Ah yes, reunion shows: the big, eternal question mark of rock 'n' roll. Can they still play? Will be as good as they were back in the day? Were they even really that good back in the day, or is your youth simply playing tricks on you? Do the songs still hold up now, even though you and they are x years older? Most importantly, do you go and find out or do you let everything just stay cool in your mind, untarnished by second shots at glory?
To be fair, the D Generation reunion was a safer bet than
most. In the years since the band's 1999
demise, I've seen singer Jesse Malin perform live about a million times; while
his singer-songwriter gig may not sound exactly like his former band, his chops
have only grown in the time away. I've also seen most of his former band mates
guest with him for a song or set here or there. Ability wasn't a
question, nor was the material: the
three albums and smattering of singles left behind by D Generation have never
strayed far from my music playback apparatus of choice in the past twelve
years. Really, there was only one unknown
quantity: would this be the explosive live act of yore, or would the band be
content to stand there and play.
For me, either would have been fine: we are all twelve years
older than the last time around after all.
Still, there was the question of my fiancée Rhea, who has listened to me
rave about how these guys were the best live band of the '90s bar none for more
years than we have been dating, let alone seriously committed. I've long since converted her to the cult of
Jesse Malin's equally distinguished solo career, but she'd never seen D Gen
before their implosion. In the back of
my head, I wondered if she'd be getting the full deal.
Lights down. The band
takes the stage in darkness. Malin steps
up to the microphone: "Has anybody
seen my boy?" The band blasts
into "Degenerated", their longtime set closer; hearing it used to
kick off the gig initially throws me for a loop, then makes perfect sense: WE ARE BACK, it screams. So they were: the next hour and a piece flew
by like it was nothing, one neglected classic after another resurrected,
brought comfortably into the present by a band who may be twelve years older,
but who haven't lost one iota of energy or unpredictability to time. Malin, Danny Sage, Richard Bacchus (both guitar),
Howie Pyro (bass), and Michael Wildwood (drums) - the lineup responsible for
the majority of the group's studio output - did the bit and then some, and the
fever-pitch crowd responded in kind. If
it's at all possible, we may all have shaved off at least a couple of those
twelve years that night.
Rhea's jaw hit the floor early and stayed there. By our car ride home, she was talking
excitedly about how she wished she'd found the band in their '90s heyday, about
what a welcome respite from grunge ennui and shoegazing disconnection they must
have been in their day. In many ways,
it's Rhea's reaction that counts; aside from wanting me to come away happy, she
had no emotional connection with D Generation before they took the stage. This band took a newcomer and made her a
believer in under ninety minutes. That's
no mean feat for any band, let alone one that has been in hibernation for
longer than they were around in the first place.
For me, the old die-hard, it was worth every minute of those
twelve years' wait and then some. I
can't tell you whether D Generation ever "got their due" or anything
like that - the world, as so many folks are fond of pointing out, is not a fair
place after all - but I can tell you that they were easily the best band of
their era for my money. I can also tell
you that they are the best band of 2011 for my money, and I really do love
speaking of them in the present tense once again, for however long it ends up
lasting.
That last subject is the focal point for quite a bit of
conjecture at the moment: a quick Google search tells me everything from they'll be doing an album in 2012 to these shows are it. Obviously, I'd be pleased as punch with the
former, but even if the latter turns out to be closer to the mark it does
nothing to negate the fact that this music that I've held so dear for so long
lived again, and did so in fine style, for one night in Manhattan. If you missed it, well, Malin did promise
another New York show before all is said and done in his stage banter; cross
your fingers. If you live in or near
California, go buy your tickets right now
for this weekend. Twelve years is a long
time to wait, you know.
Setlist (many
thanks to setlist.fm; I was way too in the moment to take notes.) Degenerated / She Stands There / Feel Like
Suicide / Guitar Mafia / Capital Offender / Cornered / Major / Working on the
Avenue / Helpless / Scorch / Stealing Time / Vampire Nation / Frankie / Waiting
for the Next Big Parade / Wasted Years / No Way Out
Why is it that the best shows of the whole year for the last two years running have happened at Irving Plaza? Cheap Trick (With my loves - Roger Manning and Jason Falkner)in 2010 and now this???
ReplyDeleteAll other bands might as well give up and go on vacation for the rest of the year. Most of them should watch some YouTube footage of the show to see how music's supposed to be done!
(While they're at it, they should also check out The Biters' set; that's how it's done for NEW bands today!)
As an aside, I must also mention that I love the vinyl change on your backsplash (or whatever you computer folks call the area around your blog).
Love you! Thanks for the show...