Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
There are few things as irritating as bands that slag other groups from the stage. At the Offspring’s show Tuesday night at the Aragon, vocalist Dexter Holland repeatedly slammed the Spice Girls and took a couple of cheap shots at Guns N’ Roses as well as the youthful trio Hanson.
U2 started off its six-song encore with a mighty lemon drop – literally. Riding in the giant mirror ball, the musicians left more than a few fans wondering whether they might have a “Spinal Tap” moment and get stuck in the contraption. (They didn’t.) Rather than “Lemon” – the obvious choice – they played a slowed-down version of “Discotheque” that stripped the song of its oomph. Much better were the haunting ballads “With or Without You” and “One,” which closed the show.
“I think that the whole Bush-copying-Nirvana (thing) is totally full of – – – -,” said Chicago-based producer Steve Albini, who recorded Bush’s latest double-platinum album, “Razorblade Suitcase.”
Blur has always been a band that mainstream America just didnt get. Maybe it was vocalist Damon Albarn’s exaggerated accent or the quintessential British characters he likes to write about, but it seemed that Blur’s fate was to play to a small group of Anglophiles who adored them. That should change with their self-titled record, which was released last week. At their sold-out show at the Riviera Theatre Saturday night, the four-man group (supplemented by a keyboardist and a two-man horn section) went top heavy on cuts from Blur, which is the most accessible of their five albums. They gave their fans a deliriously fun 1-hour 40-minute set that had music, style and showmanship.
“I’m not a male,” Gwen Stefani said. You wouldn’t think that the willowy blonde would have to state the obvious. But as the frontwoman for No Doubt, which has the No. 1 album in America, she has grown used to speculation and innuendo. But even Stefani was surprised at the latest rumor being spread about her on the Internet: that she has too little body fat to be a woman and therefore must be a transsexual. “I have to work out all the time ’cause if I don’t I’d get really chubby,” said Stefani, 26. She tried to punctuate this point by scrunching up her black sweater – a present from Gavin Rossdale of Bush – and pinching her stomach “fat.” Her fingers had little to grasp.
Hating Bush has become such a cliche that it’s easy to overlook one thing: It’s a good band that writes solid music.
With so many cuts from “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” being played on the radio, it’s easy to forget how many memorable songs the Smashing Pumpkins have that are almost never heard. The five-CD singles/rarities box set “The Aeroplane Flies High” helps give many unheard gems a chance to shine.
With his saucer-sized eyes and wispy blond bangs, Kula Shaker vocalist-guitarist Crispian Mills didn’t look like he could cause much damage when his band made its Chicago debut Saturday night at the Double Door. But looks are deceiving. While Mills’ angelic face may be that of a pinup boy, the 23-year-old musician is a rightful heir to the rock-god throne. He is a frontman who oozes charisma and confidence, minus the arrogance. More importantly, Mills has a distinctive voice that is as capable of handling Far Eastern mantras as blues-based numbers.
It wasn’t that the Wallflowers were particularly physical performers. If anything, they remained as immobile on stage as Blues Traveler. However, their songs had variety and veered in tempo, and singer-guitarist-songwriter Jakob Dylan’s passionate delivery made each song spring to life. The Wallflowers are having their first taste of commercial success, thanks to their haunting hit single, “6th Avenue Heartache.” Their hourlong set included most of the songs on their latest album, “Bringing Down the Horse,” as well as a rocking cover of “Tears of a Clown.”
You wouldn’t expect to see fans doing the polka at a rock concert, but then again, Los Lobos isn’t just any old rock ‘n’ roll band. So when the East Los Angelenos kicked into a rowdy polka, Latin style, halfway through their sold-out concert Friday night at the Riviera, the fans followed suit by partnering up and actually dancing (rather than body surfing or slam dancing).