September 12, 2006 by A.S. Van Dorston

A friend came down from Minneapolis to see this, but wanted to do other activities for part of the weekend, so just went on Saturday, by far the most action-packed day. The first thing that struck me on the nearly chilly, gray day in the grease-stained industrial parking lot, is how haggard and old everyone looked. Finally, an audience that makes me feel young! It makes sense, the two flagship bands broke up in 1987, right when I was graduating from high school. So the average age of those fans was probably between 39 and 46. Hooray for aging, ugly music geeks!

The Ex: I caught the last 20 minutes of their set and they were on fire. Totally driving, hypnotic, transcendent. I mostly have their early albums and don’t listen to them much, but they’re a piledriver of a live band.

Killdozer: Fond memories of these guys, many laughs. What was that cover, Canned Heat or Z.Z. Top? Albini was right in front of me and was having a blast. He was totally loving it. Glad to see him in the front row with us lumpen, while the VIP turds were segregated to the other side of the fence, apparently feeling superior that they could stare at the band’s asses. I have to say I was satisfied with my dose of Killdozer after 25 minutes and wandered over to the food—it’s a thrill even to have them in the background as I eat Jambalaya.

Didjits: I had a couple of their records but was never a big fan, aside from a couple great songs on each album. I prefer the Dickies. I have to say Rick is a better performer and guitar player than last time I saw them 13 years ago, but to me they’re still just a minor, but essential, player on the T&G roster, alongside early Urge Overkill.

I saw a few minutes of P.W. Long, but am not too interested in his solo stuff. Why didn’t Mule play? They were a great live band. Saw three Negative Approach tunes, and felt compelled to secure a good spot for Scratch Acid. Sally Timms set was really short but she was charming and lovely, autumnal and even a little spooky. At least until Langford came on and hammed it up. As dusk was settling in and the grey clouds and grimy skyline darkened, it was a great mood setter. Made me want to listen to some Comus and Fairport Convention.

Scratch Acid: I’m not sure if Yow still drinks. They opened with “She Said” and for a while I thought he was not only drunk, but positively insane—at one point it seemed like he was attacking an audience member. I’m not sure what was going on there, but he seemed as dangerous and unpredictable as some of my favorite highlights of the dozen Jesus Lizard shows I’d seen. If he doesn’t drink anymore, he did a great job of whipping himself into a frenzy. Other times when he wasn’t moving around as much, he looked more small and frail than he seemed back in the early 90s in the small clubs. The band was great, and incredibly loud. I was a little too close to the left speaker stack, even with earplugs. While they’re no match for the rhythmic juggernaut of the J.L., I wasn’t too disappointed that Jesus Lizard didn’t play, as Scratch Acid had a lurching, woozy quality that I had always wished I could have witnessed live, and finally have. I can die in peace now. Oh, not yet, there’s Big Black. Man Or Astroman are great, but no one was budging from their hard-fought spots, so I didn’t get to hear them up close.

Big Black: It’s frustrating that they had such a short set. Shellac are touring, and they usually play a couple times a year, so I’d rather have had a full Big Black set. But with Shellac duties, they just didn’t have time to rehearse a full set, understandably. It’s too bad, I think the Big Black material is far better than Shellac’s. Even with the venerable Roland drum machine, they sounded fresher than ever, especially compared to the twee mixes of the albums (a friend remixed them for himself to sound more appropriately brutal. I told him he should have brought a copy and given it to Albini). That “knife” guitar sound combined with those crazy, angry lyrics, totally fucking classic.

Shellac were a bit of a letdown after that excitement. My ears and feet couldn’t take anymore, so we headed to Ear Wax for some dinner. Kind of wanted to see Arcwelder and Seam on Sunday, but it was rainy, and anything after Saturday would be anti-climactic.

Posted in: Live, Reviews