I JUST GOT BACK FROM SEEING THEM IN CHICAGO (excuse the caps. It's very late.)
It hurts me to my heart to say it was'nt very good. I mean, there were moments , some songs really stood out , and at least , they went easy on the Beatlesque stuff , even though I was surprised and a bit disapppointed that they did'nt do "You Tore Me Down" .... as a friend said , they appeared under - rehearsed , and did'nt really gel. Chris Wilson was trying , but , he was really drunk , and certain assholes in the audience made him angry , but , he managed to tell them what as what without being a tool.
There was a VERY bad vibe in the audience , all these entitled drunks who got in for free ( For the record , I bought a discount Groupon ticket , but , nearly everyone else got the memo that Reckless Records had free passes , when the barely - advertised show failed to sell too many tix at $35 a pop , originally.). First , some brainiac threw a tall boy can (Which must've cost $10.) at the stage. Wilson handled it well , telling whoever it was that it was a cowardly move to throw something at a man who's not in a position to defend himself (The main floor is'nt exactly accesible from the stage , even if Chric were 25 years old and in a mood to fight.).........And , oh , yes , fighting . A couple of fights broke out. Who picks a fight at a Flamin' Groovies show? Entitled motherfuckers who got in for free.
The band , at least , saw the humor in the stage diver , but , that , too , is so disrespectful.
MAYBE THIS WAS JUST AN EXCEPTIONALLY BAD NIGHT , though it did'nt have to be. There were often long breaks between songs , and some confusion about which songs they were going to play.....OR , AT LEAST , IN WHAT ORDER. Wilson almost walked off the stage at one point , and seemed pretty certain the others would follow suit. I would'nt have blamed him . Who throws a beer can at The Flamin' Groovies , even if they are having a bad night?
IT WAS REALLY A BAD TRIP , comparable to when The Cramps played there in 2002 , and Lux threw part of a mike stand in the air , inadvertently hitting Ivy on the head. Then , their Roadie , Jason (Bomboras , Fuzztones, Lords of Altamont) was delegated to try to keep the jock - punks off the stage with no help from Security. He got the ever lovin' shit beat out of him by at least 20 people, I wish I were lying.
I TRIED TO HAVE A GOOD TIME IN SPITE OF IT ALL......As Melissa said , there is a very bad mojo about that place. I said , it did'nt help that they poured dirt from Robert Johnson's grave into the foundation , when they first built it. IT'S rare that I'd go there , now . Maybe the first five years ,all the greats played there , most of whom are now dead or retired. I can handle it in small doses , but , this dose was cut with strychnine. John.