[kj] Chicago shows: brief recap / all is forgiven

[GREG SLAWSON]

But the Replacements were alcoholics (I remember seeing them stumble out of a limo on the day of a show once) but KJ aren't so they don't have an excuse...
 



From: kjlist at live.com
To: gathering at misera.net
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:57:54 -0500
Subject: [kj] Chicago shows: brief recap / all is forgiven





Old news by now but setlists are here:
 
Friday:
http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/killing-joke/2013/empty-bottle-chicago-il-bd8213e.html
NOTE: they did not perform "Empire Song" or "Chop-Chop" that I recall but it was hard to tell what they were playing at some points
 
Saturday (2 shows):
http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/killing-joke/2013/empty-bottle-chicago-il-23d81437.html
 
Friday was an absolute trainwreck. Jaz's voice was shot and the drummer was completely out-of-sync with the rest of the band. As I said before, the first few songs were as bad as anything I've seen them do and "ESS" was easily the worst. It was wisely dropped from the next two shows. Geordie stood in darkness far stage right and did not move the entire night. Both Jaz and Youth were obviously agitated throughout, to the point where they tried to go from "Pandemonium" straight into "Change" instead of waiting for an encore. Geordie started up the riff, then Youth simply walked off stage. There was much confusion (and silence) until they walked back on and perfunctorily walked through "Change" and "Psycche."
 
Other lowlights: The drummer struggled with any song with multiple time changes i.e. "Beautiful Dead," "Asteroid," etc. "BD" does not work live. Jaz's vocals were augmented by samples throughout, specifically on choruses of "Whiteout," "Asteroid" and others. They picked it up for the last quarter of the show but the crowd was lethargic and already checked-out.
 
I missed the early Saturday show but talked to a few people who said it was a strong, if abbreviated, performance. 
 
My gf chatted up Youth (or someone pretending to be Youth; she wouldn't know) prior to the second show and he said that BPF's absence was due to his restoration business obligations. Some kind of head's up would have been nice, but I certainly understand that KJ is not his primary source of income. I talked to people who had traveled from Indianapolis, Florida, Texas and Canada for the the Friday show only and were grievously disappointed at his absence and the performance that night. I'm over it but only because...
 
Saturday (late show) was the most extraordinary volta-face I have ever witnessed in over 30 years of show-going. Saturday was as good as Friday was bad, and then some. Jaz's voice was still not 100% but light-years better than previous. They (correctly) dispensed with "LLB" both nights but skipped "ESS" on Saturday as well, in favor of a vocal-less "Bloodsport." "Chop Chop" was added, as was "Corporate Elect" (OK on album, storming live) and "D&RS" during the encore.
 
Get this: at one point towards the end of the show, Geordie left his dark little corner and actually joined both Youth and Jaz in the middle of the stage where they interacted, smiled and acknowledged each other and generally acted as though they were enjoying themselves. Jaz and Youth even playfully jostled each other for a bit without coming to blows:

 
Drummer was also much, much better, although he still lost it in a few places, like during "Asteroid." During the encore we were treated to the middle section of "Change" about three times in a row until the drummer and the rest of the band pulled it back together. Again, I'm sure he's a really nice guy in a difficult position so it's hard to stay angry over Friday's blasphemy. 
 
Anyone familiar with The Replacements have probably heard that in their original incarnation there were two versions of the band and you never knew which you'd get on any given night: one was a bunch of drunken bums stumbling their way through KISS covers and the other was the greatest rock'n'roll show you'll ever see. This apparently applies to KJ as well and thankfully Saturday was the latter. Great sound, fantastic performance, energetic, appreciative crowd. After 18 shows, definitely a top 5 for me, although BPF remains sorely missed. I was pissed as hell after Friday but the next show entirely made up for it.
 
Side note: I have stood amidst KJ probably a dozen times but only met them once, back in 1994. I choose to remain aloof and have them retain their mythical status. My gf and I hung around the bar after the show for a few more drinks, however, and we watched Geordie, Youth and Jaz interacting with fans and I have to compliment them for their overall graciousness, especially Jaz. They were really good about taking pics and answering questions and it was really nice to see in a band of their stature. I hope someone who knows the band will pass along my compliments.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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