Blonde Redhead kicked off their new American tour tonight at the Apple Store in Soho. Hundreds of people waited in the cold in a line that stretched all the way around the block. The concert itself was free and open to the public, but the first 50 or so people got theater seats up front. I was one of these frozen chosen.
A lot of little things went wrong for them. After launching into the first song, Kazu realized she hadn't even mic checked, so she called for a restart. Amadeo's cable had a loose connection on "23" and kept cutting out. Later, he broke a string, and rushed the guitar off stage for repair,
"He always changes his guitar strings, and I never do, but somehow it always happens to him, and never to me" Kazu explained to us. "Bad karma."
But worse than all the technical difficulties was the feeling that they just weren't comfortable up there. Yeah, I know, it's the beginning of the tour. But the theater area of the Apple Store--which had all the trappings of a corporate presentation space--couldn't have helped. At the right moment, Jobs could have come out in a turtleneck, thanked the band in stride and unveiled the new product-unveiling product.
Notwithstanding, they had their moments. Twice during the brief four-song set they noticeably lost themselves in the music, forgetting their surroundings and engaging each other directly in that interplay that has become the hallmark of their live shows.
As for the music itself, those cinematic swirly textures from the last album are still there, but you can hear the harder edge creeping back in. Maybe they're returning to their roots. Or maybe they're veering off in a new direction. Either way, I plan to see them again at Webster Hall on May 9th, where they're hopefully more comfortable and confident.
Amadeo summed the gig up nicely between songs: "It's a little strange playing here."
Posted by Alan at April 10, 2007 10:01 PM