tbray@mprvaxa.UUCP (Tim Bray) (06/03/84)
...uh, something. Good header line though, eh? (No, I'm not pretentious at all. Why do you ask?) Seeing the Clash is really a conservative experience - not unlike going to the local symphony to hear some Dvorak and, say, Brahms' first. You're is not going to hear the boundaries of music pushed back. However, you have a certain degree of confidence that you'll be thrilled and experience some moments of rare musical beauty. The bad news, of course, is that charter guitarist Mick Jones is no longer with the Clash. He has been replaced by two fresh-faced young men - neither of them can bang out those dumb major progressions with quite the same gutwrenching intensity. And his high tenor on the parts that Joe will never be able to reach again is missed. The good news is that the guitarists are pretty damn good, and quite a bit more mobile than Mick ever was. All four in the front line used cordless guitars, allowing them to charge around like madman and venture into the crowd fearlessly. More good news - there are still good NEW songs coming out. More good news - Jones' absence allows Simenon, the bassist, to step out and lead the pack instrumentally, and he does so very well. Joe still gives 150%, and his voice is actually a little better than last time I heard them. They still welcome the crowd onto the stage for the finale - all in all a very cheering and inspiring show. Of course, they could be four three-chord bimbos, and with the selection of songs the have to draw on, they'd be worth seeing. They played three hours and left OUT 'Stay Free', 'Police and Thieves', 'Hateful', 'English Civil War', 'Train in Vain', 'Should I Stay or Should I Go', 'The Magnificent Seven'. Surprise pleasures - the reggae number that begins "A lot of people won't...", led by Simenon, and "Brand New Cadillac" is a heart-stopper with the three-guitar attack. Laurie Anderson. What can I say. My brain was thoroughly stretched. Everyone who has ever been bored with what music is about these days should go and see her. A perfectly integrated musical-visual spectacle. So much went by so fast - I would go see the show again five successive nights just to pick up on the details and subtleties. The Japanese-flavoured number off the latest Heartbreak album reduced a significant proportion of the audience to tears. The most sincere standing ovation I have ever participated in. For you techno-freaks - Laurie played a brief excerpt using a "violin" with a magnetic-playback head on the bridge and a strip of magnetic tape on the bow. The tape was of a voice saying "Listen". Dramatic changes of pitch and timbre were achieved with bowing techniques. If it's boring, turn it off. Tim Bray ...ihnp4!alberta!ubc-vision!mprvaxa!tbray ...decvax!microsoft!ubc-vision!mprvaxa!tbray