| Pretenders/Cat Power/Juliette Lewis @ Red Butte Garden 8/23/09 |
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| This show wasn't part of the original Red Butte lineup, but was added in June. I was excited to see this show added because not only are The Pretenders a band I have loved since their beginnings, but I have recently discovered the amazing Cat Power, who was scheduled as the warm up act. I'm often less than enthusiastic about the bands that are booked at Red Butte, so to see a band come that is not the typical "old hippie" or "neo hippie" type band that is the most common type of act here is a thrill and a relief! Tee and I were not originally joined by friends to this gig, but as I was waiting in line to enter the gates I saw some of my friends from Lumpy's, including Mary (barmaid), her boyfriend Mark (owner of Duffy's), Jeff (bartender), and Shannon (barmaid) and let them join me in my prime spot near the front of the line. I also spotted Takashi Gibo (owner of Takashi restaurant) in line wearing a Hanshin Tigers tee-shirt. We talked for a few minutes about Hanshin and The Pretenders. I also told him to make sure and watch Cat Power. As we waited outside the gate we listened to Juliette Lewis (yes, the actress) tuning up with her band. She was to be the first of the two warm up acts. She sounded quite good, and we took turns climbing the adjacent hill in order to see her on stage. She looked good too, with tight white jeans and a white tank top. For being a skinny, frail looking little thing she sure was belting out her tunes! Just as we entered the venue and secured an enviable spot near the front and right of center (our usual) it began to rain. We figured it might rain on and off, but the drizzle didn't let up for quite some time. It really didn't seem to bother anyone as most were well prepared and the temperature was warm. |
| Juliette Lewis came out wearing an entirely different outfit than she had on an hour before. This time it was skinny BLACK jeans, a BLACK tank top, a little jacket and tie. I feel the audience treated her performance as a bit of a novelty act, but I thought she did an impressive job. Her energy level was very high (a bit too high for some I think), her voice was strong, and her songs solid. I think it was a bit of a bonus having heard her tuning up before because I was already familiar with some of the riffs, and was able to really get into some of those songs. I give her a thumbs up for being brash, ballsy, and talented. Next up was Cat Power. I was probably anticipating her set as much as I was The Predenders'. I had only recently become aware of Cat Power thanks to my Pandora app. I had purchased her most recent album "Jukebox" and had listened to it throughout our week-long stay at Snowbird the month before. Cat Power (Chan Marshall) is quite an enigma. A haunting, dark-eyed beauty from the south who has a tattered personal history and a substantial musical catalog that documents her journey from a somewhat androgynous punk figure, to alternative singer-songwriter, and finally into a contemporary southern inspired "crooner". Think of a more earthy, more worldly, and troubled Nora Jones. Her set was low-key and moody, as if to compliment the gray and rainy atmosphere. Seeing her in person at such close range almost took my breath away, and certainly gave me goose bumps. After having mulled over the mythical idea of "Cat Power" in my mind so much over the months prior, it was almost surreal to be standing a mere few feet from Chan Marshall amongst a relatively thin and distracted (thanks to the rain) audience. Highlights of her set included Woman Left Lonely, Steel Stalion, Lost Someone, Lord Help The Poor And Needy, Don't Explain, Ramblin' Woman, and the reworked stunner Metal Heart. |
| As soon as Cat Power had concluded I noticed Chan leisurely smoking with her band mates in an open area just west of the stage. I've taken note of this area before because it's unusually open and in close proximity to the crowd. When I had attended the Chicago show here a few weeks prior I had seen James Pankow (original member and songwriter) hanging out in this same area and thought of how easy it would be to mosey on over and have a brief chat with him. For some reason I didn't do that and had regretted it. So, seeing Cat Power in approximately the same spot with no one really giving them any notice, I made my move. There was a single strand of small, yellow rope dividing the public area from this exposed "backstage" space. I merely had to walk up to the rope, hold out my cd copy of "Jukebox" and black marker (I often have something of this sort in my pocket at many shows I attend "just in case"), then ask Chan if she would come over and sign it for me. She gave me a beautiful, sad smile (in keeping with my image of her) and said "I would, but if I come over there others will rush over too" I saw her point, but was disappointed. She then said "Thanks though,...and I like your shirt!" I had specifically taken off my jacket before approaching her in order to expose my Sonic Youth tee-shirt, knowing that they are not only one of her favorite bands, but also label mates on Matador Records. She either said something to her band, or the band just took pity on me and came over to sign my cd me Chan. Sure enough, just as Chan had said there immediately appeared a small group of college aged girls next to me, then a couple guys, then a few more guys and girls. The girls who first approached were happy to talk to the male members of the band, but were wide eyed and breathless as they tried to entice Chan to approach us. They were obviously true fans. Chan waved and smiled, snuffed out her cigarette and walked back to her trailer, leaving the other band members to chit-chat with us. The guys were friendly enough and answered some of my questions, but were most focused on the potential the female "groupies" might have. Who could blame them? I felt I had sparked a small fire for them, and they were happy about it! Now for The Pretenders. Like I said before, I've been a real fan of The Pretenders ever since my friend Dana Wilson gave me a copy of their first album "The Pretenders" when it first came out in 1980. I also loved their second album "The Pretenders II" as well as their third "Learning To Crawl." In my opinion, these albums contain some of the best music to be found from the '80s, and is a testament to the true talent and vision of the band's leader, Chrissie Hynde. Yes, she admittedly faltered on some of the later albums, particularly "Get Close," but I have always maintained that, at least prior to the emergence of PJ Harvey, that Chrissie Hynde is easily the greatest female rocker of all time. Sexy, ballsy, smart, fun, and insightful. Well, the 1980's were a long time ago now. So, I was naturally curious as to how well Chrissie and the band (still featuring original member Martin Chambers on drums) had held up over these many years. Weeks before the show I had purchased their most recent album "Break Up The Concrete," and while not bowled over by it, I did find it to be a solid album that demonstrates that Chrissie does indeed still rock, albeit with a slightly toned down approach. Just the fact that she is still touring and putting out original material speaks to her grittiness and vision. During the break between Cat Power and The Pretenders there was a noticeable increase in the size of the crowd. And by the time The Pretenders took the stage I felt a palpable surge of energy pulse through the crowd as everyone came to their feet. The band started off with the title track to the new album. Chrissie looked great; very much the same gal we've all known and loved over the past three decades, albeit with a salt and pepper hair color and some visible crows feet. Hey, for a woman of her age who has been rocking around the world for over 30 years I think she looks great. She also has a great amount of energy and expressive movements on stage. Again impressive, and for me somewhat unexpected. |
| Here is the majority of the playlist for The Pretenders that night: Break Up The Concrete, Message Of Love, Talk Of The Town, Love's A Mystery, Kid, Don't Lose Faith, Back On The Chain Gang, City Was Gone, Angel Of The Morning, Roselie, Don't Get Me Wrong, Don't Cut Your Hair, Chinese Plastic, Thumbelina, Night In My Veins, Precious, Mystery Achievement. Encore: Stop Your Sobbing, ?, Middle Of The Road. The low light of the show was the "obligatory" 3 minute lecture by Chrissie Hynde about the virtues of PETA (uuuugggghhh...). She brought out the VP of Peta and introduced him to the crowd. I was encouraged by the less than enthusiastic response he received. I had to laugh. They announced that they would be holding a protest at a local McDonald's restaurant the next day at noon. I of course went out of my way to take Gwen to lunch at that particular establishment the next day at 12:00 sharp! Other than the "PETA break" I loved the show. It was great to see Chrissie and the band full of energy and sounding good. Also good to see such a big crowd come out to see them, though I think many of them missed out by not being there or giving their full attention to Cat Power. Also nice to be able to report that the rain kept to a minimum and stopped completely by the time The Pretenders took the stage. And a thanks to Tee for joining me! |