Monday, January 12, 1998
Unholy nights
MUSIC:
By Mike Prevatt and Michelle Zubiate
Daily Bruin Staff
While we were studying away the weekend before finals, over 20
popular alternative rock bands brought down the house at Universal
for two sold-out crowds, both seemingly made up of high-schoolers
in beanies and "South Park" shirts.
And, judging by the performances given, usually there was good
reason for the youthful audience to scream. Once again, KROQ (106.7
FM) threw their "Almost" Acoustic Christmas bash at the Universal
Amphitheater Dec. 5 and 6.
Friday night’s show seemed cursed at the start. Eagerly
anticipated acts like Bjork, Jamiroquai and The Verve canceled a
few days before, leaving KROQ to scramble for acts to replace them.
In addition to the already impressive line-up, the alt-rock station
added Blink 182, Rancid, No Doubt, Scott Weiland and Beck to the
roster, insuring that everyone in attendance would find something
to their liking.
For the second year in a row, Beck stole the show hands-down and
found himself garnering the loudest screams and sing-a-longs.
Throwing down the funkiest versions of "Devil’s Haircut," "The New
Pollution" and favorite "Loser," Beck proved he is the consummate
rock showman of the ’90s. The crowd roared approvingly as he jumped
about, rearranged the onstage decor and threw out props to the
various L.A. locations represented in the audience. Especially
entertaining was a falsetto-marked slow jam that Beck sang in
The-Artist-Formerly-Known-As-Prince-like fashion and the extended
version of
"Where It’s At," which ended with a long standing ovation. It
certainly ended the disappointment of The Verve’s cancellation.
The other repeat performer from 1996, Fiona Apple, also outshone
the other 10 acts on Friday night. Whether at her piano during the
enrapturing "Shadowboxer" or up-and-about during the
crowd-shrieking version of "Criminal," Apple struck an
audience-pleasing chord with her polished and convincing style.
Songs like "Sleep to Dream" and "Never is a Promise" displayed her
classy vocal talent, which, when coupled with her confrontational
lyrics, gave a confident, un-bashful tone that resonated among a
crowd clearly moved. Girls were seen crying in the seats during
"Promise," offering further evidence of Apple’s connection with her
listeners.
One surprise standout among the long list of talent was Orange
County’s latest success story, Blink 182. Between playful and
amusing banter that Beavis and Butthead would be proud of (huh-huh,
Blink 182 said "masturbation"), the So Cal trio blasted their way
through several two-minute-or-so catchy ditties that pleasingly
straddled the punk and pop fence.
The result was not always the same for the other Southern
California bands. No Doubt performed a half-assed set that had
everyone standing in the beginning, but as the show progressed,
many returned to their seats and quieted down a bit. Lead singer
Gwen Stefani couldn’t even get two-thirds of the crowd to sing
along during the hit "Just a Girl." There were screams, however,
when Stefani brought punk veterans the Vandals on stage, with one
band member jumping naked all over the place.
Smashmouth, the ska-punk outfit who had a hit with
"Walking on the Sun," bored the crowd with their uninspiring
set. The other ska-punk band, Rancid, gave a mediocre performance
that sounded more like reggae-rock than ska at times. At any rate,
the kids loved such faves as "Ruby Soho" and "Time Bomb."
The newly reunited Jane’s Addiction, fresh from playing
Universal just days before, closed the night with their atmospheric
alt-rock. The seminal L.A. band came across like the Doors for the
’90s with their crowd-grabbing poetic epics. However, lead singer
Perry Farrell’s mid-song monologues about youth and innocence was
lost among the audience looking for the guitars, unlike Beck’s
playful hip-hop-esque preachings. But Farrell did prove that he is
the charismatic leadman, whether it involved his distinct vocals,
his Coolio-like hair adorned in Christmas lights, or his
way-too-long French kiss with guitarist Dave Navarro.
The remainder of the acts ranged from mildly moving to boring.
Chumbawamba and the Sneaker Pimps suffered from opening the night
to mostly empty seats, save an entertaining version of
"Tubthumping" from the former. Matchbox 20 offered their melodic
yet somewhat restrained rock styles to a generally still crowd,
save their hits "3 A.M." and "Push." Sarah McLachlan warmed the
crowd with her easy-going, talented guitar pop, showing her playful
side but never reducing her music to a frivolous tone.
And for the disappointment of the night, Scott Weiland (of Stone
Temple Pilots) bored the socks off of a still grunge-reminiscent
crowd with his new Goth-lounge rock sound, crooning disjointed
songs earnestly but with so much schmaltz it drove attendees out to
the beer lines outside. Not even a version of STP’s "Vaseline"
could give the cross-dressed Weiland redemption from a generally
un-satisfying performance.
Saturday night’s show also had a powerful lineup that gave its
young audience the expected surge of electricity throughout almost
every set. The packed Universal Amphitheater witnessed the
well-known live talents of bands like the punk-pop driven Green Day
and the laid-back, reggae-influenced 311, which kept the crowd
soaring and singing along.
Others, such as trip-hop pioneers Portishead and Portland
rockers Everclear, known for their gifted abilities on the radio,
were ready to prove to Los Angeles that they were just as great
onstage. Most passed the test.
The two highlights of the show came from two singers that shared
a piece of themselves the MTV audience rarely encounters. For the
award for "Whitest Butt of the Year," there was an astonishing tie
between Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray and Green Day’s Billie Joe
Armstrong. However, their performances marked them as the best of
the night.
The loud adoring audience affirmed the success of Green Day’s
new album "Nimrod" and also sported a sense of humor as they put up
with Armstrong’s crap. It was good crap, however, and he got away
with all of it. In a short set he managed to throw almost
everything off the stage, including the over 10-foot Christmas
tree, and spray-painted "Green Day" and our favorite four-letter
word on the KROQ house. They also excited the crowd with the new
radio favorite "Hitchin’ a Ride," and the Gen X classic "Basket
Case."
For the younger generation, they were the important act that
night, giving a performance filled with surprises. Turn your head
for a second and Armstrong’s pants were off. His lovably unruly
attitude left all screaming for an encore. His answer was KROQ’s
new hit, the tender "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)."
Although 1997 alt-rock darlings Sugar Ray, popular for their
huge hit, "Fly, " might be forgotten next year and dismissed as
another one-hit wonder, they shone on Dec. 6. McGrath and company
proved that they had a lot of hidden talent behind songs such as
their opener "R.P.M." and "Speed Home California." But the set’s
comedy began when Mark bent over to put a guy on his shoulders and
managed to split open the pants of his velvet suit. His response:
"Thank God I have hair on my ass."
He ran through the crowd and barely made it back to stage alive,
but all his hijinks complemented the band’s obvious stage
presence.
Two of the first three bands were representatives of KROQ’s
Orange County-band contingency. The Aquabats and Save Ferris were
perfect examples of what one KROQ DJ described as "not only
performers but entertainers as well." In front of a decorated house
with the address "106.7," the Aquabats delivered their hilarious
trademark staged scenarios and hyperactive tunes. Save Ferris’
Monique Powell dazzled the crowd with her usual charm and vitality.
Their only flaw came at the end of their set when they introduced
their surprise special guests, ska veterans The Specials. A
surprise they were. Special? Not quite.
Veteran glam star David Bowie and those hard-rockin’
Pennsylvanians, Live, also offered great performances. Although a
lot of the crowd left during his performance, Bowie had the
remainder grasped in silent reverence. Live’s mesmerizing beats and
intriguing yet forceful vocals were ingredients for success. Both
Bowie and Live are already established hit-makers, thus their sets
were definitely worthy additions to the night.
Other bands, such as 311, Everclear, Portishead and Third Eye
Blind had their moments of fun as well, despite the notion that
they seemed to simply rehash the same material given at any other
show of the year. However, the evening was truly entertaining. Even
KROQ knows that sometimes it’s not enough to just hear it on the
radio.
MICHAEL ROSS WACHT
(Left) Live’s lead singer Ed Kowalczyk reaches out at KROQ’s
"Almost" Acoustic Christmas. (Above) Bass player Flea plays as part
of the newly reunited seminal ’80s band, Jane’s Addiction.MICHAEL
ROSS WACHT
Bass player Flea is part of the newly reunited Jane’s
Addiction.