When C arrived I served up a batch of my Shepherd’s Pie and popped open a couple of beers. We caught up, ate, and jammed on our acoustic guitars until J and her nephew D came over to signal it was time to head down to LaClede’s Landing.
When we got to the venue we checked in with the radio station rep who was suffering a hangover due to a night out with Buckcherry. We stood around for about ten minutes before Wolfmother lead singer/guitarist Andrew Stockdale walked passed us smiling. D shook his hand and introduced himself. Earlier, J and I had had a discussion in the car as to whether or not the guys would be tall or short. Based on my inability to find petite sizes anywhere in Brisbane, Sydney, or Melbourne I assumed that they, like most Australians, would be tall. I was right. Andrew is a tall and lanky guy with a cherubic face framed by an amazing and otherworldly white man’s fro. My jewish friends might label it a jewfro. Whatever the source of the hair, it’s commanding and it’s large and it’s lovely. And he’s lovely. When he came outside he glanced over at us and gave us a smiling and gentle “hello”. J and I just did not expect this.
We got into the venue and I realized I had forgotten my driver’s license. I never do that. Ever. I had to answer very quickly the following questions: 1. How old are you? 2. When’s your birthday, and finally 3. What year did you graduate high school? Once I answered those questions he stamped my hand and sent me on my way where I joined my party and explained how I almost fucked myself.
J and I stood in line with the others in front of the stage while the boys got themselves situated and ready for the q&a session. It was not as nerve-wracking as I expected to ask a question live on the air. In fact, I kind of got a kick watching The Point's Rizzuto do his thing. During the on-air portion they played three songs: White Unicorn, Woman, and The Joker and The Thief. As J said, they were extremely gracious and polite; traits, Andrew jokingly remarked, that along with xenophobia is shared by all Australians. When we realized that they were plugged in for this set, we prepared to be catapulted to the back of the venue from the electric thunder coming off the stage.
Judakris. Exactly where they want to be...
Andrew doing his thing...
Chris Ross doing his thing...
The boys...
We were extremely pleased to find that once we went off-air the band was up to signing, chatting, and taking some pictures. Drummer Myles Heskett, wanting to shake things up a bit, decided to draw on his likeness rather than scribble a boring old autograph. On mine he drew an eye patch, on another a Dali moustache. This last one, I’m proud to say, was my recommendation to him. We’ll always have that moment, me and Myles. I wish I had a close-up of him to share! Very easy on the eyes, that one.
Andrew Stockdale and Judakris. You can't tell, but we are enjoying every minute of this moment!
After the band left to grab some food, we all hung out inside to wait for the doors to open. We watched opener Dead Meadow do their sound check for a while and waited for the bar to open.
It was 8:00 PM before Dead Meadow began playing. Silversun Pickups did not show up, which may have encouraged Dead Meadow to take advantage of the extra time. By the time they were done with their set they had been playing for about an hour, perhaps more. I couldn’t tell, really. If I hadn’t been responsible for getting my party home that night, I would have considered heading out. It was a momentary lapse of reason to have considered it.
C told me that his friend in Florida had seen Wolfmother three times. When asked to describe the experience, he summed it up by declaring "they rip your face off.” Had I not stayed, I would have only imagined what he meant by it. Intimate performances are wonderful, but sometimes seeing a band feed off an energetic crowd makes the performance even better and therefore the audience experience is better. This is exactly what happened as the laid back and mild mannered boys we shared moments with earlier transformed into rockstars with machine-like precision in front of their sold-out crowd. Seeing keyboardist/bassist Chris Ross orchestrate his jumps at the precise moments Myles and Andrew struck down on their respective instruments was thrilling. The fact that he can make toggling between his keyboard and bass look so easy is a feat in and of itself. Andrew’s virtuosity sans overly theatrical gestures makes you think you’re watching a classic in the making (think Jimmy Page or Brian May- and I don’t throw that kind of comparison down freely). Onstage and on record they fuse the mystical sounds of Led Zeppelin with the heavy power chords of Black Sabbath and do so with perfection.
Wolfmother performing to a sold-out crowd at Mississippi Nights...
When the night ended, the pit dwellers walked by us on their way out the door. They all looked wrecked, totally fucking sated, and faceless. My rating is Unbelievable. -K
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