Black Rebel Motorcyle Club (BRMC)
The Cobbs
Eastern Conference Champions
First Avenue, May 22, 2007
Minneapolis, MN
Think of a setlist like a mixtape. Positioning and song choice will make or break a live show similiarly to how a mixtape featuring EXACTLY the right songs in EXACTLY the right order will make that 8th grade teenage girl instantly “get” you and fall madly in love with your acne-riddled self. Let’s just say it’s an excruciating rite that many practice but few have perfect
In the 16 months since they last hit Minneapolis, Black Rebel Motorcyle Club has learned a thing or two about setlists.
The L.A. rock group’s September 2005 show opened with southern delta-influenced material from the then-new album, Howl, before segueing into the older, Jesus & Mary Chain-influenced (i.e. rockin’ jams) portion of the set. We were aghast as the crowd literally yawned in unison during the Howl portion of the set, then promptly woke up and rocked out for material from the group’s first two albums.
Indeed, Howl was a colossal risk for a band with a solid fan base and easy-to-catalog sound, but BRMC pulled off a critic’s delight of an album with their traditional folk rock approach. And although the sound transferred easily to the live stage, and audience was 50/50 in their appreciation of an entire first set of acoustic material. To cut the b.s. here, they simply wanted to jump around and rock out.
However, this was NOT the case at Minneapolis’ legendary First Avenue last evening, as a near-capacity crowd welcomed BRMC’s triumphant return to the city of lakes.
The trio opened with “Took Out A Loan,” the opening track from the group’s new album, Baby 81, immediately achieved audience buy-in and proceeded to rock the energetic crowd for close to two hours. Not bad for 10:45 on a Tuesday.
As blistering, bluesy riffs met with oxidizing drum kicks and smoldering vocals, last night Black Rebel Motorcyle Club claimed a piece of the rock and roll sound for themselves. A swirling light show matched by mammoth strobes kept the audience stimulated as the band introduced a set rife with new material.
In our interview with Peter Hayes earlier this month, we suggested the new album truly ties together tracks of old with Hayes’s penchant for bluesy roots rock, and he agreed, “Especially when you consider that Baby 81 is louder. But from Day 1 we’ve been saying we’re big fans of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash (but everyone just kept saying Jesus and the Mary Chain).”
The rebel “Weapon of Choice” was by far the best track of the night, with “Killing the Light” a close second. But wait! You can’t have a mix tape without a slow and mellow bridge of songs towards the middle.
Luckily Hayes gave us a solo acoustic set featuring “Rising Tide” and “Devil’s Waitin’” — the perfect positioning for low-key folk rock before launching into a line of older BRMC favorites, although many less than their 2005 gig.
Philadelphia’s The Cobbs, of whom we have been hearing a lot about, started their set by announcing one of their moms died the evening prior. What a way to start a ho-hum set that had most of the room talking over the music.
Bucks County PA trio Eastern Conference Champions were our favorite of the two openers. We only saw them briefly at SXSW and since then have been enjoying their two new EPS. Our favorite song from the pulse-pounding set was “Noah” from their new EP, Home Away.
Overall, BRMC have quite the feather in their cap with Baby 81. It’s not only a superb album; its songs are sensational live. You can be sure our 8th grade girlfriend would have circled YES.
Watch our video of “Ain’t No Easy Way” at YouTube
More photos at Flickr
Follow BRMC’s tour at the Filter Magazine Tour Zine.
