Tradewinds, Sea Bright, NJ..... Catherine Wheel exploded onto the music world in 1992 with a 7-minute rock opus called "Black Metallic." This song synthesized the dance-rock of the Stone Roses, the moody riffing of Sisters of Mercy, and the simplified indie coarseness of the Jesus & Mary Chain into one epic expression of loosely-opaque lyrics. Its effect was anthemic on the alt-rock crowd, still reeling in the months after "Smells Like Teen Spirit" has dashed previous anthems to splinters. The band recognized the power of returning to full volume after its 90-second breakdown section, which stripped everything down to drums plus a little lead guitar and vocal noodling. The crashing conclusion of this breakdown was the song's secret weapon, the stunning amendment to the dance-rock Constitution put forth by the Stone Roses and ultimately the missing ingredient to "Fools Gold." I never had a chance to see the band live during the years immediately fol...
Continental Airlines Arena, E. Rutherford, NJ..... Coming hot on the heels of an amazing new album, Achtung Baby , and with much advance chatter about the over-the-top multimedia design of the "Zoo TV" concerts, there was a lot of anticipation for this tour. This was my first time seeing U2 since the Hartford Civic Center in 1985, so I was greatly looking forward to the show. However, it was a Wednesday night, which sucked--I was doing the WHTG morning show, so I had to get up no later than 5am the following morning. But sleep issues notwithstanding, this show was unbelievable. The band performed at their usual inspirational level, and the multitude of video screens around the set provided an intriguing running commentary on and interaction with the music. Bono's preening before the onstage cameras when he came out dressed in his silver lame outfit was almost shocking--here was a guy who had built his reputation on earnestness, and he was suddenly playing the part of a ro...
Bailey Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY I first heard Echo & The Bunnymen on record when I got to college and stated working at WICB in the fall of 1984. I fell in love with the 1983 Porcupine LP, especially the two lead-off tracks, "The Cutter" and "The Back of Love." Oh, and the live version of "Do It Clean," on which frontman Ian McCulloch starts singing The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" during an instrumental break that DJ John Webber would often play on his "Radio Wave" show. This was my first opportunity to seeing Echo live. My strongest memory of the show is a brief but powerful moment halfway through the concert. McCulloch was smoking cigarettes on and off throughout the show. While he was in the middle of singing one song, he stuck his arm out behind him and to his left, fingers dangling down. A stagehand crept swiftly out from the wing and tucked a lit cigarette into his fingers. And without even a glance behi...
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