April 25, 2007 0:50

The Stooges thrill in LA

Iggy Pop kicks off his 60th year in style

The Stooges delivered a rousing set to a sold-out crowd at the Los Angeles Wiltern Theatre last night (April 23).

The Deroit punk rockers ran through classic tracks including 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' and '1969' as well as material from 'The Weirdness' - their first studio album in 34 years.

With original members Iggy Pop and brothers Ron and Scott Asheton back in the fold and Mike Watt on bass, the legendary band tore through their hour-and-a-half long set to the delight of the all-ages crowd.

A bare-chested, muscular Pop wriggled and writhed all night, jumping on speakers and throwing microphone stands across the stage.

The band made no mention of the fact that Pop had celebrated his 60th birthday the day before, although audience members occasionally shouted, "Happy birthday, Iggy!"

"This is MySpace and you're all invited to be my friends," Pop quipped, gesturing toward the stage. "Get up here!"

The audience obliged and Pop was quickly surrounded by a throng of dancing fans for the tune 'No Fun'.

"Let's hear it for the southern California dancers," Pop said as they left the stage. "The shimmy, they shake, they spit and they spaz!"

Pop encouraged audience participation throughout the night, frequently stage diving and inviting fans to sing into his microphone.

"Let's play it with the lights on like a high school gym so I can see you!" he said before launching into the new song 'Trollin'.

"Are you fuckin' fried yet?" Pop asked toward the end of the evening. "No!" responded the crowd, and the band launched into 'I'm Fried'.

The Stooges returned for two encores before calling it a night.

The setlist was:

'Loose'
'Down On The Street'
'I Wanna Be Your Dog'
'TV Eye'
'My Idea Of Fun'
'Dirt'
'Real Cool Time'
'No Fun'
'1970'
'Mindroom'
'Fun House/LA Blues'
'Skull Ring'
'Trollin'
'1969'
'She Took My Money'
'Not Right'
'I'm Fried'
'Electric Chair'

--By our Los Angeles staff.
[url="/about"] Find out more about NME.[/url]