Bowery
Ballroom
April 1 1999
(Online review collage...)
program for the final set:
Pauline Oliveros: “Six for New Time (for Sonic Youth)”. 6 min. Yoko
Ono: “Voice Piece for Soprano”. 15 sec... Takehisa Kosugi: “+/-”. 7
min. James Tenney: “Having Never Written a Note for Percussion”. 9 min.
John Cage: “Four 6”. 30 min.
Not surprisingly, it was all incredible. I thought it was one of the
most excellent shows I've seen them do in a long time.
Lee opened... did a long poembacked by Steve and Willie Winant on drums,
Leah Singer’s projections of giant movie screen . He was reading his
poems from notes and making incredible sounds from his guitar. never
did i see anything so beautiful. i want to hear him unplugged. no really.
that's all i could think of as he sang a mesmerizing version of ‘wish
fulfilment’.
I thought all the pieces were excellent, especially the Kim/Olive/Mori
piece: Kim was backed by turntable artist DJ Olive and Ikue Mori playing
drum machines. She really sang, and showed a great vocal range unlike
anything I have heard on SY stuff. (I love when Kim used a toy raygun
against her guitar with a flanger! A simple idea I never thought of
that can make a lot of sounds... I'm stealing that one!). . i love kim.
i adore kim. i put all her sy album tracks on one cdr.
The most special part, to me, was when Thurston played...Kim came into
the audience to watch...then, Steve came up to the side of the stage
also, like just another fan...finally, Lee walked by, to get into the
audience as well. It is just great that, after all these years, they
really seem to appreciate each other's music. Thurston (backed by drums)
was dazzling with the speed with which he played and with the sounds
he generated. THURSTON. watching thurston play is... is... GOD, where's
my cigarette?
The final set, with all of SY and Jim O'Rourke, Takehisa Kosugi and
William Winant, was so beautiful and inspiring. I thought of the "New
Music Performances", the James Tenney, Cage and Yoko pieces worked the
best (the Ono piece was hilareous!). I thought they worked well in the
context of SY's guitars and the other musician's instruments. I thought
it was cool to see a lot of audience members laughing in appreciation
to the pieces, because a lot of them are funny. No one seemed to have
an oppressive, serious vibe (especially the players! Hahaha. It was
cool to see a lot of people in the audience really digging it -- although
not everyone -- I think SY and members still have the power to polorize
audiences with their stuff.
If they did indeed record these for an SYR release, I hope they use
all the audience banter and laughing on the recording... it will give
it this weird/annoying edge I think. And the Cage piece should definately
include that ruckus/argument started by that kid near the front - Cage
would have LOVED that! (maybe SY paid him! Haha!)
I've seen SY many many times live and they always continue to blow me
away with their live performances....yeah.
Subject: Bowery Ballroom last night
From: Christina Buck
Date: Fri, Apr 2, 1999 12:55 PM
Incredible show, however, the music/vibe was a bit depressing and dark.
Thanks to Lee for performing 'Wish Fulfillment'. Kim and Ikue Mori and
DJ Olive were brilliant, too bad all the indie boys looked bored and
impatient, waiting for Thurston to come on stage. Open your minds, boys,
you are missing some fucking amazing music. Thurston rocks, as usual,
so fun to watch him play, the guitar is simply a part of him.
And the final set, with all of SY and Jim O'Rourke and William Winant
and others, was so beautiful and inspiring.
The one annoying thing of the night was Sean Lennon positioning himself
on stage, by the door to backstage. Why couldn't he stand in the audience
like all the other famous rockers?
I've seen SY many many times live and they always continue to blow me
away with their live performances....yeah.
xina
Subject: April 1 Bowery Ballroom show - early report
From: (BobD106400)
Date: Fri, Apr 2, 1999 2:14 AM
I could not stay to see the band as a whole, but saw Lee, Kim and Thurston
do solo sets. Not surprisingly, it was all incredible. Lee did a long
poem backed by Steve on drums, video screen and one other musician (behind
the screen). He was reading his poem from notes and making incredible
sounds from his guitar. Kim was backed by a turntable artist and I believe
a keyboard player. She really sang, and showed a great vocal range unlike
anything I have heard on SY stuff. The most special part, to me, was
when Thurston played...Kim came into the audience to watch...then, Steve
came up to the side of the stage also, like just another fan...finally,
Lee walked by, to get into the audience as well. It is just great that,
after all these years, they really seem to appreciate each other's music.
Thurston (backed by drums) was dazzling with the speed with which he
played and with the sounds he generated.
I apologize if I have not provided song titles, names of accompanying
artists, or any other important info, but I've done my best. By the
way, the show was taped by a guy who was front and center, and the use
of cameras was not discouraged at all. Everything I saw and heard was
a treat. I look forward to hearing other comments about the show.
Subject: Re: April 1 Bowery Ballroom show - early report
From: Logan5@ix.netcom.com
Date: Thu, Apr 1, 1999 12:54 PM
I really enjoyed the show a lot. I thought it was one of the most excellent
shows I've seen them do in a long time. I have to say I really like
shows like this, and am less and less interested in their "rock" or
whatever material. I thought all the pieces were excellent, especially
the Kim/Olive/Mori piece (I love when Kim used a toy raygun against
her guitar with a flanger! A simple idea I never thought of that can
make a lot of sounds... I'm stealing that one!). And Lee/Leah's and
T/W/T's performances were really quality too. And I thought of the "New
Music Performances", the James Tenney, Cage and Yoko pieces worked the
best (the Ono pieces were hilareous!). I thought they worked well in
the context of SY's guitars and the other musician's instruments (did
Takehisa seem upset or bitter to anyone else?) I thought it was neat
and cool to see a lot of audience members laughing in appreciation to
the pieces, because a lot of them are funny. No one seemed to have an
oppressive, serious vibe (especially the players! Hahaha!) like at a
DJSpooky show or something. It was cool to see a lot of people in the
audience really digging the whatever it was. Although not everyone -
I think SY and members still have the power to polorize audiences with
their stuff - it would have been cool if a boo-ing contest/riot had
broken out! THAT would have been something to record! If they did indeed
record these for an SYR release, I hope they use all the audience banter
and laughing on the recording... it will give it this weird/annoying
edge I think. And the Cage piece should definately include that ruckus/argument
started by that kid near the front - Cage would have LOVED that! (maybe
SY paid him! Haha!) I remember afterward I walked over to Linda Simpson's
party for her new play at Lucky Cheng's and I was explaining the concept
of the Ono and Cage pieces to Girlina and her and her friends and they
were really digging it.
Anyone going to see Ryoji Ikeda's show at ExperimentalIntermedia tonight?
Subject: thoughts on 4/1
From: f o r m i n g
Date: Fri, Apr 2, 1999 2:41 AM
lee opened... never did i see anything so beautiful. i want to hear
him unplugged. no really. that's all i could think of as he sang a mesmerizing
wish fulfilment. kim's act was dissapointing. i love kim. i adore kim.
i put all her sy album tracks on one cdr. i know there's a current debate
going on about kim's "rocking" ability. kim doth not rock the house
tonite.
THURSTON. watching thurston play is... is... GOD, where's my cigarette?
oh, by the way. who was videotaping the whole show? that guy with the
collosal camera on thurston's side? i NEED to see what you saw. i was
only a few feet away... but an entirely different perspective.
fucking punk wrecked the last part of the instrumental set. he came
bounding up to the front along with the female vocalist from Prick Decay
and attempted to start a communal mosh. tired and discouraged by our
indifference to his ape act, he dropped down on the floor behind me.
he stayed still for all of two minutes. in the middle of "cage 4^6"
(half hour long double quartet) a plastic bottle came wizzing past my
head towards lee. it missed him, but he was jolted. then the retard
started his "i'm a punk. you don't have a clue propaganda."
anyway, i applaud all of you who were near him, cuz you had the self-restraint
not to beat him senseless. if i were a boy, i would not have been so
good.
Subject: Bowery Ballroom show
From: anastasios kozaitis
Date: Fri, Apr 2, 1999 2:36 PM
I'm with Christina. I thought Kim's set rocked. Kim and Thurston's sets
respectively were incredible.
In KG's set, I thought the work of DJ Olive is excellent as was Ikue
Mori. But, DJ Olive's reggae beats were BAD. DANG!
Thurston. Can't say more than that.
But, perhaps, the deal of the night was Takehisa Kosugi. His music was
so spiritual. So deeply imbed in our inner consciousness. He's got the
inside track to the sublime. I was blown away by how the techno-noise
of the city is one in the same as the sublime soundtracks of our minds.
The show was cathartic.