Ramblings of a Redhead Music Snob

9/5/07

So – I’m a few days late on this posting, but better late than never. Wednesday night I found myself at BB Kings in Times Square. Never having been to this venue, and more importantly, hearing negative things via friends, I was unsure of what to expect. You go down a flight of stairs, and turn the corner, and voila! you arrive in a pretty big room, a stage in the center with tables all around. I was then seated, but told the woman I’d not be eating dinner. So I found myself hanging out by the sound stage awaiting THE HOODOO GURUS.

Now heres a bit of a flashback. I’m not really _that_ old, albeit what some friends might tell you 😉 I tend to hang around with younger(ish) people. Is that even a word? Well actually it really varies – my friends are either closer to 40 or closer to 25. With a range in between. So depending who you ask, I just might be old. Back in highschool, around 1991 or so when the aforementioned Magnum Cum Louder came out, my friends and I were HUGE fans of the Hoodoo Gurus. And with a title like Magnum Cum Louder (I didnt make up the spelling), we were taken with them. Needless to say, hearing that the guys from Australia were hitting the states – I was NOT missing them. So I felt like I was reliving my highschool days.

The first band The Elms were supposed to come on at 8pm. Around 8:05 or so, a band takes the stage, and announces in their THICK Australian accents – ‘thank you for coming to the early show, we’re going to play a few songs and then come back for the late show’. It was then that it hit me, The Hoodoo Gurus were the f’ing opening act. Guess The Elms bailed or something, so instead of one set with the Hoodoo Gurus, I got 2.

The first set had some catchy songs, but the one that hit me was “Good Times”. Dancing around and singing along, I might have been back in high school at a high school dance singing along “All the good times we had we’ll have again. ” Oh yeah! that was so high school for me. And at that moment I knew I was in for a special treat.

The band left the stage, only to come back promptly at 9pm to give us the late night version. I was surprised how many people missed the openers. Im one of those few people who is insistent on seeing openers. Im convinced Im going to have my own Joy Division story. (or is that the Sex Pistols?). You know the story – the one where there were 20 people who showed up for the show. Yeah – those stories rock! Because at some point most of us have them. But its more amazing when the band blows up and you can say I saw them at xyz. So I was talking to some people around me, and everyone asked if it was true that The Hoodoo Gurus did the opening slot. You bet your ass they did. And yeah – of course I saw it.

The crowd was a much older crowd, I was probably one of the youngest people there. I was standing right in front of the bassist, Rick. The bass lines soared, lots of guitars, vocals that came and went, and some older guys who could rock out. Rick kept staring down at me, as the older guys around me would all start getting into it, dancing, jumping around. A smile would pass his lips, and I was in heaven. Some girls would try and push into me, to catch Rick’s look, but alas too bad for them. I wasnt the chick who was wearing near nothing, but looked presentable (in clothes that covered me) and wasnt too cool to not rock out.

My only disappointment was not hearing my favorite song “I Want You Back”. Around the 6th song “Come Anytime” (one of my favorite songs), it became ‘audience request time’. Apparently they are staples at BB Kings, and even remembered what they had played prior times.

and btw – for anyone interested. they are playing maxwells on sunday night.

oh and they ended with a friend of theirs, Keith?, coming up and playing a song they rehearsed (apparently incorrectly).

Set List
(lets all) turn on
down on me
domino
death-defying (apparently dave’s fav song that he ever wrote).
for the ladies (which they were not going to play because they played it last time at bb kings)
come anytime
*audience request*
*audience request*
poison pen
1000 miles away
axegrinder
what’s my scene?
miss freelove ’69
bittersweet
the right time
kamikaza pilot

the encores were left to us
i think the songs were arthur and good son?

*and for those who need more…. editors update coming later this weekend*