[kj] chicago?

[Cliff Livingston]

*Hiya Ok guys just got this from Invisible Records latest newsletter.Looks
like Martin Atkins and the guys got on well in Chicago,i'm very pleased to
hear this.Peace,Cliff*

*Killing Joke*

Sometimes you can find buckets full of reasons why not to do something.  And
my god, I certainly had a few buckets worth of reasons not to go to the
Killing Joke Tuesday night in Chicago.  A bucket load of kids at home, a
bucket full of jet lag from China, buckets full of other things to do,  and
a bucket full of emotions ( good and bad) about the band, the music, the
people, and the memories.

But, nothing except a bucket full of good came out of my trip to the show
Tuesday.  The band was tight.  Paul Ferguson was rock solid and hammered all
of the songs in the set (which was made up of mostly early material).  I
hadn't seen Youth play bass since Hammersmith in 1981; he was
terrific.  Geordie
was, well…..Geordie.  I still don't fully get how he makes that noise so
effortlessly when three other guitarists and a computer work station would
be struggling to come close.  The swagger, the smirk, and the ease just
underline his unique vibe.  And, as many times as I found reasons in the
past to slag on Jaz, he was leaner than I think I have ever seen him, on
form, and hitting all the notes he needed to hit.  The show was a triumphant
statement of what this band is and was, and what music can be.  It captured
the unique chemistry that I was fortunate enough to be part of.

I sang along with most of the songs.  I don't know if Jaz dedicated "Love
Like Blood" to Raven, but the words of the chorus punched me in the throat
as I thought about absent friends.

I hadn't spoken with Jaz since leaving the band over 10 years ago….  Dressing
rooms after a show, (especially the last show of a world tour) can be
difficult places for difficult relationships to find peace and
reconnections.  I was welcomed and made to feel, for a little while, like a
part of this very cool, twisted family, happy to celebrate its ups and downs
in an atmosphere where past mistakes, outbursts, indiscretions, or even flat
out fights are accommodated and passed over with a raised eyebrow, a smile,
or simply, thankfully just hanging out.

Where a hole had existed inside of me for a while (too important to ignore,
maybe too difficult to confront head-on) there's now just a bucket full of
something else sloshing around.  I don't know what it was – the music,
Raven's passing, or maybe that we're all getting older and don't know if
we're going to see each other soon or again.   But, I feel better, more
resolved, prouder of my work as a small part of the family of Killing Joke,
and looking forward to the next time.  THANK YOU, Jaz, Geordie, Youth, and
Big Paul.





On Fri, Oct 17, 2008 at 1:07 PM, drunk wish <dwish2000 at hotmail.com> wrote:


> any reports?

>

> ------------------------------

> Upgrade to Hotmail Plus and share more photos with bigger attachments.

> Click here to find out how Click here to find out how<http://get.live.com/en-ca/mailplus/features>

>

> _______________________________________________

> Gathering mailing list

> Gathering at misera.net

> http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering

>

>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://four.pairlist.net/pipermail/gathering/attachments/20081017/0f0a8ef7/attachment.html>