Spiritualized : Chicago Metro
Perfectly twisted genius leads his capacity crowd through the frightful underworld of art-rock and tests their endurance skills to the fullest...
Leave it to Jason Pierce to set the appropriate Halloween mood.
Tonight, over two and a half hours, this perfectly twisted genius will leads his capacity crowd through the frightful underworld of art-rock and test their endurance skills to the fullest.
The assembled throng is a truly patchwork bunch. Crusty hippies sit cross-legged on the floor. Preening Brit-pop poseurs purposefully brush their bangs off their foreheads. Computer geeks shush chatty bystanders as they scramble to capture the gig on the latest mini recording gear.
Eventually, Spiritualized slouch onto the Metro stage and fans yelp as each of the dozen band members dutifully takes his place behind a microphone. Pierce cues his mates, breaks the low electronic hum that will thread through each of the dozen-and-a-half songs tonight, and lurches into a drawn-out version of 'Cop Shoot Cop'.
From the outset, its clear that Pierce is not here to personally engage the crowd. Never mind that it's been three long years since he last visited these shores. He stands heavy-lidded at the side of the stage, nearly turning a shoulder to the audience. He will not speak save for a muttered "cheers" at the close of the first encore.
And yet it doesn't matter. He speaks through his furious guitar fingering and crack skills as bandleader. Even when the tunes dissolve into crackling chaos-as do 'Cop Shoot Cop', 'On Fire' , 'Come Together' and 'No God Only Religion' -he has complete control over his band. He should brandish a baton rather than a guitar.
Less successful are the progressive jams. Sure, these heavily orchestrated pieces work well recorded, but live, he risks alienating his audience. A couple of yawns are conspicuous during particularly windy renditions of 'Born Never Asked' and 'Electric Mainline'.
But for all his well-conducted noodling, Pierce can handily slide into heartbreaking moments of intimacy. The sound of tears splattering the floor is nearly audible as he delivers 'Don't Just Do Something' and Spaceman 3 's 'Walking With Jesus' . That Pierce can segue so handily from esoteric electro-raves to woeful redemption songs is truly his most terrifying trait.
Scott Henkemeyer
Tonight, over two and a half hours, this perfectly twisted genius will leads his capacity crowd through the frightful underworld of art-rock and test their endurance skills to the fullest.
The assembled throng is a truly patchwork bunch. Crusty hippies sit cross-legged on the floor. Preening Brit-pop poseurs purposefully brush their bangs off their foreheads. Computer geeks shush chatty bystanders as they scramble to capture the gig on the latest mini recording gear.
Eventually, Spiritualized slouch onto the Metro stage and fans yelp as each of the dozen band members dutifully takes his place behind a microphone. Pierce cues his mates, breaks the low electronic hum that will thread through each of the dozen-and-a-half songs tonight, and lurches into a drawn-out version of 'Cop Shoot Cop'.
From the outset, its clear that Pierce is not here to personally engage the crowd. Never mind that it's been three long years since he last visited these shores. He stands heavy-lidded at the side of the stage, nearly turning a shoulder to the audience. He will not speak save for a muttered "cheers" at the close of the first encore.
And yet it doesn't matter. He speaks through his furious guitar fingering and crack skills as bandleader. Even when the tunes dissolve into crackling chaos-as do 'Cop Shoot Cop', 'On Fire' , 'Come Together' and 'No God Only Religion' -he has complete control over his band. He should brandish a baton rather than a guitar.
Less successful are the progressive jams. Sure, these heavily orchestrated pieces work well recorded, but live, he risks alienating his audience. A couple of yawns are conspicuous during particularly windy renditions of 'Born Never Asked' and 'Electric Mainline'.
But for all his well-conducted noodling, Pierce can handily slide into heartbreaking moments of intimacy. The sound of tears splattering the floor is nearly audible as he delivers 'Don't Just Do Something' and Spaceman 3 's 'Walking With Jesus' . That Pierce can segue so handily from esoteric electro-raves to woeful redemption songs is truly his most terrifying trait.
Scott Henkemeyer
Spiritualized 'Sweet Talk' John Peel tent at Glastonbury
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