It’s always refreshing to walk into a venue and realize that there are absolutely no 16 year-old girls texting each other. On top of that, it’s quite a relief to know that if for some reason shit hits the fan, you won’t spend time in jail for giving the beat down to a minor. Friday night’s show was not filled with the Justice and Diplo concert crowd.
Last Friday night, The Reverend Horton Heat’s concert at the Showbox SoDo was filled with people like this, and it was absolute, unadulterated entertainment. Pure, gelatinous fun. Gooey and flavorful. The technical prowess and blinding stage presence of The Reverend (Jim Heath) is unmatched by any 49-year old front man I have seen to date. He unerringly led the trio through their hits and B-sides, stopping only a short while along the way to cover Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” (sung by drummer Paul Simmons), Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” English folk tune “Greensleeves” (which came with an endearing little historical narrative about Henry VIII), and . . . some other non-memorable cover songs that I didn’t listen to because I was at the excellent Seattle bar getting my slant on. I’m not a big fan of the cover medleys.
The Reverend’s biggest hits were primarily reserved for the end of the show, which featured “Bales of Cocaine” and “Marijuana,” as well as the newest singles (none of which I know). These were compiled into a fantastic finale chock full of Jimbo Wallace’s upright bass solos. Those solos, in my opinion, were the frosting on that retro pulp-cinema-style cake. When all was said and done, The Reverend Horton Heat did not disappoint. In fact, he and his crew were fucking amazing. Not all that surprising really, since I’ve never heard someone say, “Yeah, The Reverend’s show last night . . . it was okay.”
Unfortunately, I had to endure the seemingly endless mid-90’s “Awesome Rock” of the Supersuckers to get to The Reverend. I had never seen the Supersuckers before (and hopefully never will again) but had heard good things about them. Great things even. And it’s not like they weren’t tight. It’s not like they didn’t move the crowd. Hell, they didn’t even train-wreck or have technical difficulties. So why then did I hate their act so vehemently? After much (well, not that much) thought, I came to the conclusion that it was the band’s linear, non-evolving methodical rocking that bored me. It certainly didn’t bore the majority of the crowd; they spent the entire set drunkenly screaming along with all their mid-90’s hits, so it’s safe to deduce that the Supersuckers rock pretty hard for the 30-40 year-old, post-grunger psychobillys who want to relive the glory days of Sub Pop.
Two songs go in, one comes out. Pick a side.
thanks so much nadine! probably the best compliment a photog can get!
and thanks for reminding me to embed the video in the post too!
by Steve Benoit on Sun May 20, 2012 at 09.33 am from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
I can’t get over how these photos captured my up close memory of the night.
by nadine on Sat May 19, 2012 at 11.08 pm from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
Or should it be whoever? F my grammar.
by nadine on Sat May 19, 2012 at 10.30 pm from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
Whomever took these photos certainly captured the night!
by nadine on Sat May 19, 2012 at 10.26 pm from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
“Mindkilla” is awesome. I’ve got this music video last week and really impressed through watching every performance particularly “Glass Jar”. Thanks dude. :)
dance contest
by Mark Waugh on Thu May 17, 2012 at 05.54 am from the entry: Gang Gang Dance's Illuminating "Mindkilla"
Also, I have yet to pay this venue a visit, is it good spot? good people, good vibe, good atmosphere?
... man, i hope i win some tickets…
by Jaz Bonnin-Aldatz on Thu May 17, 2012 at 12.27 am from the entry: It's all good, see Fishbone for free at Fête
Looking forward to the show. Would love to win some tix for my pals.
by MC Breath on Wed May 16, 2012 at 07.40 pm from the entry: It's all good, see Fishbone for free at Fête
