Post by lizardcat on Jan 2, 2010 22:24:46 GMT -5
Per Liz's request, I'm posting some memories of PiL shows from the early-mid-'80s. Hopefully, come spring I'll have seen a new show to compare them to!
I lived and breathed PiL in high school and college. The direction the band took in '85-ish kind of turned me off, so I didn't pay much attention to the later music. But I'll always have a soft spot for John Lydon, and I think the music from "my era" is nothing short of brilliant. Still sounds ahead of its time, 30 years down the road!
Anyhow, here are the shows I saw:
Oct. '82, The Channel, Boston: To my knowledge, this was PiL's first all-ages show in Boston, and it was a BIG event. My friends and I got down to the club in the late morning, and everyone just hung out like it was one big party til they opened the doors. The opening band was, IMHO, awful--they were called the Young & Useless, and I've since read that was the first iteration of the Beastie Boys. I'm glad they switched gears, because it was about the worst hardcore I'd ever come across.
Re the PiL show itself, I must confess that I'm not much of a setlist person (especially three decades later). I remember the show being pretty heavy on "Flowers of Romance," their most recent album at the time, but lots of stuff from the previous albums too. It was unlike any show I'd been to before. John rarely stood and sang into the microphone typical lead-singer style; for the most part he crouched by the edge of the stage and just peered at the audience. He seemed pretty relaxed and amused by all the hardcore antics. It was a very surreal experience: the swirling music and all these hardcore kids flying off stage with John Lydon huddled in the center. I was way up front, and I could hardly catch my breath--I'd been staring at posters of this guy every night for years, and now he was practically right next to me. My friends and I waited outside afterwards and ran after what we thought was PiL's car, but alas, they drove away....
March '83, 9 Lansdowne, Boston: PiL's next appearance in town, and this was NOT an all-ages show. That wasn't going to stop my friend and I, both of us just 17--someday I'll tell the bizarre and funny story of how we ended up inside. I can't say I remember much of the show per se. We didn't get in til about halfway through, and we were standing backstage. Sounds cool, but the sightlines were pretty bad. What struck me most is the VERY different vibe to this show. The crowd were adults, of course, and drinking heavily, and John was far less friendly to them. Lots more heckling (and heckling back). I believe this was a more typical PiL show from the era that you can now see on YouTube. As it turns out, this was one of Keith Levene's last shows (though I dont' think anyone knew it at the time), so I feel extra-lucky to have seen it.
Embarrassing confession here: I *believe* I saw PiL in Oct. '84 at the Ontario Theater in Washington, D.C. I have memories of John in striped PJ's and of standing outside the club after the show. Plus, I'd interviewed him for my college paper the week before AND the club was about a block from my apartment. So you think I would have went, right? Unfortunately, those were kind of the "lost years," and that's not the only event I don't remember clearly from that time...pretty sad!!
My last PiL show was July '86 at the Warner Theater in Washington, D.C. I really wasn't into their "new" music at this point but decided to give it one more try. Unfortunately, this venue had assigned seats, and I really wasn't into that--I always fought my way to the front at general admission shows--plus we were way in the back. I most remember the strains of "Kashmir" and being very confused by that! The show was likely not that bad, but I felt very disconnected, so it was overall it was not a memorable experience.
One thing that's surprised me when I read PiL reviews from the '90s is that they played Pistols songs. That never happened at the shows I saw. I don't think anyone would have dared to request any! The feeling was that the Pistols were the past and it was time to move on.
Hope you enjoy some of these recollections, scattered as they are!
I lived and breathed PiL in high school and college. The direction the band took in '85-ish kind of turned me off, so I didn't pay much attention to the later music. But I'll always have a soft spot for John Lydon, and I think the music from "my era" is nothing short of brilliant. Still sounds ahead of its time, 30 years down the road!
Anyhow, here are the shows I saw:
Oct. '82, The Channel, Boston: To my knowledge, this was PiL's first all-ages show in Boston, and it was a BIG event. My friends and I got down to the club in the late morning, and everyone just hung out like it was one big party til they opened the doors. The opening band was, IMHO, awful--they were called the Young & Useless, and I've since read that was the first iteration of the Beastie Boys. I'm glad they switched gears, because it was about the worst hardcore I'd ever come across.
Re the PiL show itself, I must confess that I'm not much of a setlist person (especially three decades later). I remember the show being pretty heavy on "Flowers of Romance," their most recent album at the time, but lots of stuff from the previous albums too. It was unlike any show I'd been to before. John rarely stood and sang into the microphone typical lead-singer style; for the most part he crouched by the edge of the stage and just peered at the audience. He seemed pretty relaxed and amused by all the hardcore antics. It was a very surreal experience: the swirling music and all these hardcore kids flying off stage with John Lydon huddled in the center. I was way up front, and I could hardly catch my breath--I'd been staring at posters of this guy every night for years, and now he was practically right next to me. My friends and I waited outside afterwards and ran after what we thought was PiL's car, but alas, they drove away....
March '83, 9 Lansdowne, Boston: PiL's next appearance in town, and this was NOT an all-ages show. That wasn't going to stop my friend and I, both of us just 17--someday I'll tell the bizarre and funny story of how we ended up inside. I can't say I remember much of the show per se. We didn't get in til about halfway through, and we were standing backstage. Sounds cool, but the sightlines were pretty bad. What struck me most is the VERY different vibe to this show. The crowd were adults, of course, and drinking heavily, and John was far less friendly to them. Lots more heckling (and heckling back). I believe this was a more typical PiL show from the era that you can now see on YouTube. As it turns out, this was one of Keith Levene's last shows (though I dont' think anyone knew it at the time), so I feel extra-lucky to have seen it.
Embarrassing confession here: I *believe* I saw PiL in Oct. '84 at the Ontario Theater in Washington, D.C. I have memories of John in striped PJ's and of standing outside the club after the show. Plus, I'd interviewed him for my college paper the week before AND the club was about a block from my apartment. So you think I would have went, right? Unfortunately, those were kind of the "lost years," and that's not the only event I don't remember clearly from that time...pretty sad!!
My last PiL show was July '86 at the Warner Theater in Washington, D.C. I really wasn't into their "new" music at this point but decided to give it one more try. Unfortunately, this venue had assigned seats, and I really wasn't into that--I always fought my way to the front at general admission shows--plus we were way in the back. I most remember the strains of "Kashmir" and being very confused by that! The show was likely not that bad, but I felt very disconnected, so it was overall it was not a memorable experience.
One thing that's surprised me when I read PiL reviews from the '90s is that they played Pistols songs. That never happened at the shows I saw. I don't think anyone would have dared to request any! The feeling was that the Pistols were the past and it was time to move on.
Hope you enjoy some of these recollections, scattered as they are!
