Jay Reatard - Harpers Ferry (Allston, MA; Apr. 20, 2008)

I first saw Jay Reatard play at the Mercury Lounge in New York City last fall when in town covering the CMJ Festival. I’d gone there that night to see The Dirtbombs (an amazing band live) and had time to kill before their show. Jay Reatard’s opening thirty-minute set proved to be some of the most balls-out rock n’ roll I have ever seen. The crowd, worked into a complete frenzy, had a “holy shit did that just really happen” look on its collective face at the conclusion of a most-amazing performance. And so it was with high hopes that I approached the show at Harpers Ferry.

Reatard took the stage and, with no further ado, launched into a short but blazing set. Starting off with the title track from his 2007 solo debut Blood Visions, Reatard proceeded to tear through the album, playing “Death Is Forming,” “Oh It’s Such A Shame,” “It’s So Easy,” “Greed, Money, Useless Children,” and “My Shadow,” to name a few. With each song averaging a short, fiery two minutes, the show was characteristically brief. But don’t equate brevity with lifelessness. Never before have I seen anyone pack so much rock into a tight amount of time.

After the show, I spotted Reatard sitting to the side of the bar and took the opportunity to thank him for the music and for opening the show to melophobe. Extremely gracious and relaxed, Reatard even posed for a quick post-show shot between discussion of his experiences at a show a few nights before in Toronto (read about it on Reatard’s blog here and see video here [shit starts to go down around minute 1:10 -ed.]). The subdued crowd at Harpers Ferry on Sunday must have been a welcome relief after the melee in Toronto.

An excellent act, Reatard is not to be missed by those who enjoy a bit of rock. 

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