Seeing "the Son" at the Trump Marina
Review of The Wallflowers at Trump Marina, Atlantic City, NJ, USA on December 7th 2000
Last night I went with a "fan" to Atlantic City to see "the Son."
In the past year I've seen more concerts in Atlantic City than in Philadelphia. I guess this is how it's going to be in this new century. Actually I can't think of any concerts I've gone to see in Philadelphia itself since Bob Dylan played the Temple Apollo (itself not a typical music venue). But in the past year I've gone to AC to see Bob Dylan (twice), Booker T & the MGs, Dion, The Everlys, Asleep At The Wheel, and now "The Son."
This was at the Trump Marina which was far less neurotic and claustrophobic (in fact it wasn't claustrophobic at all) than the Tropicana, which was the most insane and neurotic casino I've ever been in. At first we thought the concert was going to be somewhat of a bust (it wasn't that big a room) as the floor for this general admission event was barely full, but that kind of changed by showtime. Former X-leader John Doe opened alone playing a funky old Gibson. I sort of have a feeling that only the Wallflowers (and their guitar player introduced him) and I knew who he was. He was good but not great and said fuck a lot on stage and in his songs. In front of us (they also had seats) was a family with 2 young sons (one old enough to appreciate the Wallflowers) and I wondered what they were thinking though the father seemed to laugh at the first fuck.
After a rather long break considering they didn't have to change the stage the Wallflowers finally appeared. The Son is infinitely more relaxed on stage than the first 2 times I saw him. The first time was before their first album and he didn't say a thing. The other time was right when the 2nd album was released but before it became a hit and he became a heartthrob.
The Son now interacts with the audience sort of the way his dad did way way back (like on the Halloween ‘64 show), but he seems to pay attention to what people in the audience are saying or perhaps shouting out. After "One Headlight," he apparently heard someone say, "The Video sucks."
"Do you make videos?" he asked from the stage. "Maybe you have too many child support payments. You need to get that pain out." The true fans brought gifts. One was apparently a magazine with his picture pasted in with the "boy bands." He loved it.
Later on, he said, "Who was the asshole who yelled out 'Tangled Up In Blue?' Where are you? You need to dig a little deeper. You can leave the hall now." The guy identified himself and they had some sort of conversation. The guy said, "I wanna give you a hug." The son said, "ok," and they let the guy up on the stage, who turned out to be huge and "the son" ain't no bigger than his father who as we know ain't that big. "I didn't know you were so big," the Son said cracking up. The son then said, "You can exit that way through the stage, I promise you you won't be kicked out." It was all very strange, but the Son seemed to think the whole thing was a riot. "I don't know who this next song is about," he said introducing "Hand Me Down."
Finally it ended and the band without the son came out for some strange punky type song and then they returned and the Son brought out John Doe who did "Everybody's Talkin' " with the Son attempting to sing harmony on the chorus. It reminded me of the Dad trying to sing with Paul Simon. It kind of rocked in a strange way and the Wallflowers sounded like the band I thought they sounded like the very first time I saw them way way back, The Band.
"What a great band!" Doe said enthusiastically, as the grand encore of "Won't Get Fooled Again" started, with moody feedback noise.
It was all ok, but nothing like the first truly exciting time I saw them back when no one knew who they were.
Sleepwalker
Some Flowers Bloom Dead
6th Avenue Heartache
Letters From the Wasteland
Laughing Out Loud
Hand Me Down
I've Been Delivered
Three Marlenas
Witness
Murder 101
One Headlight
"Heroes"(David Bowie cover)
The Difference
Encore:
Song 2 (Blur cover)
Everybody's Talkin'(Fred Neil cover)
Babybird
Won't Get Fooled Again
I like jakob I don’t think he tries to follow the footsteps. I enjoyed what I heard but I’ve never gone to see him play live.?I will one day.
Jakob is, I guess understandibly, way, way more self conscious than Bob...even though Bob is a classic himself in the gak on stage department, Jakob overdoes his songs, I think...Bob way more slapdash, I like that