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the breeders and the comas @ the cat's cradle -- 02.06.02
posted 02.07.02
it was a cold and rainy wednesday night and more than a few of us questioned whether kim and kelly deal could make their way to the cradle for their performance. besides the occasional stint in a rehab clinic, no one seems to have heard from this dynamic duo over the past five years or so.
the opening band was the comas. they are a “local” band which i had heard about for years, but never actually had the chance to see. [i put quotations around “local” because i have no knowledge (other than word of mouth) that they are indeed from the area]. i was definitely looking forward to finally hearing them perform and i can't say that they were bad.
i think it is hard for me to get excited about any new bands anymore because essentially, it has all been done. on the extremely rare occasion that i discover a new band *and* they are doing something unique musically, i attempt to alert everyone i know in hopes that they will meet with success. however, a lot of what i hear boils down to “same 'ol stuff” status. no offense to the hardcore comas fans out there, but i'm afraid they fall into this category as well. i certainly don't think they are terrible, but there was nothing that really enticed me about their performance. i don't know, maybe everyone is so busy trying to look “cool” nowadays that it is hard to find an individual in a crowd.
anyway, it was hot and smoky in the cradle, as per usual. i still don't understand why they cannot open a door to vent some of the hot, disgusting air out into the night (especially when it is 30 degrees outside). having to stand in place all night, breathing that garbage certainly takes some of the enjoyment out of the evening. i noticed a few people nodding off during the opening band, myself included.
thankfully, the breeders had taken the stage by 11:00 pm and began rocking us with breeders classics. also, it was refreshing that they chose to play a few songs from the amps record. [for those that don't already know: they released one record as “the amps” and it was just incredible! i would argue that it is a more solid and driving recording than any of the previous breeders records.]
there was some banter between kim and the audience, with the occasional comment from kelly. the rest of the band remained in their quiet little places. kim made sure to mention that she had taken a shower that day; an uncommon experience for her, i guess. she looked pretty clean from the back of the club. :) kelly wore a dark blue dress shirt buttoned all the way to the top. this is not a good look for her. it gave me the impression that she was either a recent prison escapee or was auditioning for the new rosanne barr sitcom.
but fashion was not what they were about. these gals came to wail and i would say they did a fairly good job of it. unfortunately, i don't think they were attacking the tracks as aggressively as they deserved. not to say that they were just going thru the motions, but i think with a little more taster's choice in their hypodermic we all could have been blown away. at least with the amps songs, the album versions are a lot more powerful than how they played them last night.
one highlight of the evening was learning that kelly deal was the vocalist for “i just wanna get along.” i did not know that she had any of the lead vocal credits. one downer for the evening was not getting to hear “drivin' on nine” because no one had a fiddle for the solo. the painfully straining vocals of kim were as familiar and pleasant as ever.
it was a quick one hour set, situated snugly between the eleven o'clock and midnight hours, and i think a few of us wished for more. they kinda psyched us out at the end by exiting the stage in a slower, more unconventional manner which led a lot of folks to believe that there would be an encore. there was nothing of the sort, however. they just disappeared for a few minutes and then came back on stage (once the house lights had come up) to humbly pack up their equipment. they had given us “one divine hammer” and that was it.
a shining beacon of hope for the evening was the debut of *new* breeders songs. this was a pretty clear indication of a new album to come. kim alluded to this with some comments, but most was lost in her drawl. something about "they're really good at not being able to come up with names for things..." i count myself in the minority of people who would rather they release another amps album, as that one-off record was truly spectacular. i highly recommend you give it a listen.
that concludes the breeders review of their show at the cat's cradle on wednesday february 6th, 2002. hope you got something out of it.
peace.
dave ;)
*update* - 02.08.02
here is the set list from wednesday (thanks to jay's snagging it from the sound board):
no aloha
tippcity (amps)
huffer
saints
little fury
head to toe
i just want to get along
cannonball
too alive
flipside
doe
forced to drive
iris
safari
full on idle (amps)
pacer (amps)
________________________
buffy
divine hammer
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