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| Buzzcocks on Pete Shelley's 60th birthday at The Stone Pony. |
Making up for Lost Time
Friday night was going to be my first night at a show in a while. I hadn't heard live music or taken any pictures where I had to struggle with the lighting (except, maybe, inside a few Italian churches) for over two weeks. It was an evening packed with shows by bands I love to see including Smalltalk, Lost In Society, dollys, and The Ribeye Brothers. I chose to stick around Asbury Park and take in Buzzcocks at The Stone Pony followed by Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires at Asbury Lanes.
I figured that the Pony would be pretty packed out, so I did my usual thing of arriving at just around doors and staking out a spot right along the rail. My ankles, calves, knees -- which still haven't recovered from over a week's worth of walking and sightseeing -- were not happy about the prospect of standing for around five hours. Too bad, dudes. This is how it is.
Asbury's The Obvious were the openers for the night, and they absolutely blew away the early crowd. They played most of last year's Duress, throwing in a new song ("Luck?") and a blistering cover of Nirvana's "Aneurysm." Frontwoman Angie Sugrim has the energy, presence, and personality of a full-on rockstar. GayGuy / StraightGuy drummer, Bob Paulos, filled in for the band and provided a healthy dose of thunder to the set.
I wasn't aware until Friday morning that Doug Gillard (formerly of Guided By Voices and Nada Surf) was also on the bill, and it was a nice surprise. I had no idea what a great guitar player Gillard is; and, backed by a drummer and bassist, he did the virtuoso thing all through his 10-song set. He played songs from past and future solo work and closed with a cover of GBV's "I Am a Tree," noting that singing and playing it at the same time was no easy task. He made it look very easy.
Buzzcocks took the stage a few minutes behind schedule, which wasn't really a problem except for the fact that I had plans to head over to Asbury Lanes for a 12:15 set from Lee Bains III. I settled in after the first song or two, though, and forgot all about the clock.
The band did a career-spanning set covering their 70s and 80s classics along with several songs off of 2014's The Way. As I said, I was right on the barricade. I felt a small surge at my back for most of the night, but things got much more personal during "Why Can't I Touch It." The people behind me began using my back to brace themselves against the push behind them, and one guy put his arm around me and kissed my shoulder when the song was over. There was never anything violent or bro-ish about it; and I, honestly, found it all very communal and fun.
During the encore, Steve Diggle reminded those of us who didn't already know that Friday was Pete Shelley's 60th birthday. We all joined in a rendition of "Happy Birthday," and the band followed with new song "In the Back." They then proceeded to rattle off a quartet of songs that Shelley had been performing since about the age of 22: "Harmony in my Head," "What Do I Get?" "Have You Ever Fallen in Love (with Someone You Shouldn'tve)?" and "Orgasm Addict." The place went nuts. My new friends were climbing up my back. When it was all over, we shook hands and high-fived. I headed to the Lanes.
Since seeing them perform at the "Home for the Summer" after-party in July, I'd been looking for another opportunity to catch Alabama's Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires. Their show is an all-out, sweat-soaked affair with Bains jumping down from the stage into the crowd throughout. Friday was no different.
The crowd at Asbury Lanes wasn't anywhere near as large as it was Post-Bouncing Souls on a summer weekend, but Bains and his band kept the needle in the red just the same. The live renditions of the southern-fried garage punk on the band's Dereconstructed LP are pure energy and emotion. And almost all of the band's songs have a political edge to them making clear that Bains holds a strikingly different set of opinions on many issues than what we Northeasterners perceive about many in his home state. I love it when rock music has something to say. That, paired with the commitment The Glory Fires show on stage, gets my blood -- and my fists -- pumping every time.
Photo stuff (for those of you who read this far and care): I used two cameras on Friday night. The shots at The Stone Pony were with my Panasonic Lumix LX7, an "advanced point and shoot" with a small 1/1.7" sensor but a very fast Leica 24-90mm, f1.4-2.3 lens. At Asbury Lanes, I used my Sony NEX-6 with its APS-C sensor and the Zeiss 24mm f1.8 lens. Totally different venues and lighting conditions -- and you can see the differences in quality -- but I'm impressed that the little Panny held its own against about $1500 worth of camera / lens. Love that thing. It's around $300 on Amazon if you're looking for a great little compact.
Anyway...
Pics. The rest are at Flickr.
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