Workman- like is the best term I can come up with for AC/DC's 11/17 performance @MSG. After shelling out a hefty fee for last minute tickets I was content with the knowledge that I would be in the church of the band that generated hands down the BEST rock n roll guitar tone ever recorded (Back In Black). Fear gripped me after a pre-show glance of their unwavering Black Ice Tour setlist; 5 new songs out of a 1:45 set. And thats how it went down. The classics were absolutely crushing. Rosie fingered herself. Canons fired. Everyone yelled "Thunder!" at the correct moment. A sweaty, slack jawed Angus galloped around the stage, leading the band through each head banging, toe tapping groove. The new songs smacked up against the audience like a brick wall. The tangible disinterest killed the momentum to say the least, which is partially the band's own doing. Unlike say, Rush, who's M.O. for musical progression and dynamicism has fostered a fan base that welcomes a sprinklng of new songs amidst a greatest hits set, an AC/DC crowd in 2008 has no attention span beyond the usual "band reunion" mindset (even though they never "broke up").
A little late to the party on this. Thorns of Life is the new band from Blake Schwarzenbach and Aaron Cometbus and someone from the "L" word. The mere existence of this band is pretty inspiring to a superfan like myself. My neighbor saw them 2 weeks ago at a "secret" Crown Heights house show and described them as gritty, sweet, and fantastic. A handful of you tube videos say the same. Update: they just played another intimate, guerrilla style show in Philly this past Saturday. Psyched!
Last but not least I will mention Chinese Democracy is ruling my world right now. You can't even really describe it in terms of music. It just sounds like...pro tools and passing time. An olympic guitar solo from 2001. A trippy beat from 1997. A sound collage from 2058. All tied together with that voice at once confrontational and comforting. How often do we get our hands on something this crafted?
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