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The three guys out of California took to the Webster Hall stage armed with those furious guitars and songs about being chased by the devil. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club know how to fill a room with that kick-ass rock sound that comes storming from 50s rockabilly, 60s garage rock and modern attitude and vices.
I'll always have a little soft spot for the Club, because my blog cards have the motto, "What Ever Happened To My Rock 'N' Roll?" It's the eternal question that music fans often ask when they are jaded by new music. So when I get into that mind stage, I look between Black Box Recorder and Black Star in my CD collection for the answer.
This being my second time around with Peter, Robert and Nick, I knew that the show will be atmospheric with guitar chords that stretch into infinity, drums that range from frantic to delicate, droning to forceful vocals and stage lighting that makes everything moody. The guy's stage persona is more laid back cool than in your face rock star. Peter had his hood up for a few songs in the humid, stuffy room. He looked like the grim reaper.
I also knew that the shows can test one's patience. Tonight, they played for two hours and 10 minutes, including a six song encore. When I saw them two years, I got a lot negative feedback for stating that same fact. I'm sorry, I'm a fan of the band, I have their CDs, I go to the shows, but please, 90 minutes tops. It's like those DVD extended cuts of movies where they pad the DVD with unnecessary scenes. I know the die-hard fans wouldn't mind 3 hours where they play every song they know, but a more focused setlist can make shows better sometimes.
They started off with the first track off Baby 81, "Took Out A Loan" and played generously from all their albums. For their encore, they added a new song that was very un-BRMC, a straight up giddy rockabilly tune. I had never heard such a sunny song from them. I'll find the setlist later, I accidentally deleted it from my camera while deleting photos. My bad.
While I was getting antsy at the 1:45 mark, a few things perked up my interest. They played "Spread Your Love" by request. Always nice. A girl jumped on stage and proceeded to dance without being tackled by security. She just got off when she was out of dance moves I guess. Then Peter jumped into the crowd with guitar in hand to feel the love around him. He then left his guitar with the crowd and walked off stage. I would have ran for the exit if I was handed a guitar, but it was given back.
It's ironic that I see BRMC on the heels of witnessing Jesus and Mary Chain, since JAMC are a big influence on the Club, especially on their first two albums. Both bands love that early rock 'n' roll sound. The band eventually had a make an album like 2005's Howl: stripped down and acoustic. They tapped into their love of blues and Johnny Cash for that one. They traded in their choppers for wild horses. The new album, Baby 81, is a perfect merging of all three album sounds. This one rocks harder and embraces their psychedelic musings for long guitar jams, like on the nine minute "America X." I definitely like this one better over Howl. It's a little grittier.
So every time I'm asked what I thought of a show, it's usually something on the lines of "good ... but" This is one will be, "Oh it was really cool, but loooooong." You're going to get the honest opinions here.
As your tour guide, I took over from Boston's blog Exitfare and now hand you off to Philadelphia's Phillyist. Please remember to tip your tour guide.
The photos ... they stink. All the stage lighting is from behind so all you'll see are bright lights and just silhouettes. It's very difficult to get a decent pictures with that set-up.
It was Rob that jumped into the audience, not Peter. It was Rob who wore his hood up as well.
Posted by: Erin | June 09, 2007 at 11:21 PM
hey, those photos are awesome, i just found this contest where you can submit photos from BRMC shows to win a Gibson guitar signed by the band and have your photo used for BRMC's site. go here to check it out: http://www.buzznet.com/groups/brmcbaby81tourgroup/
Posted by: jess | June 13, 2007 at 03:18 PM