Anonymous wrote:

08:47 AM, Jun 15, 2003 |

Date of Concert: 6/4/2003 | Location: Vienna, VA

Good Music for a Bad Economy Presents: ---------------------------- LOU REED: WORDS AND MUSIC TOUR WOLFTRAP OUTDOOR AMPITHEATRE VIENNA, VA (WASHINGTON DC tour stop) Wednesday, June 4, 2003 ------------ It's probably rare that you catch a person as jaded as Lou Reed is in what seemed like a pretty jovial mood. Then again, once you've survived as much and as long as he has, what's there not to be happy about? Coming out wearning an official New York rock scene leather jacket (soon discarded), the former Velvet Underground frontman wasted no time in reminding nostalgiasts and rock historians why they had come, jumping right into "Sweet Jane." Vamping through the chords, Lou introduced his band, and offhandedly joked about how just three chords can make a career (four, actually, but who's counting?). "Jane" went by at old VU speed, providing a momentary flashback; however, it was performed with all of the breakneck energy and verve of the Cowboy Junkies cover of it, which killed the buzz a bit. As for Lou, his main goal seemed to be to spit out lyrics (oh, those lyrics!) as quickly and as arrhythmically as possible. Thirty years of "Sweet Jane" will do that to a man. Luckily, most of us knew enough to just sing them for ourselves. As we continued through some solo hits ("Small Town," "Man of Good Fortune," "How Do You Think It Feels?"), the show picked up a little steam, but never really got fully moving. Part of the issue is that he chose a very eclectic group of musicians as support. Our pals included a second guitarist, who once in a while played a some kalimba-looking music box thing or guitar synth that sounded just like a keyboard, making everyone wonder why he didn't just buck up and buy a keyboard in the first place. Also along for the ride were a seldom-heard cellist and a sometimes-heard and sometimes-pleasant sounding backup vocalist. The centerpiece of the band was a multi-talented musical octopus named Fernando, who took turns on fretless bass, guitar and electronic drums. I think he also helped sell Girl Scout cookies, cleaned up polluted rivers, and wrote to his Congressman while up there, but couldn't entirely tell. So we're talking all strings, no drums. However, VU fans, before you get too excited about that scenario, realize that even Mo Tucker did give us a backbeat. Leading me to the following thoughts on the band: -- we need some freakin' DRUMS, man -- electronic drums played with sticks onstage sounds almost as good as me thumping along with the radio on my car dashboard (quarters in change drawer make a pretty good snare sound) -- Anthony, our backup singer, may be "special," or may be a real Joe Cocker fan. Either way, not the greatest voice I've ever heard, and that's WITH Uncle Lou's metallic rasp for comparison. Taken together, the solution is clear: Anthony out, real drummer in. Tour costs roughly even (drum kit expense will have to be added). Rock factor increases four-fold. Just a thought. Back to the show: We were treated to a couple new songs, including "Vanishing Act," which I hoped would do just that, but unfortunately subjected me to the same 8 lyrical couplets not once, not twice, but thrice. Luckily Uncle Lou had his back to the audience so he could not see us wince. "The Raven," which could best be described as an Edgar Allan Poe cover, is sort of a classical literature meets "Sister Ray" in eight-minute recitation, proving that despite his best efforts, plenty of brain cells are still bouncing around that ragged skull. Other highlights included "The Day John Kennedy Died," "Venus In Furs" (yes, really -- at least the cellist had something to do), and "Sunday Morning." In fact, the banana album got such a workout that I was getting ready to join in the railing against the Jim-Jims in this town, but sadly was instead treated to one of those out-of-body experiences during "All Tomorrow's Parties," where you know you know the song, but it sounds SO far from what you know that you're forced to grasp at lyrics out of context hoping you'll eventually remember the chorus and what song it is before it's over or someone has to tell you. However, adding it all up and considering the very tender encore of "Candy Says," old VU'ers had to be mostly pleased with the selections. Sure, no "Heroin" nor "Walk on the Wild Side," but did you really expect those anyway? "Dirty Boulevard," though out of the gate big and strong, collapsed halfway through, taking whatever testosterone is had once had with it, and wound up as a heap on the stage floor. Drums, Lou, DRUMS! "Perfect Day" ended the evening on a good note, and all was right with the world as we walked to our cars. Overall, Mr. Reed is well past the age where the leather pants seem normal, but he's still a little something left in the tank. Your GMFABE* rating: 1.097 ($45/$41). * "Good Music for a Bad Economy" ratings factor show value in monetary terms divided by the cost of a single ticket, including all BS service fees. The higher the rating, the better the show value. Lou Reed was a face value of $36 plus taxes and surcharges. Approximate set list below: - Sweet Jane - Small Town - Man of Good Fortune - How Do You Think It Feels? - Vanishing Act (new song) - Venus in Furs - Day John Kennedy Died - The Raven (new song) - Dirty Boulevard - (song written and sung by talented multi-instrumentalist which was very pleasant-sounding but had no point and belonged in a Louisiana Jazz fest) - All Tomorrow's Parties - Sunday Morning - Set the Twilight Reeling Encore - Candy Says - Tell It To Your Heart - Perfect Day $ $ $