of his old albums from the late 70’s and early 80’s, and when he played his older material the show was really enjoyable. Down in the Park sounded great, as did Are 'Friends' Electric? and Cars (needless to say, his encore). I would’ve loved to have heard a few tunes off of the first Tubeway Army album, but that didn’t happen. He played a lot of new material, which sounds a lot like Nine Inch Nails (or, as the kids like to call them, NIN). Unfortunately, I effin’ hate NIN. Still, he did put on a good show, and I heard many people comment afterwards that it was one of the best shows they’d ever seen. I guess it just didn’t all work for me.

RIP Arthur Lee of Love - I’m always sad when someone passes away who I’m a fan of, but this one hit me harder than most. I had seen him perform twice in recent years, and he was amazing both times. The man was born to be on a stage, and the way he carried himself kept his audience in absolute awe. If you’ve never heard his band Love, do yourself a favor and check out their first three albums – Love, Da Capo, and (especially) Forever Changes. The first two are great, the latter is absolutely stunning. I’d rate You Set the Scene, from Forever Changes, as one of the best album closing tracks ever. He’ll be missed.

Hey - I'm all caught up!