Spring
at last, spring at last, thank God almighty, it’s spring at last. I’m gonna
kiss spring on the mouth. And, being the subversive romantic that I am, you can
tell “W” it’ll be a French kiss, too — with French-fry breath.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Flogging Molly flogged Molly and the
whole damn sold-out crowd at Water Street Music Hall. Sporting one of the
finest crews on the road today (Dave Allen and Steve “Mr. Fix-it” Agnew), the
band (starring Rochesterian Dennis Casey) played a tight, million-m.p.h.,
Celtic-tinged set that didn’t once let up on the energy. The crowd bobbed and
flailed feverishly in the pit like rabid, sweaty popcorn. Hung out with the
band for two days, eating Thai food, fixing amps, and bad-mouthing the country.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Tripped over to Monty’s Krown, where
the new-for-2003 Riviera Playboys rocked hard.
They played classic garage-rock and closed with a Walt O’ Brian drum solo that
would’ve made Bonham proud.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Tuesday night was my first big arena
concert in a long time. Nobody’s really doing it anymore, so we gotta look to
the Boss. I, Record Archive enchantress Alyna Hill-Alderman, and approximately
12,000 white people (I counted two blacks and three Asians) packed into the
Blue Cross Arena to watch Bruce prove it all night.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Springsteen is a master storyteller,
a prolific songwriter, and a relentless performer who mounts the stage without
an ounce of pretense or flash. Note to the majority there that think the Boss
is the end-all and the be-all: Bruce Springsteen’s hard-rockin’ Americana is
alive and well, not just in his work-weary hands, but in those of other
artists, like Lucinda Williams, Dave Alvin, Ryan Adams, Paul Westerberg, The
Yahoos. Go to a record store and broaden your horizons. Bruce would want it
that way.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย After almost three hours with
Springsteen, we slipped over to see Seattle rockers (and Link Wray’s back-up
band) The Jet City Fix play a smokin’ pick-up show to everyone in town that
mattered, with The Thundergods and The Shakletons. Apparently, these Northwesterners
can’t get enough of our cold weather… or our warm women.
This article appears in Mar 19-25, 2003.
