Any disappointment I had over the Stooges reunion was more than
mitigated by the appearance by Mudhoney at the Double Door. They're not
just carrying the Stooges' torch, they're keeping the fire blazing.
They were noisy but economical, without a wasted distorted note, and
articulately pissed off. They blasted through their history with
rip-snorting exuberance, from "Touch Me I'm Sick" to the strong, new
material from Under a Billion Suns
such as "Where Is the Future?"
The guys haven't gone to seed, with Steve Turner and Mark Arm looking
as fit as even and Dan Peters looking as slightly unfit as ever. (New
guy Guy Maddison on bass is built more in the Peters stocky mold.) While
men hit an age where unshaven suggested "homeless" rather than
"swarthy," Steve Turner with stubble still resembles a sleep-deprived
grad student, a total guitar hero without ever looking the
cliché. Even when untethered from his guitar, Mark Arm never
commands the stage the way Iggy Pop does, but this is more of a
democratic band than a star with a back-up group, and he certainly
commits to the songs with his whole body, from his arched back to his
scratchy wail.
Although they are the original grunge band that never struck gold off
grunge, I have mixed feelings about their marginal appeal. While I wish
the best for any band I adore, I'm glad they never fell prey to the
shortcomings of fame and fortune. The best measure of what decent guys
they are came when Arm cut a song off in the middle. They discussed the
problem with smiles on their faces rather than accusations and
recriminations, only for Arm to apologize to the audience for his
fucked up ears before they resumed.
As for openers Thunderwing, I love a Monks song marginally popularized
by the Fall as much as anyone, but I wish the glam revivalists had
enough faith to open with their own compositions rather than a Velvet
Underground cover.
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