Post #297237 by ikitnrev on Fri, Apr 6, 2007 12:12 AM

Just got home from this show -- Iggy and the Stooges, who performed at D.C's 9:30 Club. Another one of those legendary bands that I never thought I'd get to see live.

There are very few performers who have the stage presence of Iggy. For this show, the drums and guitars were backed up near the back of the stage, giving Iggy what must have been 80% of the available stage space to run around on. He arrived on stage, shirtless, wearing only a pair of tight jeans, which by show's end, were riding very low on his hips. He never stopped moving, and he used at least several cases of bottled water - some to drink, but mostly to pour over and cool his body.

For the first half of the show, I was right up front - close enough to lean over and touch him, if I wanted to. I later moved away from the stage and up to the balcony, so I could get a better overall perspective of the stage and audience. Iggy never did pour a jar of mustard onto his body, but it was neat to see scenes similar to those seen in those classic early 70's concert footage. Iggy did jump into the crowd, and wasn't afraid to lean into the surges and sing portions of some songs. For a couple of songs, he pulled up and had perhaps 12-15 audience members jump and be on stage with him. He puts a lot of energy into the show, isn't afraid to interact with the audience, and it was definitely appreciated.

The other Stooges - Ron and Scott Asheton, mostly stayed in the background, with most eyes focused on Iggy. I really appreciated seeing these two perform though - especially after reading and seeing them featured in the book 'Please Kill Me' It is so nice, to see some of the survivors from these legendary bands, still making good music. (Mike Watt also played guitar for the night)

The music was cranked to 11, and I am sure my ears will be ringing tomorrow. While driving home, I was hearing this weird whooshing sound, kind of like a jet plane. I realized that it was the heater/fan on my car, which I was now hearing so loudly because some of my other normal hearing frequencies were all messed up. Fortunately, I will have a couple of months to get things back to normal, before I go to the other side of the musical spectrum to hear the subtle melodies and sounds of Drasnin at Hukilau.

I know Bamboo Ben has tickets to see the Stooges in CA - hopefully others of you will also be able to see them perform.

Vern