You can never get your hey days back it seems, however many attempts older rockers may choose to make.
The tide will turn, we all cant be writing classic material forever. The Stones are winding down, bands of the likes of Duran Duran, Smashing Pumpkins and other gen x participants of the era are making ill fated attempts to capture the immediacy they had in their golden age. It will never happen, and while these guys have made somewhat of a resurgence, they will never match the quality and vibrancy that was once there.
Earlier this year at the V Festival, which went around Australia. When it came to Perth it was an interesting line up, so i was intrigued to see Duran Duran, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Smashing Pumpkins all on the same bill.
All three acts disappointed me. First off The Jesus and Mary Chain.
They were uninspiring, and though the vocal style of Jim Reid has sounded shoegazy, The reason they were an imposing figure in the 80's was because of their ferocious live act. All venom had been drained from them, and they performed as they were on the day. Middle aged has beens. That does sound a little harsh although it is true and anyone witnessing it would have to agree. They sounded like a more sedated version of Ride. Which isn't a good thing.
I was hoping the set would get better, but as the crowd continued to thin out and get pies, I followed suit. 5 songs in and still no convincing. This is from a fan of theirs who owns all of their albums mind you!
So okay that's fine, so what about Duran Duran.
Well not being a fan, coming into the set i wasn't really that excited. However the majority of the set was a cracker. They killed it, with material spanning all their albums so a healthy spread of songs, Rio, Hungry Like a Wolf it was all classic.
While i looked on, i knew the Pumpkins were up next. Now I was hanging out for this like you wouldn't believe. I was enjoying duran duran but a big fan of the pumpkins was waiting.
Duran closed with a song i most despise though. The most dirgy, brain numbing song ever written, Ordinary World, if you know this song you'll know what i'm talkin about.
I was hoping for something upbeat to finish, but no a slow 6 minute ballad to make the wait even more insufferable.
Finally, Pumpkins.
Tonight tonight starts the set, excellent, followed by a few new tracks. Mayonnaise off siamese dream a classic.Now were crankin, but all went wrong about half an hour in.
Corgin plays an unnoticable song that ends up clockin around 12 minutes, then after some 8 minutes of feedback and squealing, we are treating to even more, because then they kick in with United States off Zeitgeist. This ones is about 10 minutes long, and corgan is startin lose the crowd. As some fire works are noticed in the background, apparently a wedding had been held on the other side of the swan river that day.
As corgan shredds while lookin on at the fireworks complimenting the sky, with a vibrant perth city skyline as his backdrop. I start to yawn, and some die hard fans are starting too glare at me as if im supposed to be intrigued by guitar wankery, which ive already established in this blog i don't like.
Anyway, jimmy chamberlain less corgan, does a brief acoustic section of the set, he plays 1979 and that's the way my love is. Great, but then back to more shredding.
a good 45 minutes consisted of a while 3 songs.
We have to realise that a captive audience of a band will always come out to support their once most beloved treasure. Smashing Pumpkins were one of mine. Their music over the 10 years, ive carried with me forver in my mind, and enlightened me and made my life better.
These albums were classic, Siamese Dream, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. However energetic Zeitgeist was, it paled in comparison with their classics.
We are in an intimate era of music, a change is occuring, the new guys are taking over. What will the future hold?
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