Friday, February 20, 1998
Stage is this group’s playground as it turns in top-notch
performance
MUSIC: Opening act Lincoln sets perfect tone for New York-based
band
By Vanessa VanderZanden
Daily Bruin Staff
It’s as simple as a poppies. It’s as sweet as sex and candy.
It’s as innocent as a romp on Marcy Playground.
Wednesday night, the New York-based band, whose single, "Sex and
Candy," has topped the modern rock charts for nine weeks now, took
its basic beats and rolling rhythms to the Troubadour. The
hour-and-a-quarter-long set ran as smoothly as any Los Angeles
headlining debut could, the young group performing like seasoned
professionals. Only the slick warm-up act, Lincoln, experienced any
kind of panic.
The opening musicians alluded to the fact, late in their set,
that the guitarist laying down chords wasn’t a Lincoln standard.
The original player had to drop out of the performance at the
eleventh hour, leaving the talented New York band to call on the
only Angeleno they knew. Luckily for Lincoln, he just happened to
be a guitarist with the capacity to fill in at the sold-out
performance.
But the crowd of twentysomething KROQ listeners in sharp leather
jackets and relaxed fit jeans would never have been able to tell
the difference. Lincoln’s lead singer set the mellow mood with his
well enunciated, bluesy-twang voice, Krishna-style blouse and
shaved head. Going for the L.A. look, he of course accessorized
with a pair of sunglasses.
Humbly throwing out praise for Marcy Playground at every chance
he could, Lincoln’s lead singer offered the perfect warm-up vibe.
The band played their steady-paced melodies with as much confidence
as the comfortable sounding headliners. Offering uncomplicated
tunes at a down-to-earth level, Lincoln provided Marcy Playground
with the appropriate lead-in.
By the time singer/songwriter John Wozniak led his bassist and
drummer on stage, the calm crowd had packed the floor. To the
audience’s delight, Marcy Playground started off with their first
big radio release, "Poppies." Undaunted by the tremendous amounts
of people filling the tight, road house-style club, Wozniak hit
every note with tranquil precision.
Almost as though they were playing the songs in their own
basement, the casual performers seemed as comfortable in front of a
crowd as by themselves. Yet they never appeared oblivious to the
presence of the audience, able to shine as a result of their fans’
attention. And, though they mostly just kept to their designated
space on stage, foregoing any kind of heavy metal superstar antics,
Wozniak’s self-aware dancing eyes and knowing smiles spoke to the
crowd.
Wozniak kept his lyrics coherent at every turn, realizing that
the words really do matter. While some bands rely on catchy tunes
and unintelligible choruses, much of Marcy Playground’s appeal
comes in the well-written tales they tell. For instance, who
wouldn’t want to hear the words to "Vampires of New York," which
rattles off, "Or maybe she’s already/ dead and maybe she’s/ gone to
Mars/ Maybe we could even/ write her epitaph in the/ stars."
When this song in particular came on, the crowd went crazy.
Wozniak read the audience’s whims to include an extended
sing-a-long chorus which he abruptly dropped, deciding against it a
second later. His ability to play to the audience spoke well of his
performing skills.
Wozniak even alluded to an era of dorkiness in an entirely
non-self-deprecating way when he introduced "A Cloak of Elvenkind."
The performer asked the crowd, "Do we like wood nymphs and lizards
and dragons and magic books? Well, I wrote this song when that was
all I knew."
In a sharp contrast to this nostalgic childhood piece, the band
moved on to its meal card song of the moment, "Sex and Candy."
Opening the seductive tune by admitting, "I know you know this
one," Wozniak led the half-singing audience through the overplayed
radio song with grace and style. Even though the band members must
be tired of rehashing the work at every stage performance, they
never let on.
However, Wozniak smoothly followed up the familiar tune with a
new song, written for his wife. And, though the piece probably had
been performed many times in the past, Wozniak seemed to truly feel
the lyrics in the performance. Singing "All the nights … she was
all that I needed" after introducing the work saying, "Mad props to
the wife," Wozniak appeared to be feeling the toll road life takes
on the emotions.
In a moment of spontaneity, Wozniak asked the crowd for
requests, and when someone suggested Lynyrd Skynyrd’s "Free Bird,"
he fooled around with the "Sweet Home Alabama" riff. Turning to the
bassist with a grin, Wozniak said, "You want to do it?" The
response seemed less than intrigued. "You don’t want to do it, that
just makes me want to," Wozniak proclaimed to the crowd’s
delight.
Soon, they broke into the down-home-style, hard-rockin’ tune.
Yet, Wozniak maintained his vocal crispness, playing the piece
Playground style. Apparently, this was only the third show the band
played the cover, the time in Birmingham being so pumped it made
them "feel like wrestlers."
Wozniak offered a goofy, self-knowing wink when he claimed
"Secret Squirrel" will be the band’s last song, suggesting they
just might do an encore. The jamming piece, also a previously
unheard song, allowed the group to rock out before leaving the
stage. But of course, they came back for two more tunes.
The first of the songs had the drummer smoking a cigarette, not
really in defiance of the new non-smoking laws, but more just
because he seemed to want one. After all, Marcy Playground is a
group of mama’s boys, which Wozniak didn’t attempt to hide,
dedicating the second song to his mom who was somewhere in the
crowd. It too was a new work, titled "Teenage Hypochondriac."
Yet, the best part of the show clearly came in the final tune,
which had Wozniak singing a cappella into the mic. Sounding like a
religious ditty, the sweet, smooth piece showcased Wozniak’s
amazing singing capacity. He had the crowd repeating the line,
"Good night" after him, offering the best closing to a show that
many had seen in years.
EMI Records
(Left to right) Dylan Keefe, John Wozniak and Dan Reiser are
Marcy Playground.