Monday, January 6, 1997
CONCERT:
Seventh annual bash, though entertaining, lacked sense of
daringBy Mike Nazarinia and Mike Prevatt
Daily Bruin Contributors
KROQ’s two Seventh Annual Acoustic Christmas shows may have been
less than acoustic and occasionally less than daring in its line-up
choices. Still, the six-hour shows provided more than enough
entertainment for the teens and twenty-somethings looking to blow
off steam from finals or catch an all-star roster of alternative
acts that only KROQ can provide.
In accordance with the female-dominated year in alternative
rock, the first night boasted an all-female line-up for the first
time, with acts like Tori Amos, Fiona Apple and Garbage stealing
the show. The second, rowdier evening showcased the station’s other
most popular acts of 1996 Â Beck, 311, and Bush, among
others.
In a year where women made an unprecedented impact on the
airwaves and the rest of the new music out there seemed anything
but earthshaking, it was refreshing to see a KROQ Almost Acoustic
Christmas devoted to the double X chromosomes.
The seventh annual affair began with a warm-up performance by
Joan Osborne and really got swinging with the extraordinarily
approachable Poe. Set to a rooftop backdrop with Santa in his
sleigh, Poe took the stage with the sort of energy not usually seen
by contemporary artists anymore. At one point, she even did a stage
dive into the Universal Amphitheater pit, and actually crowd-surfed
in her best imitation of early ’90s rock bands.
In what was probably the highlight of the evening, 19-year-old
Fiona Apple of New York took to the stage and took over the crowd
with a combination of her seductive stage moves and fragile
demeanor. Her pipes were amazingly soulful and seemed entirely from
her heart. It’s no wonder that she has amassed such a loyal
following on the West Coast.
Jewel showed off her stage savvy by getting the crowd excited
with her superior yodeling skills. The crowd greeted her warmly
and, when she finally left, wanted an encore.
Self-proclaimed Swedish indie-pop sensations the Cardigans,
however, seemed a little out of place on stage, where their warm
and friendly sound didn’t transmit live nearly as well as it does
on record. The crowd was obviously pleased with their radio-staple
"Lovefool," though, and grooved along with the disco tune.
Another misfit, Sheryl Crow, was probably on the bill because
she represents the artist of the bunch that is "alternative" enough
for adult contemporary stations and so KROQ as well. Nothing
against Crow, but her style just isn’t as unusual as someone like
Tori Amos. The same could be said of Sarah McLachlan and Natalie
Merchant as a solo artist.
McLachlan has an amazingly smooth voice that can hit the high
notes with careful precision, but her songs are slow and mellow,
which is probably what KROQ had in mind when it first came up with
the idea for the Acoustic Christmas.
But the crowd had definitely come for Seattle’s Garbage and Tori
Amos. When Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson took to the stage,
Garbage kicked into the night’s most energetic performance with
stunningly fresh versions of songs that have saturated the
airwaves, including "No. 11 Crush" and "Stupid Girl."
Tori Amos was her usual captivating self, starting out her set
with a slowed-down version of R.E.M.’s "Losing My Religion" and
displaying her unique musical talent on the giant piano. "Cornflake
Girl" was another highlight of an unusually short set.
By the time Natalie Merchant made it to the stage, about a third
of the crowd had left, which was a shame because her set included
Poe and McLachlan for the encore, with Poe doing the old break
dancing move, the back spin. Mechant ended the set with a version
of the 10,000 Maniacs’ "These Are Days" that lasted for about 12
minutes.
All in all, the evening was a jolly good time even if it was
hyped as girlie night. Many charities received a healthy sized
check from the evening’s proceeds. If one thing could be said about
night No. 1, it would be the fact that this night’s show might be a
blueprint for a girlie tour for ’97. If that’s the case, then
Garbage should be the headliner.
If there was any one concert to represent the current status and
continuing direction of "alternative" music, it was the second
night of KROQ’s "Almost Acoustic" Christmas show Dec. 14 at the
Universal Amphitheater.
In years past, the indoor festival of modern rock acts showcased
acoustic performances, including Hole, Oasis, and the Cranberries.
Nowadays, KROQ seems intent on grabbing whomever pleases the fans
most and letting them get away with "plugging in," renaming the
show "Almost Acoustic."
This was never more evident than on Dec. 14. With the exception
of an acoustic guitar in Cake’s performance and a harmonica solo
from Beck, there was not one acoustic element to the show.
This didn’t necessarily make the show bad. As a matter of fact,
despite the number of "one-hit wonders" performing that KROQ gives
endless airtime to, the six-hour alterna-fest provided ample
entertainment and consistent talent.
The night’s highlight act was clearly the ever-eccentric Beck.
The first act to get the audience on its feet, Beck performed songs
from his latest album "Odelay," the critic’s pick of 1996, as well
as old favorites like the crowd-fave "Loser." Beck, donned in all
white and sporting a yarmulke, thrilled the crowd with his role as
the night’s court jester, acting out the whole pseudo-rapper
schtick flawlessly.
On the other side of the spectrum, Orbital proved you don’t need
a flashy personality to woo an audience. Only known to the
fifteen-something crowd for their breakthrough dance hit "The Box,"
Orbital dazzled the audience with their impressive three-song set.
While "The Box" and their second song, "Satan," didn’t make
everyone in the house dance, Orbital did entrance all watching with
an audio-visual onslaught of dizzying lights, booming music and
artistic video images.
They ended their set with "Halcyon," which finally got the crowd
up, moving and screaming with its lyrical excerpts from Belinda
Carlisle’s "Heaven is a Place on Earth" and Bon Jovi’s "You Give
Love a Bad Name."
The more frivolous 311, the new KROQ fave, went beyond the
night’s "one-hit wonder" theme and got the crowd bouncing with
their 45-minute set, mixing in hits like "Down" (KROQ’s No. 1 song
for 1996) and "All Mixed Up" with older songs like the mosher
anthem "Do You Right." The consistency of the crowd approval
stemmed from great musical showmanship, especially their explosive
rhythm section.
Bush, the hugely popular English band, headlined with their
style of grunge rehash. The pre-teen girls were screaming for lead
singer Gavin Rossdale before Bush even stepped on stage. Once the
light shone on Rossdale, the audience let forth the night’s most
deafening scream.
Bush mainly played songs from their new album, "Razorblade
Suitcase," and older hits. Rossdale played the role of the ’90s
tortured rock star, giving his persona full effectiveness with
"Glycerine" and "Swallowed."
However, though undeserving of their "critic whipping boy"
status with their solid live presence, their music still drones
between their hits, marking the hour-long performance with nothing
awful but nothing special either.
Cake received audience approval with their cover of Gloria
Gaynor’s "I Will Survive" and their alterna-hit "The Distance." The
Eels provided a fresh performance, thanks to lead singer E’s
offbeat personality and a purely entertaining live presence.
Republica failed to excite the crowd, despite screams during the
oprining riffs of their hit, "Ready To Go." And the Presidents of
the United States, while charismatic, won the award for the night’s
Most Banal Performance. Except for a reworked version of "Lump" and
crowd fave "Peaches," PUSA’s songs all blended together in one
sub-average, power-pop mess that bored most of the crowd.
"Almost Acoustic" Christmas proved one thing: KROQ is scared to
test its audience. Fearing that it would not approve of acoustic
sets, and relying on others with sometimes only one hit to their
name, KROQ shows it isn’t paving the way for music’s future, save
Beck and Orbital, who offered glimpses of what potential
alternative music can offer the future.
KROQ sought crowd excitement and fun performers to keep their
decreasing listenership from falling any further, and they
succeeded beautifully in that respect. From the entertaining likes
of 311, the Eels and Cake, to the crowd sing-alongs of No Doubt’s
"Just a Girl" and the Cardigans’ "Lovefool" that were played during
set changes, KROQ provided their listeners with exactly what they
wanted.
Yet with the crowd reactions to Orbital and Beck, hopefully KROQ
will realize that its audience is ready for bands whose fresh
sounds will stand the test of time.
SHAWN LAKSMI
Beck blew the other acts away on the second night of KROQ’s
Almost Acoustic Christmas last month.SHAWN LAKSMI
The always quirky and captivating Tori Amos played at the first
night of KROQ’s annual Christmas concert.SHAWN LAKSMI
Young newcomer Fiona Apple showcases her extraordinary talents
in concert.SHAWN LAKSMI
311 rocked the crowd at KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas Dec.
14.