[kj] (OT) Jesus and Mary Chain Live in LA

[Alexandra Tolksdorf]

Reading that made me slightly sick with envy...
   
  Saw BRMC some years ago and was completely blown away.
  Saw JAMC once quite a few years ago and had a same-ish experience with the crowd, i.e. they stood around looking bored while I was jumping around and dancing my socks off.
  Oh well.
   
  Glad you had a good time.
   
  ~Alexandra.(Hamburger)

"T.B." <Partyslammer at socal.rr.com> wrote:
  A little somethin g different from the recent darkness today:

Saw Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and The Jesus and Mary Chain last night at 
The Wiltern in LA. I've seen JaMC twice before, once in '92 and again in 
'98 about a week before the broke up onstage. Never seen BMRC before but 
they've been one band I've wanted to see for some time but kind of lost 
interest after their 2nd album a couple years ago. As BMRC modeled much of 
their sound from JaMC, this was a perfect pairing.

One thing that kind of got me in a pissed mood right away was that 
apparently this show sold "Pit" tickets so unlike any other show I've seen 
at The Wiltern, it didn't matter how early you got there with a GA floor 
ticket, you couldn't get in the pit unless you had a "GA Pit" ticket. 
Initially, a lot of people trying to get into the pit were pretty pissed off 
about this.

Anyway, I don't know who the two guys playing electric guitar were (Evan 
Dando solo and a friend?) but their short opening set was like watching 
paint dry.

BMRC played an unfortunately short 45 minute set that focused a lot on their 
last album "Howl" but was surprisingly strong nonetheless. I definitely 
have to go out and pick that album up. Although a few of my early favorite 
tunes off their first release weren't played (no "Love Burns" or "Red Eyes 
and Tears") but "Spread Your Love" sounded excellent. As musicians, they 
impressed the hell out of me with Robert Turner and Peter Hayes often 
switching guitar and bass and singing duties depedning on the song. They 
also rounded out their sound with a 4th guy usually on guitar. I'd like to 
see these guys again but in a small club, not a place like The Wiltern.

JaMC came on about 10:10pm and played a 80 minute well focused set. For me, 
highlights included Snakedriver and an exceptionally strong "Blues from a 
Gun" as well as a nice encore featuring a great version of "Darklands" and 
the album style version of "Reverence." The sound was loud and sharp, loud 
enough that about 2/3rds through their set, I went upstairs and found an 
empty seat in the balcony and watched the rest of the shoe from there.

I will say that this lineup they're touring with is probably the strongest 
I've ever seen, especially the drummer. Frontman Jim Reid was completely 
lucid and focused on his job fronting the band although also typically 
nonchalant and almost unemotional when addressing the crowd. The only fuck 
up was a false start on "Between Planets (I think)." On the other hand, the 
tension I'd noticed at the previous shows in the 90's was absent which in 
the past made the band much more interesting onstage. More than ever, they 
typify the shoegazer generation.

Which leads to the audience. Basically a good, well behaved bunch although 
I noticed a *lot* of rather disinterested people chatting on cell phones, 
texting and doing just about anything other than enjoying the band. Granted, 
JaMC aren't the most exciting band on a stage you'll ever see, but why 
bother going to see live music if you're going to spend all your time 
fucking with your phone?

Here's the setlist as I remember it for JaMC:

Never Understand
Head On
Far Gone and Out
Catchfire
Sidewalking
Snakedriver
Happy When It Rains
Some Candy Talking
Between Planets
Blues From A Gun
Cracking Up
All Things Must Pass
Teenage Lust
Sometimes Always
Just Like Honey
Vegetable Man
You Trip Me Up
*encore*
Darklands
Nine Million Rainy Days
Reverence

T.B. 


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