| Author | Message | ||
     Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 53 Registered: 03-2005 |
The Troubadour is a criminally tiny venue for a band of the Go Betweens' history and stature to be playing in. However it is also a wonderful luxury for the Go Betweens fan to see them there. The floor is for standing only but there is a balcony with benches. It was amusing to find that the balcony was completely filled while the floor was still mostly empty when I arrived as the opening act (Court and Spark, one half of whose songs sounded good) was just starting. It's hard for us 40 somethings to stand around all evening! I stayed down on the floor. At first I was really afraid that Los Angeles would not provide my heroes with a decent audience but, of course, I'd forgotten the rude LA tradition of showing up just in time for the main act to start. The first half of the show was given over almost completely to Rachel Worth/BYBO/OA stuff. For a while they were almost always choosing songs I wouldn't have had them do. But when Robert got to "Darlinghurst Nights" the show really took off. Adele sounded great wherever her vocals were called for. Glenn did a fine job too, even cracking a smile now and then. There were three encores totalling (I think)nine songs, including a genuinely tear-jerking Robert and Grant only version of "Clouds" with the Dylan lines stuck in the middle. (Robert to the light man "can we have two white spots on the stars?") We did get "Cattle and Cane." The strap on Grant's Gibson failed at the beginning of the first encore and they spent a bit of time mulling over what to play. Helpful type that I am, I suggested "Friday on my Mind" which Grant started to play. They did "People Say" which I really like better as a live song played now than I ever have the studio original. They did no solo career songs. The audience was suitably enthusiastic and knowledgeable. My request for "River of Money" got laughs. (Sorry, I was being a bit of an attention hound). I suspect that I was not the only person in that audience determined to entertain The Go Betweens and ensure they had as good a time as we. I am so grateful to them for going to the expense and trouble to come to my town when, after all, their audience there is devoted but pitifully small. It is a long drop down from the Barbican. But Robert was campy and fun as always. (Grant: "It's good to be in LA again." Robert: "It's good to be in West Hollywood again.") Grant was clearly enjoying himself too. They were clearly enjoying themselves more than they did when I saw them two years ago in a similarly small venue in Paris. Interestingly, there was a situation a bit like the one Jeff reported in SF with someone shouting quite angrily to his neighbors to shut up. Can't remember if it was around the time of "German Farmhouse" which they played of course. | ||
| Rob Member Username: Rob Post Number: 34 Registered: 12-2004 |
Nice review Randy. There's nothing like following the GBs all over the world via this site. Now I just have to make sure that the band tours Brazil during my time there, 2006-2008... Any South Americans out there? |