Monday, January 11, 1999
KROQ eclectic rocks, lets down fans
MUSIC: Annual two-day concert makes splash with talent, though
dulled by lackluster performances
By Brent Hopkins and Michelle Zubiate
Daily Bruin Staff
As a reflection of contemporary musical tastes, one concert
during the holiday season brought together the good and terrible of
1998. KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas proved that the year
remained a true mixture of fun, mayhem and some real talent.
With a vast range of styles – from the breezy, offbeat stylings
of Barenaked Ladies to the screeching fury of Hole – it was hard to
find a common link between the eight alternative acts that took the
stage of the Shrine Auditorium on Dec. 11. Although the first
night’s line-up paled in comparison to the talent-rich second
evening, the diverse roster of bands did manage a few
highlights.
Beginning with the throwback-sound Cardigans, the evening kicked
off on a promising note. Nina Persson’s voice soared radiantly
above Peter Svensson’s hard-driving guitar, making an impressive
performance during their far-too-brief set.
After a scant 15 minutes, they were gone, replaced by ska-sters
Reel Big Fish. RBF was catchy with blaring horns and hyperactive
guitar paving the way to another abbreviated performance. They
offered a cover of A-Ha’s ’80s fave "Take On Me," far removed from
the original and mighty entertaining to listen to.
RBF disappeared quickly as well, replaced by Canadian quintet
Barenaked Ladies whose bizarre moments of medleys from Puff Daddy
to "My Heart Will Go On" remained one the evening’s highlights.
Next up was San Diego’s Blink 182. Mark Hoppus, bassist and
vocalist, offered a bit of insight on the band’s status during its
tenure on the revolving stage.
"Yes, it’s true, we are the worst band on the bill tonight," he
said, hitting the nail on the head. The punk trio was terrible,
bringing pubescent fans to their feet, but leaving the rest of the
audience cold.
Speeding along, the evening continued with an understandably
uneven performance by Sugar Ray. Midway through its set, singer
Mark McGrath interrupted his attempt at cheeriness, explaining that
a close friend had died in car accident earlier that day. Visibly
shaken throughout the rest of the performance, McGrath dedicated
the band’s ubiquitous hit "Fly" in memory of his friend and tried
to continue, with mixed results. Though his uncertain vocals didn’t
lend much to the music, McGrath cannot be blamed for not being on
top of his game. However, Hole, the following act, can be.
Courtney Love, poured into tight pants and a halter-top,
threatened Blink 182 for the honor of "most irritating" with her
sneering struts about the stage. Love’s prima donna act was well
received by some fans, but generally came across as obnoxious.
Aside from a furious performance of "Doll Parts," Hole failed to
impress.
Though the stage had been monopolized by uninspiring acts for a
while, the 10:05 appearance of the Offspring, ushered in by
alterna-icon Billy Idol, set things straight. Singer and guitarist
Dexter Holland shredded his way through an energetic catalog of
eight songs, mostly taken from the band’s older tunes. Pogoing up
and down like an excited teenager, Holland breathed life into the
fans, who danced so furiously the balcony began to shake.
A cover of Devo’s "Whip It," spiced up by Noodles’ stingingly
precise guitar, was flawlessly performed, complete with dancing
elves in S&M outfits. By the time they reached their obligatory
single "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)," spiced up with a guest
appearance by Vanilla Ice, nearly the entire audience was on its
feet, erasing the void that Hole had left. Offspring’s hard-driving
set seemed to be the perfect cap to the evening, ending a night of
mostly disappointing offerings on a high note.
Unfortunately, one band remained, the thrash-happy Korn. Its
performance began well, with a 13-piece Scottish bagpipe ensemble
making its way through the crowd and onto the stage, treating fans
to some quality music. Tragically, fans had to listen to Korn
shortly after. In a showing that can only be described as horrible,
the Bakersfield quintet battered the audience senseless with a
crunch of guitars, interrupted by croaked lyrics from frontman
Jonathan Davis.
Had KROQ selected a more charismatic bunch than Korn to top
things off, the evening would have been a success. Instead, it was
a string of disappointments with a few shining moments tossed
in.
Night Two started off in much the same way as Night One, where a
string of uninspiring sets almost dampened the concert’s promise.
The last four acts, however, including the incredible stylings of
Depeche Mode, more than made up for the dragging spirit of the
first half.
Cake and Soul Coughing remained the two bands of the evening’s
line-up who entered with great expectations but failed to produce
impressive results. The audience, however, probably knew that its
was not going to get what it expected when Cake entered the stage
wearing cowboy hats. Although songs such as "Going the Distance"
and "Never There" have recently become KROQ staples, they remained
the only two songs to inspire any sort of excitement during a set
of dry monotonous numbers.
Soul Coughing also proved that it has some noteworthy beats but
cannot create some unique sounds beyond picks such as "Circles."
Both bands adequately stick to what they can do best but need to
deviate from their stale formulas before they can bring down a
thrill-thirsty crowd of teenagers.
Bon Jovi wannabes The Goo Goo Dolls and Semisonic held a
relatively middle ground. Both sets retained moments of great
guitar hooks and sing-alongs but didn’t stand out as bands with
awe-inspiring talent.
The tide turned the moment Stray Cats veteran Brian Setzer and
his orchestra entered the stage and immediately began to thrill the
crowd with his swing and rockabilly style that never seems to lose
its touch. The adorable middle-aged members of the orchestra jived
and synchronized hip movements along to hits such as "Rock This
Town" and "Jump Jive and Wail" as Setzer added an impressive
electric edge with his own guitar. As energetic as any young
person, Setzer proved that he still has the beat running through
his veins and can win a crowd over with only a couple of notes.
The night got better with every set as Garbage took the stage
with a set that both lasted forever yet didn’t seem long enough.
Shirley Manson’s own charm, charisma and immense talent could
overwhelm a crowd alone, but combined with amazing danceable beats
and sweet instrumentals the Shrine could hardly contain itself. New
songs (such as "Paranoid" and "Special") combined with old hits
("Stupid Girl" and "Number 1 Crush") developed a set that remained
both as sexy and intoxicating as it was pure fun. And there
remained two more acts.
The Smashing Pumpkins remain one of the most amazing bands of
the ’90s, and after witnessing Billy Corgan’s solo appearance, it’s
easy to see where the source of talent lies. Although his voice is
often criticized as lacking compared to his skills of songwriting,
the night proved that he could excel even for just one evening.
Sometimes accompanied by a pianist and sometimes pure acoustic,
every song melted into one another, creating a breathtaking set of
mellow numbers characterized by Corgan’s charm and ability.
The headliners of the evening, however, proved the true
highlight of the evening. With a blast of nostalgia and excitement,
Depeche Mode rocked the stage with all its greatest hits from the
newly released "Singles" album. Frontman David Gahan danced and
wiggled his way into the hearts of the both non-loyal and loyal
through sheer vitality and impressive vocals. Songs such as "Enjoy
the Silence" and "Policy of Truth" thrilled with the the first
opening notes and finally ended with "Personal Jesus," throwing the
house into a frenzy.
The true highlight, however, came during the encore when Billy
Corgan joined the band to perform "Never Let Me Down" as the crowd
waved its arms and the music the backdrop for a scene of energy
that almost looked straight off the silver screen.
A perfect ending to an uneven night proved that the year is
filled with mixed quality, and KROQ will remain a representative of
it all whether it rocks or snoozes.MICHAEL ROSS WACHT/Daily Bruin
Senior Staff
Depeche Mode’s David Gahan romances the mic during the band’s
headlining performance in KROQ’s second night of the
Almost-Acoustic Christmas concert.
GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Korn lead singer Jonathan Davis screams into the light during
his raucous, crowd-pleasing set.
MICHAEL ROSS WACHT/Daily Bruin
Shirley Manson of Garbage aroused the entire audience at KROQ’s
Christmas show.
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