RTP-area local music and culture

[djgolf AT mindspring.com]

Good things about the G04 show in DC last Fri night...

- Another in what seems to be a continuing series of tight, energetic,
thoroughly bracing "reunion" performances by aging groups (i.e. Mission
of Burma, Wire, Devo, Pixies.)  Jon King is still a bundle of energy
onstage, and Andy Gill is still my personal guitar hero, and Dave Allen
was the master of the thunder broom when Mike Watt was still pogoing at
hardcore shows in LA.

- Set drew mostly from the "Entertainment" and "Solid Gold" lp's, two
records that may even be more relevant now than they were in '80-'81.

- Being in the nation's capital to hear a band sing the lines "In this
land, right now/Some are insane, and they're in charge."

- Sound was good for a venue that size.

- Big, enthusiastic crowd that knew the words to all the songs (except
the one off of "Shrinkwrapped.")

- Hotel accidentally gave us a free night.

- We got to shop at IKEA on the way back.  (Help me as to whether this
constitutes irony.)

Bad things about said show...

- Second-hand smoke, and lots of it.  Thank every god in the book for
the Cradle's smoke-free policy.

- Opening band Radio 4, who sounded way too mid-80's neo-disco post-new
wave (what little snippets of their studio stuff I'd heard weren't bad.
Oh well.)

- 9:30 bar: home of the $7 Amstel Light.

- Not that I have a lot of moral ground to stand on in this particular
area, but Hugo Burnham might have tried some Ultra Slim-Fast before
going out on tour.  Or maybe Atkins or something.  Like I said, not
that I have room to talk, but I'm also not asking 1000 people to pay
$25 each to watch me for an hour every night.

Minor complaints all, except for the smoke thing.  You'd think people
old enough to like Go4 would know better.

Set list (order may be slightly off...)

Return the Gift
Not Great Men
I Parade Myself (off of "Shrinkwrapped")
Ether
Natural's Not In It
Paralysed
What We All Want
Why Theory?
Anthrax
He'd Send In the Army
At Home He's a Tourist
To Hell With Poverty

encore #1...
We Live As We Dream, Alone
Damaged Goods

encore #2...
I Found That Essence Rare
Sweet Jane (yes, Sweet Jane.  They used to encore with this way back
when too.)

Devo shows at 9:30 were just announced for August.  I'm not going if I
have to breathe smoke for 2 hours.

dj golf