[kj] Killing Joke at The Wiltern

[TB]

Finally after just over a year of holding on to my ticket, saw the mighty Killing Joke at The Wiltern.

So much in just the last couple weeks seemed to conspire to add up to a mediocre show if not it being canceled altogether.  From the
tour being rescheduled back last Spring to poor publicity for the show booked optimistically in a great if clearly too big for the
band venue to Youth leaving the tour last week to this being the 5th show in 5 grueling nights without a break to the utterly
miserable weather last night, it seemed like everything was conspiring to sabotage the final show of this tour.  I can happily say,
that did not happen.

After a frankly harrowing drive from Huntington Beach to LA in constant wind and rain, I got to the Wiltern about 7pm.  Much to my
surprise, there was only about 20 people lined up (usually by 7pm, there's a couple hundred or more lined up depending on the band).
Bringing an umbrella was probably the single smartest thing I did as they didn't open the doors 'til 8pm and some people who came
unprepared were soaked in a matter of minutes standing out there.  Getting my ticket from Will Call was no problem although the guy
didn't ask for ID and initially handed me two tickets (I came alone).

Once inside, it was a long 1 1/2 hours 'til the opening band came on.  The place was *very* slow to fill up and even by the time
Killing Joke came on, you could still get a pit wristband and the place was only about 40% filled. The merch booth was out of shirts
except for some larges and XXLs.  Bootleggers outside The Wiltern were peddling a decent looking rip-off shirt of the "Courtauld
Talks" art that was better'n the official shirts sold inside.  

The opening band was surprisingly decent which means they weren't great but at least they weren't "Amen" who opened for KJ in 2003
and was laughably bad.  Performing mostly instrumentals, they came off as sort of like a weird cross between Bauhaus and I dunno,
The Doors although they looked like typical slackers from Seattle.  At one point several of us in the pit yelled "Who Are You?" and
the bassist/singer mumbled something about "I'm not gonna tell you."  Dude needs to get some stage presence.

Sp Killing Joke comes on around 10:30 and opens with Tomorrow's World followed by Love Like Blood as usual for this tour.  The
rather disjointed setlist seems haphazard on paper but it flowed pretty well live.  Band sounded superb although at times it seemed
like they were playing to a big empty hall considering the audience at times was pretty sedate even for a less than half full venue.
The sound mix up front was excellent - I stood about 5 people back in the pit just off center on Geordie's side so I could hear his
guitar straight from his amp cut through the PA mix. It was rather interesting that the band packed their gear really tightly
together on the large stage as if they were playing a tiny club stage.

We got the standard set for the North American leg of the tour, no surprises and the encore was Eighties and Pandemonium.  It really
seemed the band was very focused on delivering a solid, tight, no-nonsense performance.  The minor downside was the show lacked a
certain sense of wild unpredictability like what I saw in '03 when it seemed like the band was going to go off the rails at any
moment.

Jaz was very talkative in-between songs although not as truly manic as I've seen him in past shows, especially the '03 show I
caught.  His vocals were solid the entire night.  Geordie stuck with bottled water the whole show.  The substitute Bass Dude really
did a solid job and was wearing a "Where Is Youth" shirt.  Speaking of Youth, I didn't hear anyone around me wonder about his
absence and I don't think Jaz really acknowledged his absence.  But the big star of the gig had to have been Big Paul - absolutely
storming on drums, even more impressive than at the '08 show I caught, imo.  He is really the glue and engine driving the band right
now.

The new songs came across really well live.  I can see why the band plays "The Great Cull" and "This World Hell" at the expense of
perhaps better songs off the new album as Geordie clearly enjoys playing those two tunes.  It's a shame Fresh Fever, In Excelsis,
Raven King and Endgame have been dropped or never made it into the set as the rest of the new material is excellent live.

Before the encore, Jaz led the audience in "Happy Birthday" for Geordie who also got a cake which was passed on to those up front
and wound up all over people and the floor.  Pandemonium wrapped up the show with Jaz thanking the audience and leaving the rest of
the band to close out the song.

Show ended about midnight leading to an even more gnarly drive home in driving rain and Saturday night drunks all over the road (I
saw one car in front of me hydroplane and gently bounce off the center carpool lane rail on the 405 freeway).

Here's the best of my mostly horrible photos from the show:

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h26/Partyslammer/KillingJokeWiltern3.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h26/Partyslammer/KillingJokeWiltern2.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h26/Partyslammer/KillingJokeWiltern1.jpg

T.B.