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Local band Sonic Youth rocks for charity
Corey Charron, Collegian Staff
Posted: 2/16/07
The significant amount of snow that closed most Western Massachusetts schools on Wednesday stopped some people from attending Sonic Youth's sold out fundraising concert for the Greenfield Center School, which band members Thurston Moore and Kim Gordan's daughter attends. The brave crowds who made the trek to Northampton on Valentine's Day were were reawarded for their courageous efforts with an impressive show from the hometown favorites.
The Academy of Music was about two-thirds full at the start of Sonic Youth's crisp hour and a half set. The venue was very cozy for a concert, especially after battlingconsidering the harsh weather conditions outside. The show started out as a sit-down affair, with people scattered around the theater, but shortly afterinto the showit began Moore invited the crowd to gather and stand closer to the stage.
Composed of fifteen songs, the set-list contained a little bit of everything in Sonic Youth's discography, going back as far as "Shaking Hell," from 1983's "Confusion is Sex," to "Shizophrenia," from 1987's "Sister." Much material was taken from last year's "Rather Ripped," including the first two songs of the night, "Incinerate," and "Reena."
Moore and Gordan took turns on vocals most of the show, while guitarist Lee Renaldo took over on "Rats," from "Rather Ripped," and "Eric's Trip," from "Daydream Nation." Gordan, wearing a sparkly pink and silver dress in good Valentine's Day cheer, provided inspirational dance moves to coincide with her typical raspy vocals.
Mark Ibold, former bassist of Pavement and new touring member of Sonic Youth, wore an Awesome Colors t-shirt; a band that were was unable to attend because of illness. Moore invited drummer Allison Busch onstage during a guitar string change, as she was the only person in of the power trio not sick, and talked to her about her elementary school in Flint, Mich.
Moore, the guitar aficionado and overall impressive showman, highlighted the night with his intricate style of playing and performing. Every note and movement was premeditated and executed perfectly and smoothly, not a surprise considering the amount of shows Moore has participated in.
The dichotomous sides of Sonic Youth were showcased throughout the night and can be best summarized in the song "Do You Believe in Rapture," from "Rather Ripped." Played halfway through the night, Moore started the piece by playing a recording of a man speaking, then going into a loud noise freak-out, and finally transitioning into the somber, quiet song, by Sonic Youth standards. The circle of musical bliss was complete.
"Pink Steam," from "Rather Ripped," ended the first set on a high note. The band came out for the first encore with "Teenage Riot," from 1988's "Daydream Nation." Moore dedicated what may be the band's most famous song to the children of the Greenfield Center School. The song "Candle," from the same album, was played to much crowd appreciation earlier in the night.
Surprisingly the band came back out for a third round, playing "Shaking Hell," and "Expressway to Your Soul," from 1986's "Evol," ending the night's second encore. J Mascis, of Amherst's own legendary Dinosaur Jr., was thanked by Moore for giving him a pair of sneakers, designed by Mascis himself.
In between opening band Wooden Wand's and Sonic Youth's sets students from the Greenfield Center School came onstage with a few teachers to thank everyone for attending. Much of the crowd consisted of children with their parents in support of the alternative school.
Wooden Wand opened up the show with a half-hour set composed of songs ranging from all of his releases, including his upcoming new album, produced by Sonic Youth's Lee Renaldo. The record is scheduled to be released in May on Moore's "Ecstatic Peace" label.
The performance featured lead singer James Toth on acoustic guitar accompanied by a female vocalist on most of the songs, who Toth jokingly called Janis Joplin. Most of the songs featured interesting, unique, and sometimes political lyrics, sung in a nasally tone. The best comparison would be to folk artist Devendra Banhart, whose writing and music are quite similar to Wooden Wand's. Jeff Mangum, of Neutral Milk Hotel fame, could be seen in the vocal mannerisms and lyrical imagery.
Wooden Wand will be the warm-up band for Sonic Youth for the next five dates on tour. That includes their Saturday show in Providence, R.I. at Lupo's at the Stand at which Sonic Youth will be honoring the tickets of anyone who missed their Valentine's Day concert because of the weather.