sonic friday

Last Friday, thousands of Bloomingtonians flocked to Indiana University's Assembly Hall to hear presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton speak. I left town and drove over five hours to hear Sonic Youth play an incredible show in Nashville, Tennessee.

It was fantastic to see Thurston, Kim, Lee and Steve (plus Mark Ibold, who helped Kim on bass) in the flesh. The Youth played songs that spanned every era of the Sonic Youth catalog, from "Shaking Hell" to "Do You Believe in Rapture?" Each band member played with a zest and enthusiasm few would expect from a band that's nearly three decades old.

Thurston annihilated the willing crowd with sonic sounds of chaos, force-fucking his myriad of guitars into amplifiers, speakers, anything that would transform his axe into a weapon discharging glorious distortion.

Kim was subdued and rather quiet when the band wasn't playing, but as soon as sound filled the stage, her switch was flipped. She commanded her bass when she played. She controlled the stage when she sang.

Lee was great. He really seemed to enjoy himself. His interaction with the audience was limited, but it was obvious he was very appreciative of the crowd's fervor.

And Steve. Steve Shelley. Wow. It's said that a drummer is the heartbeat that keeps the band alive. Steve played with an energy and intensity that could have given life to a million bands. It was amazing to watch him; he was a locomotive -- pumping out beats, smacking toms, cracking the snare, riding cymbals and snapping the hi-hat.

It was an amazingly flawless performance by one of the great American rock bands and well worth the trek.

(I assumed the security staff wouldn't allow cameras into the venue so I left mine behind. I was wrong. Camera's were allowed. If you want to view some photographs from the show, visit this Flickr page for some great shots.)

xx