zaterdag 24 oktober 2015

Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks: 125 - 2012

125
2012/08/22, Tel Aviv
Lariat
Pick up the spare
Blue arrangements
Here
Down under (Men at work)
Eminence front (Who)
Speak see remember
Jenny and the Ess-dog


https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=malkmus+tel+aviv

The Tel Aviv show looks like quite a night – going by the YouTube clips. More new songs are fitted into a long set of regulars, un(der)rehearsed covers, Pavement songs and even a Silver Jews cover. I've converted a number of these tracks, but I'm on the lookout for the full set. You wonder why more sets can't be this wild, unpredictable and plain fun. Playing a location he's never been before, Stephen always goes off the track, making it an extra special occasion. When I hear him laughing, cracking up in the middle of cover songs, having fun, playing loose, charming everyone there (I think so) – I'm just left wondering: if it's so good for you and the audience as well, why not do it this way every night?

'Lariat' (titled 'Chicago' here) is still in early development. It doesn't have the breakdown bit after the second chorus yet – instead it goes straight into the 'We grew up listening to the music from the best decade ever' part, repeated a couple times more often. It's a noise performance, falling apart at the seams but the potential is clear. 'Pick up the spare' is one of the few recorded live performances of the 'Wig out' b-side. It's a one riff-song – four verses interspersed with more of the riff. I still dig it a lot – a bit of an update of 'Pig lib' cast-off 'Grab it and gone'. The version here is very similar to the released recording – a little less of the breakdown after the third verse, not as much soloing at the end yet – but those are details. A groove that could play for a really long time before I'd start to mind. One they should pull out at more concerts.

I love the odds and ends they play here. At one point Stephen apologizes to the audience 'Do any of you have things to do? You're kind of stuck here...' No need. Yes, it falls apart more than once but what fun. Two farfetched covers – I never though I'd get to hear the Jicks play a Men at Work song or a late '70s Who single ('I wear / black underwear/ but people forget / eyeliner / and black sweat pants' indeed). Or get to hear Stephen soloing on 'Blue arrangements'. Or get to hear 'Speak see remember' sung over a Stones riff. But it happened. If it can happen in Tel Aviv, why not in Brussels or Boulder, Colorado?

Geen opmerkingen:

Een reactie posten