Roll Call: Sonic Youth

White Magic were good from the start. I wasn't into Magic Markers until their last song. Specifically when they yelled, "They're going to tell you you're not Rush. Well fuck Rush! Rush sucks!".

Anyone know Sonic Youth's secret? Why are they so damned good?

Originally posted by nkotbie:
So any thoughts on the openers?

I was waaaay in the back left next to the video/audio stuff(didn't get there till like 9:45) but it was fine for sound.

Those video boxes weren't video– they were just light boxes with changeable gels in front– that is, plastic color sheets all attached on a roller that would just scroll through. Not the world's most expensive technology, but really looked great.

I was a little bored. I think artistically it was a great show, but the feedback thing got a little old at the end.

Originally posted by Rob_Gee_a.k.a _Guiny:
Ok, I must be lost with the names again, does Skeeter = Bombay Chutney? If so, then we were standing right next to each other at the bar ten mintues before SY came on.

Yeah - That's me. I changed my name about a week ago. I guess I was pre-occupied getting my beer. Didn't notice you were right next to me at the bar. Sorry about that.

Originally posted by sonickteam2:
i did see you outside, as you were going in , but i was walking up and i didnt want to yell. would you have answered to a resounding "SKEEEEETERRRR"?

haha - you betcha!

The feedback did tend to drag on at the end of Expressway.

Originally posted by chimbly sweep:
I think artistically it was a great show, but the feedback thing got a little old at the end.

Yeah…it was interesting to see them doing the feedback thing, but I felt like after a certain point it just lost me a bit. I would have liked a few more of their "hits"…maybe "Bull in the Heather" and something like "Kool Thing". But hey, Sonic Youth has never been that type of band and in a way that's what I love about them. That's why they're still around. It's amazing to see how much they rock out during "Pattern Recognition". And Kim Gordon looked incredible. :)

Originally posted by Bombay Chutney:

Originally posted by Rob_Gee_a.k.a _Guiny:
Ok, I must be lost with the names again, does Skeeter = Bombay Chutney? If so, then we were standing right next to each other at the bar ten mintues before SY came on.

Yeah - That's me. I changed my name about a week ago. I guess I was pre-occupied getting my beer. Didn't notice you were right next to me at the bar. Sorry about that.

I bet if I spilled your beer on you, you woulda noticed I was there.

On my walk home I had the pleasure of running into the guy that screams about how nobody likes him because he's white.

Originally posted by econo:
On my walk home I had the pleasure of running into the guy that screams about how nobody likes him because he's white.

Ben Folds?

More like Darius Rucker.

Originally posted by econo:
On my walk home I had the pleasure of running into the guy that screams about how nobody likes him because he's white.

that guy is a real treat, was hoping I would not run in to him last night, and luckily did not, he also likes to tell people these days how he has been banned from being on most of the streets around that area, doesnt stop him from being there

Originally posted by Rob_Gee_a.k.a _Guiny:
I bet if I spilled your beer on you, you woulda noticed I was there.

Yeah - that would have done it.

Originally posted by bunnyman:
And Kim Gordon looked incredible. :)

yes she did.

those changing-color boxes onstage were a nice touch. i especially liked when they glowed bright orange, coupled together w/ the blue curtain backdrop.

and thank you, 930 music person, for playing "hold on" as the filing out music.

as usual, i thought sonic youth were incredible. it was the first time i'd ever seen both "burning spear" and "PCH", and they did not disappoint. "eric's trip" was ferocious, and "schizophrenia" remains one of the most beautiful songs they've ever written.

of the new songs, they played my two favorites first: "i love you golden blue" and "stones". "pattern recognition" was intense and as vital as anything in SY's past.

i know i'm a freak, but i could listen to feedback all day. some of my favorite parts of their sets are when they go on those long feedback tangents. i wish they'd bring back "diamond sea".

sonic youth, in my opinion, once again solidified their hold as one of the great psych bands of the last two decades. they never disappoint me.

jim o'rourke did look kinda bored, though.

white magic blew me away…they've improved significantly from last year. i almost lost my shit when they covered the great society's "grimly forming." mira's vocals are haunting, and the guitarist pulled off some sick psych riffing. i got there right after the majik markers left the stage, so i missed whatever noise they brought.

yeah, Kim Gordon = transperent dress, visible thong, still a goddess.


Great show though. Expressway to Yr Skull was definitely one of the encores. I thought it was spectacular when Thurstone has his guitar on top of the stacks and then stood on top of it. The final ten minutes of feedback were well done I thought.

washingtonpost.com
Sonic Youth, in the Raw
Friday, August 13, 2004; Page C04

Customarily, rock bands wait until the climax of their performance before they start battering the guitars and summoning feedback from the amps. For Sonic Youth, however, raw electric noise is essence rather than embellishment. Wednesday night at the 9:30 club, the New York-based quintet opened with drones and squeals, setting the raucous tone for its nearly two-hour set.

The band drew heavily on its latest album, "Sonic Nurse," but many of the songs were altered beyond recognition. The vocals were buried in the mix, although bassist Kim Gordon's raspy soprano sometimes penetrated the din, especially during the insistent "Kim Gordon and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream." While such numbers as "Pattern Recognition" and "Paper Cup Exit" began with identifiable riffs, they soon moved into unpredictable territory.

Guitarists Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo and Jim O'Rourke played lyrical exchanges and interlocking modal vamps, but they also banged their instruments on the stage and attacked them with drumsticks. During some arrhythmic passages, the guitars sounded like prepared pianos, more John Cage than Les Paul.

Over the course of its 22-year recording career, Sonic Youth has recorded punky rockers and pensive ballads. The latter have dominated the group's recent albums, and were well represented when it performed at the 9:30 club two Augusts ago. Any thought that the band has abandoned sheer clamor, however, was dispelled Wednesday. The show may have overemphasized a single aspect of the band's style, but it did so exuberantly.

– Mark Jenkins

set list, anyone?

Posted by Bunnyman a page back.

Love You Golden Blue
Stones
Pattern Recognition (excellent)
Unmade Bed
Eric's Trip
Mariah Carey
Burning Spear
New Hampshire
Paper Cup Exit
Schizophrenia
Dude Ranch Nurse
Drunken Butterfly
——————
Rain on Tin
Pacific Coast Highway
——————
Expressway to Yr Skull

Originally posted by econo:
On my walk home I had the pleasure of running into the guy that screams about how nobody likes him because he's white.

Rhett?