CVB Still Amps the Rockage

I just got back from the Camper Van Beethoven show at the 9:30 Club and it was really everything I could have hoped for. Simply a great show. They're touring in support of their new album, New Roman Times [iTMS link], so they played a number of tracks off of that, including “The Gum You Like Is Back In Style,” “Might Makes Right,” and “Hippy Chix” (with funky dance moves and backing vocals from one of their opening bands, The Gaskets. I was trying to keep the playlist in my head but it just wasn't going to happen. I know they opened w/one of my all-time favorites, “All Her Favorite Fruit,” followed pretty closely by the title track from “Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart,” and “Eye of Fatima.” That last one holds a special place in my heart because it's about cowboys on acid (and who wouldn't love that?) and declares that “no one ever conquered Wyoming from the left or from the right; you can stay in motel rooms and stay up all night!” I think the whole song is dripping in irony, but it could just be me. They also slipped in what sounded like a slowed-down, campered-up cover of “White Riot” by The Clash. (Which reminds me, I really need to get some Clash back in my musical collection; all I have is on tape, and the tapes just don't get much listening anymore.) They also played an insanely fast and raucous version of “Club Med Sucks” (there may be no other way to play this song, actually), and afterward David Lowery gave a short political lesson. To paraphrase, he said one of the lines in the song is “I hate golf! I wanna play lacrosse!” Bush is golf, Kerry is lacrosse. And he didn't want to tell anyone how to vote, but he said it should be pretty clear from that. This was a very minor theme of the evening; Lowery opened the show by saying the new album is out today for the first time and they felt it was appropriate to do a show in D.C. on the album's release date because the album is something of a commentary on the times. But this was no big Bush bashing show; these are the only things they said along these lines. Other songs I know CVB played: Border Ska Tania Ambiguity Song The Day Lassie Went to the Moon Take the Skinheads Bowling Pictures of Matchstick Men She Divines Water (possibly my favorite favorite, in close competition w/All Her Favorite Fruit) Tina Sad Lovers Waltz Sweethearts Shut Us Down Wasted One of These Days Interstellar Overdrive (a crazy amazing 10-15 minute version that shook the whole place to its foundations and closed out the encore) As that huge list indicates, the show was packed with goodness. They rarely stopped between tracks and just played and played. Still, they managed to fit in some jokes with each other and Lowery told a good story about seeing Micky Dolenz in a bar and overhearing him tell some people his whole life has been one long night of karaoke or something like that. They looked like they were having a great time. So go see them! And buy their music! (The new disc is only $9.99 at iTMS for 20 tracks compared to $17 at Amazon.) It's fun, it's smart, and it rawks! UPDATE: Here's a photo from the show. Not a good one, but it's a photo. That's another thing to love about the 9:30 Club—they don't take cameras away at the door (but I think you're not supposed to use a flash).

Posted October 13, 2004 02:15 AM | ai music