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Give It To The Soft Boys and Brenda's Iron Sledge were two songs that I never imagined I would be hearing last night at The Iron Horse. But there I was hearing them.
What a great jangly concert Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 gave. I got there early, really early, to wait in line. I've never done that before but I was right in the area (the day job is only a block away) and I had nothing else to do so I figured I'd just wait. I was second in line.
Waiting wasn't bad, it was cold and windy but I met some new people in line and Ken joined me and lots of friends and aquaintences came by and chatted for a bit. I was leaning on the window of the club, the only thing between me and the soundcheck was a window plastered with posters for upcoming shows. Suddenly the posters started moving and the Iron Horse's own Jim Neil was peering out at me. He was replacing all the flyers and for a moment they were all off the window and I could see into this oh so familiar room. This back-stage area where I had soundchecked so many times before. And then Peter Buck came around the corner and stared out the window at me.
Later on that night, Ken mentioned that at some point during the show it suddenly occurred to him that the three men standing on the stage were the same three men that were his original introduction into college (alternative) rock. Scott McCaughey from The Young Fresh Fellows, Robyn Hitchcock, and Peter Buck from R.E.M. were all standing there playing. Crazy.
I'm not one for adulation or being star-struck, but at the same time it is always a surreal experience to see people in real life who generally only exist in a much more abstract way.
The show itself was really great. They did an excellent selection of songs, some old some new, some expected, some unexpected. When someone has a discography as huge as Hitchcock's it must be difficult to choose a set list. There were probably another 50 I could think of that I would have liked to have heard. Not that I wanted the show to go on any longer than it did.
The Iron Horse isn't exactly comfortable especially when your head is woozy and sea-sick, your table keeps wabbling and shifting, and the table in front of you is disturbingling and oderously covered in vomit. Really, it's a testament to the music that we were all able to remain where we were.
Three cheers to the 3 and to Robyn. It was a packed-full house, the music was the perfect volume and the songs sparkled. It Made me want to play shows and record albums.
1 comment:
Yeah, agreed. Awesome show. At a couple points I could imagine that they were just a really great local band--guys in their 40's/50's having a good time. And Peter Buck signing autographs after--way cool. I wanted to say "dude, Dec 6, my birthday too, yeah!". But I didn't. Because.
I wondered about a couple of the oldies, like Brenda's Iron Sledge and Madonna of the Wasps, if they meant to do them so slow or if that's the age talkin'.
I kind of wished for Brenda to have a little more new wave kick.
Then again, they were all there the first time around. They need not prove anything. When I click off songs at amphetafast speeds, I suppose I'm reliving the 1980 I never lived.
Seeing Buck with the Rickenbacker, jangling away...priceless.
Missing the guy puking because I was chatting with MM..also priceless.
Having no sense of smell came in handy afterwards.
Rest assured, I saw it the second time. Poor dude.
A man's gotta know his limitations.
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