Carrboro, North Carolina
Jan. 27, 2006
http://tinyurl.com/eqpq3
During the Guided By Voices 2004 farewell tour stop in Carrboro, N.C., singer and founder Robert Pollard resembled a weary soul only director Wim Wenders could love.
He looked disheveled and sounded more like a curmudgeon than a renowned pop master. Maybe 21 years fronting a stalwart indie-rock act and celebrating the joys of cigarettes and alcohol onstage wore Pollard down.
About 13 months later, however, Pollard reemerged energized to promote his first solo album since he dismantled the band. From a Compound Eye is chock-full of the rock and psychedelia Pollard's fans have celebrated for years.
On the tour's second show, the songs were brilliantly articulated by Pollard's all-star backing band. They motored equally through the album cuts and Pollard's back catalog of zany pop goodness with zest. Jason Narducy (Verbow) on bass and Jon Wurster (Superchunk) behind the drum kit deftly propelled the diverse material with aplomb and Dave Phillips (Frank Black) on rhythm guitar guided the music with added dimension and character.
The real star turn came from songwriter and guitarist Tommy Keene who, like R.E.M.'s Mike Mills, reveled in his versatility. Keene moved from lead guitar to backing vocals to keyboard all night and even played a harmonica on "Gold."
The night pointed to an evolution of Pollard's live show. Whereas Guided By Voices placed a premium on mischievous merrymaking and relished the spontaneity of the drunken moment, Keene and company dismissed any onstage antics for technical proficiency.
"Is it OK if we mellow out?" Pollard asked the crowd. "See Guided By Voices didn't mellow out. We kept hammering (the music) down your throats like a bunch of amateurs."
During the nearly three-hour concert, texture and touch was in order.
"Conqueror of the Moon" moved with Dr. Who-style atmosphere before it veered into spy-movie theme theatrics. An organ undercurrent supported the guitar-jangle of "Lightshow."
The set list drew heavily from the new album and offered sprinkles from some of Pollard's more recent side projects including "Dolphins of Color" from Circus Devils: Five and "All Men are Freezing" from Steven Soderbergh's latest film, Bubble.
The prolific Pollard also unveiled songs from his next album, Normal Happiness, a ridiculously poppy affair including the lollipop-sweet "Supernatural Car Lover" which sounded like the stepson of Earthquake Glue's "My Kind of Solider."
The consummate showman, Pollard visually delighted the crowd with a torrid series of axe kicks, salutes and microphone twirls. The encore focused solely on Guided By Voices songs, with the more recent cuts ("Fair Touching," "Things I Will Keep" and "Back to the Lake") pushed to the forefront.
The fans who remained on their feet for almost the entire 150-minute show relished it all. As the end drew near, a group of college-aged men in front of the stage sprayed the band with Pabst Blue Ribbon during "Game of Pricks."
As the band ambled backward, Pollard stood still and continued to sing. The words he spoke earlier in the evening must have rung true: "This rock and roll shit is all that it's cracked up to be."
Classic Stage Banter From Robert Pollard
In a live setting, Robert Pollard remains a surly but charming character with an affinity for drinking too much as he alternates between swills of tequila and gulps of Miller Lite.
His drunken banters are often expletive-filled but always highly entertaining--concert attendees can purchase a vinyl-only collection of his previous rants.
Here are some gems from the concert:
- "I like the Monkees. (Guided By Voices) were a pre-fabricated band, but I ain't prefabricated, motherfuckers."
- "I'm not trying to play up alcohol, but my label Merge Records won't let me. How do you market a 48-year-old drunk? I understand their pain."
- "It ain't Guided By Voices. It's not GBV. It's the new shit. And if you drink with us, we support ya."
- "I'll introduce (the band) when I can't remember their names."
- "I drink 80 beers to keep in shape. On my day off I drink 40."
No comments:
Post a Comment