MELVINS on the ROAD REVIEWS
2 x 4 Spring Tour 2000
April 1st Glass House Pomona PICS!
Las Vegas, Nevada
Saw the Melvins last night in Vegas. I think it was the first show of their
tour. No opening acts, just 2 sets of Melvins. They had an extra guy along
playing guitar.
First set was stuff from crybaby and other stuff I hadnt heard them do
before. Quieter set. Second set was loud knock your dick in the dirt melvins.
They were all wearing mumus. Except Dale, he had a cape on.
I could see Buzz's hairy ass through the mumu. Kevin doesnt have eyebrows and
cant be trusted. Dale appears to be a fag. Some gay geometry teacher on extra
guitar. The gay geometry teacher added a lot of noise and racket that made
everything crazier seeming. It was a big mess, and I like it quite a bit.
vince
Hello all,
Well I had fun it Vegas, especially at the Melvins show. They are going
to make any fans out there very happy...the first night of the "2x4"
tour was extremely satisfying. Don't miss it...it was 1 and a half
hours, then a half hour break, and then another set of about an hour.
Well worth the 8 bucks. Very little filler. Watch to see who gets
chosen to sing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in your hometown!
I had a little too good of a time, but I do remember that they opened
with "Tequila!" and were wearing heart-covered smocks with big x-s on
their chests. Also, Dale's drumset had three stickers on it:
A confederate flag with a trailer stuck in the middle that said WHITE
TRASH
and a piece of yellow tape that had "NAMBLA" written on it.
The.
Fucking.
Melvins.
Jonah
Los Angeles, California
The eight track is great- Here are the tracks: Manky,
See How pretty, see How smart, amazon, let it all be, Let
God be your gardener, Hog Leg, With teeth, The bit, The bloat,
The Green Manalishi, Lovely Butterfly, Jew Boy Flowerhead, Eyes
Flies.
The cover has a picture of a guy w/ shoulder length hair and a beard,
sitting with
others in what you'd assume to be some sort of religious revival, arms
outstretched. Looks out of place, as if you'd find him at a Kyuss concert,
or behind the counter at your local record shop..
The 8 track was recorded at slims, san francisco, june 17th 99. (Wasnt this
the first stop for there maggot tour?) On the warning label:
Keep out of sunlight, Remove from player if not using, If it breaks you're
shit outta luck. Came in blue, black, white.
The concert started around 7:45; it seemed there was only about 20 people
in the entire
place. All four came out in there mumus (or kilts, as Buzz later refered
to them). In the first set they played Tequila, which Kevin claimed to have
written as a result of his 'ethnic heritage'.. They mentioned how they
planned to play tequila and wear dresses for the entire concert year
of 2000.. From what I remember, they also played tipping the lion,
Proud to be an Okie..,an unknown mystery song/cover that Buzz didn't
tell the name of because 'it's not his fuckin' job to..'.., a 'Jesus Lizard'
song..
Then Buzz took the mike and told us how the moment we were waiting for had
arrived, that is was all down hill from here for the Melvins...Leif Garret
everyone! Leif walked out and Buzz muttered
into the mic 'What's that smell?!?' Leif: Fuck you- Buzz: Vh1!! Leif:
Fuck you- (Now these 'fuck yous' were the friendly type, not the kind
you yell at the guy that just cut you off in traffic.) Leif took the mic-
Hey!
How's it goin! Audience: {Silence} {Crickets} Leif: ok! (This was not
unlike a Spinal Tap moment.)
Teen Spirit started, and the minimal crowd started rockin out, hands
wavin. As Leif was singing, it was the only time I saw Unknown Guitarist #2
start to show some emotion by breaking the smallest of
smiles.. Leif took some liberties with the song..'Oh well, whatever,
neva-fuckin-mind.'.. It was a sight to be seen.
Godspeed took the stage, and while its probably unpopular to say so, they
are not that bad. Not what I'd listen to, but considering the
many shitty bands I've seen, they were decent. My girlfriend liked
them..(her favorites- Duran Duran, U2, Toad the Wet Sprocket)..draw
your own conclusions. The bassist looked like a cross between Tommy
Shaw/styx and Tom Hamilton/aerosmith..and had the rock
star moves to go along with it (feet wide apart, stick your pelvis out in
front of you, and smirk/smile like you've got the biggest dick in the room).
The guitarist reminded me of Kenny from Southpark, came out with a wool
jacket, and had the hood over his face, scrunched up.
After Godspeed finished, Roadies etc. prepped the stage.. After what seemed
like forever, Melvins took the stage, and played one of
the better sets I've ever seen them play. Excellent- . Saw Dan Raymond
rockin out off to the side of the stage.
During the Melvins set, I must've seen 20-30 women dressed to kill
coming from backstage..Leif fans, maybe? One of the ladies there
said she was there to 'see Leif', that she was a super-fan, and called
herself a 'Leifette'...
As for what else was for sale..2 melvins shirts, one with a zombie woman
face on it and the 'melvins' next to it, one with the skull similar to that
which
was imprinted on the Beefbrand dolls..2 stickers, lots of cds, a sweatshirt
that makes me look like a devil worshipper/kkk member
in black (the hood sticks up promintently, ending in a point.), the eight
track, and dolls. Sorry, no Godspeed merchandise.
Sorry to say, didnt see anyone else I usually recognize, not even Gene.
Almost forgot- Buzz told of the origins of the title 'The Crybaby'.
According to King Buzzo, Kevin and himself were in a religious paraphanelia
store, when they spotted a post card with an crying baby Jesus on it.
'Look,
it's the CryyyBabbeeeey', said Kevin. Thus, the title of the latest album..
(Buzz added that the album had nothing to do with Jesus...)
When later announcing a 'Jesus Lizard' song, K. Buzzo said here's a song
by the Jesus Lizard, the Crybaby Lizard..
By the way, who is that guy that was behind the counter? I see him
at every concert.. Merchandise guy?
Steve
Hello: I saw the L.A. show last night. Godspeed is the worst band I have
ever seen. Hell, it's a lot better than what I could do but it was truly
awful. The melvins had some cool stuff for sale. They had an 8 track of a
show that was recorded at slims in S.F. How fucking crazy is that? The
8-track was $25.
Paul
Pomona, California
Whew! Here goes...
The Glass House is a great place. Parking is easy and it's easy to get to.
Heard the Melvins doing their sound check as we parked. "Hooch" sounded
great out here! After hearing that there were only a handful of people at
the El Rey show, I was surprised to see the mob taking shop in Pomona! There
were a couple hundred I'd say. All kinds of folks. Dread lockers, leather
wearing punkers, skaters, stoners, speed freaks, straight/gay, young/old.
Might've been some rednecks there, too. While we were waiting for the doors
to open (supposed to start @ 7, but didn't until 9) I saw Dan Raymond
setting up the merchandise table. Pretty soon there's TOOL Adam buying his
eight track and t-shirts. I wasn't sure it was him, till I saw his face. You
can't mistake that scarecrow frame, though. He had a black button up shirt
on with pictures of huge bugs on it. I was wondering if Mackie designed?
Looked like he had his pinch of tobacky in his bottom lip, also. Then Mackie
came in. Two girls someone said are Mackie's sisters (Dan?) set up the
refreshment stand. Water, sodas, gum and candy! Mmmmmmm-mmm. Mackie came out
to the line and looked like she was counting the number of people. Then she
went in to give her report to Buzz. After a while, she and Adam came out and
walked down the street and back. A couple minutes later, here comes Mackie
again with a group of people. Then out steps Dale with a handful of women!
Calm down, might've been his friends. I was about to talk to him when they
started letting us in. So I only got to exchange "Hi"'s with Dale this time.
So it's about 8 when they let us in and we still had an hour to wait. I got
up against the stage between Dale and Buzz, who is set up on stage left
instead of his usual stage right. It was (stage R-L) Dave, Kevin, Dale,
Buzz. At least they were playing some good buffer music. Flipper, etc.
Everyone was talking about how the night before at the El Rey show, Buzz had
pissed Leif off and he had quit and wasn't supposed to show up. These guys
that have a MELVINS cover band in LA show up at every LA area show and are
good buds w/Dale. They had been there since noon and thought they had hung
w/the band and talked Buzz into letting one of them sing "SLTS" with them.
Another April Fools joke, cuz here comes Leif walking in. While the MELVINS
didn't have to, the crowd had to wear wrist bands. So did Leif!
Finally, 9 rolls round and here comes Buzz in a Forest Camouflage.
calf-length muumuu w/oversized collar. The crowd loved him and went wild.
"Buzz! Buzz!!" Girls screaming "I love you Buzz! I want you Buzz!!" It was a
trip. Then out come Kevin and Dave in Winter Camouflage muumuus w/oversized
collars. Dale stepped out in his Speedos. I hear he has a new pair. Blue.
Buzz thanks us all for coming and says how great it is to be here. Says they
have some surprises for us and some not so surprises. He said, "TOOL will be
playing tonight". April Fools!! Then they kick in to "Tequila!" Crowd loves
it and sings the "Tequila!" part. Then they proceed to play some not so loud
and thrashy tunes. Dave plays a re-issue mid-60s red fender jaguar. He faked quite a few parts. But his influence was great. He has a hell of an effects "machine". Not just effects rack, but a machine on a stand. A midi device I
suppose. Buzz sang a shit kickin' version of "Okie From Musgokie" Kevin was
burning up his frets on that one. Buzz gives the "I couldn't believe it when
Rob Halford came out.." speech and I toss a JUDAS PRIEST button up to him.
He picked it up and said, "Hey a JUDAS PRIEST button! How ironic!" Played
(in no particular order) "We All Love Judy". "Let I All Be" "Mary Lady Bobby
Kins" "Jew Boy Flower Head" "Lone Rose Holding Now" "Shevil" and "Skin
Horse" were beautiful. People were singing along to the part in "SH" where
Buzz has the helium voice on the studio version. Dave used his Strat for the
sweet parts. "Up the Dumper" "Goose Freight Train" "June Bug" I can't
remember them all.
They did a groovy-spacey free-form instrumental thing. Dave was letting
loose on the effects. Buzz was using his feedback. Kevin was too. Then Buzz
starts rapping w/us and says, "What's that smell? What is it? Wheew it's
bad!" Here comes Leif, but he didn't say anything to us. There was a toilet
bowl brush on his mic and he took it off in disgust. Crowd is cheering and
booing at the same time. I took a funky white and black bandana to the show
and was gonna wear it a-la-Leif as a joke. I tossed it up to him instead and
he picked it up, twirled it around wiped his crotch with it and tossed it
down. He spent the rest of the song trying to kick the monitor so he could hear himself. Buzz
says, "Our new guitarist Dave is gonna start this song." And Dave starts
"Smells Like Teen Spirit". Leif does a descent job of singing it and only
appears to forget a few lines. The solo part of the song was a mess of
feedback, drums and harmonics that only the MELVINS can muster. Leif said,
"Teen Spirit Melvanized!" Song ends and we go wild. Cheering and booing him
off stage.
They do some more calming songs. I was hoping to hear "Mine Is No Disgrace"
but didn't.Buzz says, "We'll be right back for more." Roadies come out and re-check sound and
tune another bass and guitar. We all thought, "here comes Godspeed," but we were
spared(?)/denied.
As you may have heard, the second set is brutal. It's kick-ass Melvins all
the way. They turned the sound UP! Same oufits (Mackie!). I know what's been
discussed here and I'm not criticizing/condoning anything or trying to start
a debate, but Buzz "looked" buzzed! He may have been high on the crowd or
herbal tea, but he was definitely looking HAPPY when he strode out for the
second set!! It was killer. Dale was doing some scary vocals, too. Can't
remember them all and in no particular order they did a "Night
Goat/Sacrifice/With Yo Heart Not Yo Hands" combo melody thing that was
great. "Euthanasia" "Sacrifice" "amazon" "AMAZON" "Lovely Butterfly" "It's
Shoved" "Manky" "Zodiac" "Adolescent Wet Dream" "The Horn Bearer"
"Blockbuster" was fuckin' bad! The crowd loved the "Do ya?!!/Motherfucker!!"
sing along chorus and Dave gave it that perfect over the top tweak to burrow
into my brain. "Antioxidote" "Wispy" "Skweetis" "The Bloat" "The Bit"
"Queen" "Mombius Hibachi" "Cow" "Judy" was a sweet and wickedly torturous
instrumental jam. Dale had an electronic drum thing that didn't seem to be
working. He kept trying to get it to work, but it wouldn't. He got to smash
his gong, and I dug his cowbell on "Let It All Be"! I missed "Boris".
And that was about it. Dale broke one stick that I saw. I took a mess of
pics that I'll put up soon. LOTS of moshing! A few guys made it on stage. I
thought the security guy was a little rough with them. I bought a couple 8
tracks (scary! the dude looks like me. I don't have that shirt, though.), a
Dead Stick Figure Monster Baby. She's wearing a Melvins t-shirt and you can
email the dude at Beefbrand3@aol.com 12546 Hartland St/Hollywood, CA. The
dolls are all new for this tour. I got 28/100. My 8 track tape is 44/100. I
tried to listen to it, but the player I had is worn out. Last time I played
ALICE COOPER's "Billion Dollar Babies" in it.
Whew! I must pray at the alter of Dan Raymond. The man whom I know to be the
catalyst behind the MELVINS.
--gene
Santa Cruz, California
just returned from the melvins show in santa cruz. it was absolutely
incredible. set one was more quiet than your average melvins set. they
played in no particular order:
-tequila
berthas
skin horse (2nd part only)
up the dumper
blockbuster
okie from muskogee
lone rose holding now
smells like teen spirit
i cant even decribed how hilarious smells like teen spirit was.
buzz talked of how the bootlicker is one of the greatest recording
acheivements of all time.
godspeed did not play. there was a long wait in between the two sets. the
second was louder and noiser. a lot of the songs were only partially played
and segued into one another. songs i can remember being played:
-wispy
it's shoved
a strange version of cow (i think)
the bit
revolve
lovely butterfly
let it all be
with teeth
amazon
AMAZON
manky
shevil
night goat
zodiac
they might not have even played some of these, i might of just misheard or
dreamt it up. i bought one of the 8 tracks, number 29 of 100, so if you are
at one of the shows coming up and they are still being sold, i suggest you
pick one up. i was at the particular show that is recorded and if the sound
quality is good, (i havent had a chance to listen to it) it is well worth
the $25.
Gargamel .
Portland, Oregon
The Melvins played here last night. The prior reviews pretty much nailed what
this show was all about. A great turnout on a Wednesday night (about 90-95%
capacity in a club 1200-1300). They always do well here, but Leif Garrett was
creaming himself over the size of the crowd. Save your cash cause I didn't
bring enough, they brought out some killer merch for this one!
I'm as big of a Melvins fan as I know and they put on one of my favorite
shows last year, but I just didn't get into their first set at all. Not sure
how it is going over in the other cities, but Buzz apologized for it before
they even started playing. NEVER seen him do that. The second set RULES
though. Could have done without seeing Dale in his Speedo for two and a half
hours too.
Mr. Red
Seattle, Washington
best fucking show ever.
they played zodiac. they played old. they played new. blockbuster was
great. leif was a complete trainwreck but it didn't matter.
where ever you are, make sure you do not miss them on this tour. you
will regret it for the rest of your pitiful life.
i love the melvins.
~b
it was good, I agree. way better than the Olympia show the night
before. though I think the last tour when they played the Velvet
Elvis in Seattle and the 3-set tour in 96 were a bit better. I don't
like the way they are playing medley's of parts from songs so like I
got all excited they were going to play Night Goat but then they only
played one minute of it. quite strange. I guess they wanted to play
a song off every record. but they were still amazing as always,
don't get me wrong. Leif sucked.
-aaron
Here's my review of the seattle
show. wherever i have ??? marks are songs
i couldn't identifiy. if you have any ideas on
those tunes, let me know.
MG
Set 1 (7:30-8:10):
Tequila
Okie From Muskogee
Up the Dumper
Skinhorse
Tipping the Lion
Berthas
Blockbuster
"here it comes again"???
Lone Rose Holding Now
Now I'm Here*
Smells Like Teen Spirit*
*w/Leif Garret on vocals
Set 2 (8:35-9:51):
Feedback
Wispy
"hard like a pistol"???
Revolve
Instrumental???
Cherub-like instrumental
The Bit (intro)
Feedback
Manky
Skweetis jam
It's Shoved
Adolecent Wet Dream
"I have the power/still I don't understand"???
Lovely Butterfly
Space jam
Zodiac
Cow
Let It All Be
With Teeth
amazon
AMAZON
Shevil
My first Melvins show since October 1996 was definitely worth the wait. At
7:30, the "new" Melvins, a four piece for the first time, took the stage in
matching flower-print muumuus (each with a big gold "X" on the front).
Dale's top immediately came off as he took his usually low-slung seat behind
the drum kit. New bassist Kevin is indeed hilarious to watch; with his short
blond hair and pretty normal looks, he stands fairly still with a kind of
smug sneer on his face, as if he can't quite believe he's chosen to spend
his time playing with the Melvins. He's also a damned fine bass player, in
pure chops the best out of the handful who've played with Buzz and Dale. New
guitarist Dave has short hair and glasses, a la Steve Turner from Mudhoney.
He had a multieffects box on a music stand in front of him. He and Kevin
were positioned quite close together on stage right, leaving center to Dale
as usual and Buzz on stage left, as usual. Buzz's hair is bigger and weirder
than ever, with a huge shock of white hair in the middle. Buzz chose to chat
with the audience for several minutes before they started playing (odd for a
guy who usually never talks onstage); he talked about how "tonight's gonna
be a great show cause we're all really fucking high...on speed..." and a
bunch of other stuff I can't remember. He teased the "special guest" but we
all knew who that was. "OK we're gonna do a strange first set, it's kind of
an 'anything goes' set, so don't get worried".
With that they swung into a Melvin-ized version of the old classic
"Tequila", and the all ages crowd was actually hip enough to yell "tequila!"
in the correct spaces. The rest of the set focused on the more unusual
Melvins tunes on The Bootlicker, Stag, and The Crybaby. A fast version of
Merle Haggard's "Okie from Muskogee" was a highlight, as was an incredibly
intense take on the Jesus Lizard classic "Blockbuster", with all four
Melvins (and the crowd) joining in on the final chorus of "do ya...MOTHER
FUCKER!" David Yow would have been proud!
After thirty minutes of tightly played weirdness (I have to say in pure
playing terms, this was the best Melvins show I've seen yet, hands
down...they all sounded great, and Dave added lots of cool texture to free
up Buzz for more lead work than usual), Buzz says "do I smell dogshit? Is
that dogshit I smell???" Out comes Leif Garret, replete with bandana and
Social Distortion shirt. Leif says "this is my last show with the Melvins,
thanks to them for letting me show up at their west coast shows". I expect
the intro to Teen Spirit, but instead Buzz starts chugging an oddly familiar
rhythm...but until Dale sings "Here I stand", I don't recognize it...and
then, holy shit, it's my single favorite Queen tune, "Now I'm Here", with
Dale, Buzz and Leif sharing lead vocals. And it kicked ass! This was no
ragged cover...they had clearly rehearsed it. It was a truly transcendent
moment, with Leif striking poses onstage and having a ball, Buzz and Dale
belting their throats out, and even old me jumping up and down and singing
along (sure many of the kids around me were clueless as to the source of
this tune). It was a great moment. Buzz hits the chords to Teen Spirit,
Leif says "wow, in Seattle no less!" and they kick big grunge butt on their
spooky cover. The resonance of this was too weird: Leif Garret; a venerable
Seattle venue; The Melvins, the band who arguably invented grunge without
ever playing it; and Dale, the guy who plays drums on BLEACH, all playing
the song that launched Seattle and Nirvana into rock consciousness, with
tons of irony. A weird and exhilarating moment. Buzz took a bizarre solo as
the band played with the tempo drastically (I have no idea how they pull
this part off!), and at the end Leif does Jesus Christ poses onstage. As
feedback rings out the band leaves the stage and Leif waves goodbye. The
house lights stay on as the music plays over the PA during set break (great
music too, from Black Flag to Slayer to the Stones to obscure Alice Cooper).
Set 2 was basically an entire Melvins headline show all by itself, and for
sheer momentum, power, weirdness, and cohesiveness, the single best set I've
seen them play, ever. At 8:35, Dave comes onstage and starts doing screechy,
spooky feedback; three minutes later Buzz joins him, as do Kevin and Dale in
succession. This became a 12 minute symphonic feedback open that literally
rattled my teeth (this set was twice as loud as the first, just awesomely
huge sound coming out of the amps and the PA). Eventually, years later, they
swung seamlessly into a killer version of "Wispy" (the opening track from
the '91 Eggnog ep) and they never stopped from there (note every song except
the last, which served as a de facto encore, was part of one long segue).
There were a few songs that were totally unrecognizable to me, and a couple
that sounded familiar but I couldn't place; but overall a varied set
reaching back as far as their third album Bullhead (and oddly nothing from
Houdini). Just some of the highlights: a crowd pleasing "Revolve"; the way
they munged pieces of songs into long jams, like taking the intro of "The
Bit" and turning it into a feedback segment, or the jam that nodded
passingly at "Skweetis"; great versions of old classics like "It's Shoved"
and "Zodiac" from Bullhead and "With Teeth" (the tail end piece from the
Lysol ep); the intense treatment of newer tunes like the blistering
"amazon/AMAZON" segment or Honky's grating and threatening "Lovely
Butterfly". This was clearly a tightly rehearsed, well thought-out set that
still resonated with power and spontaneity. The Melvins prove once again
that they can not only change their setlist and approach to their material
(and format) on a constant basis, but they can also change their personnel,
add a second guitarist, and still retain their core charm and power. While
moving, in their own odd way, forward.
After all the intense madness, a calm "Shevil" ended the set (the second
time I've seen them use this quieter tune as a finale). I knew there'd be no
encore; no matter how short or long their set is (or how many sets they
play), they never seem to do an encore. At 9:50 (five minutes past their
scheduled end time for this early all-ages gig, god bless these early
shows!), Leif came back onstage to thank the Melvins again, and yelled
"Chris, you guys know Chris?" and Chris Novoselic came onstage. Leif had a
roadie take a picture of himself with the Melvins and Chris onstage, and
they all waved goodbye and left the stage as the houselights came on.
I didn't even care (much) that I hit traffic on the bridge going home...I
was too exhausted and happy to have witnessed another earthshaking Melvins
gig.
MG
It was a really good show. @ an hour and 45 m Loved the cover of
Blockbuster... Showbox is a pretty cool club- don't know how many
people were there, but it was sold-out in advance.
Thankfully Godspeed didn't play- Leif came out for a couple of songs
and made some hilarious remarks about "smells like..." Leif and Dave
shared a stable of glittery groupies.
whose burnt spoon was that?
Anyone have a full set list for this particular show? I'm missing 1
or 2 from the first set, and a few on the second.
who's going to be at the Athens, GA show?
j-
tequilla was hilarious!! buzz was really into it...and everyone sang along! all in all...the show was incredible..before they started buzz chatted
with the crowd a bit...he mentioned how he got his first job at the
showbox..and that it allowed him to support his dope habit...when dope was
cheap! he he.. they all wore bathrobes with pink hearts..dale was in
briefs..godspeed didn't show apparently..but leif did perform teen spirit
between sets...the crowd went...INSANE!! it was almost too much..like the
music came secondary to the fact that it was teen spirit..and we were in
seattle...i recall dale making a couple looks as if to say "jeeesus h.
christ!" i loved the live version of okie w/ buzz on vocals...let it all be
etc...moments like that make me wish i had dubbed the show...not like they
frisked @ the door or anything!
second set was a revelation...the contrast they made between the two sets
made the 2nd set even more affective...everyone was lost in the
music..including myself! krist noveselic (SP?) was there...and so was kim
thayil!!!! krist was taking pictures sidestage...and at the end of the show
everyone including leif came out and posed for him...and i got a nice shot
of dale's ass out of it...awesome night!
cv
Really great show. Personally, I liked the medley thing they were doing
-- it reminded me of James Brown or Public Enemy, who do similar things.
I enjoyed the way that they weaved between full songs, portions of songs,
improv, and noise with very few pauses. There wer a couple of songs I
didn't recognize: one in the first set (I tried to remember the lyric Buzz
kept singing, but I forgot, of course) and the first song they did with
Leif, which sounded like some 80s hair metal song. Any ideas? I liked
this show better than the Saturday afternoon Velvet Elvis show a few
months ago (I missed the other 3) and the New Year's show. Still wish I
hadn't missed the 3-set tour.
dave.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Hi all,
I have great news, and bad news... I GOT THE LAST 8 TRACK!
I got to the show about an hour early, not too much of a line. I saw Buzzo,
Dave and Kevin walking down the street. Screamed "Melvin Rule" like any
feverish fan.
1st Ave seemed pretty empty, and I spotted the Melvins stand. I rushed up
and there was the almighty 8-track taped on the table with the $25 price
sticker. I yelled, "I WANT AN 8 TRACK!" and the guy said, "Well, this is the
last one," and ripped it off the table. I grabbed another crazy Baby
Monstrosity doll for $15, only 100 made. And a pretty bad ass Trilogy shirt.
Buzzo came out and told us a story about how they were in a restaurant, and
at the restaurant was a bunch of Christian crap in the entrance foyer. On
the wall were several pamphlets and a big picture of Jesus on the cross with
bloody tears running down his face, and Kevin pointed at it and yelled,
"OOOH, LOOK AT THE CRYBABY!" Pretty funny.
He played a lot of clean sets to perfection, singing the David Yow song and
the Merle Haggard song. They made fun of Leif and Kevin did a short
impression of how pathetically Leif sang. "The Superstar Criminal" is what
Buzz called Leif. Then Melvins kept demanding that a chick get on stage to
sing like Leif, throughout the song. They first were gonna pick a guy, but
decided that Leif would be better represented by a girl. Some stupid chick
got on stage, and said "I don't know the words, though." Buzz said, "Leif
didn't know the words, and we don't know how the song goes anyways." So this
chick sang pathetic vocals of "I don't know the words. I'm all out of
words." and flipping people off a lot. She finally bailed in shame, and
another chick jumped on stage only to scream some nonsense words that rattled
the hell out of my ears. The bonus guitarist Dave, seemed like he was a
guitar tech or something. He had about 7 pedals... but only played single
chords throughout the whole first set.
Katastrophy Wife came on shortly later. It's Kat, from Babes in Toyland, a
bass player and drummer, who both seemed bored as hell with their simple
rhythmns. Kat screamed her ears off, played some pretty good guitar, but her
voice ruined most of it. Some song about how she gave a present to a friend,
and didn't have time to wrap it. The friend said, well your a bitch, and I
said your a BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH! It seemed like the perfect loser chic
band... but I personally can't stand any female singers other than Acid King,
Mazzy Starr and maybe Kim Gordon.
The 2nd Melvins set... "experimental set," started with Dave turning the
volume up to 12, and messing with all his pedals. He had about 5 pedals on a
music stand, and a few on the floor. He was fucking with all the dials of
the pedals and amp with great seriousness, grinding the place with sweet
noise. It was an amazing demonstration of guitar pedals, as he floated
through pitch shifters, phasers, and several buzz, noise and synthesizer
settings. It kicked ass... he played that for about 5 minutes, before Buzzo
wandered onto the stage, picked up his guitar and add his own wall of sound.
Dave kept panning, grinding, and static pushing. I noticed that Dave's
guitar was pretty special. Had about 6 switches on it, volume & pitch knobs
and pick-up selector. Kevin wandered onto stage and picked up his bass,
started squealing it against his amp, and thumping wildly. Convulsing all
over. Dale jumped onto the drums and beat like a madman on every drum he
could touch (i think it was a 17 piece drum set?) The continued this AMAZING
noise medley, grinding on every section of my brain... they kept slipping
into Ozma & Stag & Honky songs... but they would only play the intro or solos
of the songs, and right when Buzzo stepped up to the mic they would slam back
into the WALL OF NOISE MEDLEY. Shit, i don't know what to call it, but it
was bad ass as they vibrated my body with sound for 30 minutes or so. They
must've played about 15 different songs in the medley, and then they started
playing all sorts of songs... off Stag and Hooch and the Trilogy... Buzzo
singing, mainly... except for a few Dale vocals.
I woke up with ringing in my ears... and I massive ball of Melvins pride
inside.
Sorry for taking the last 8 track...
Try
Chicago, Illinois
Melvins
Chicago, IL
Metro
April 15th
David Yow put in a brief appearance to belt out the lyrics to Blockbuster and Smells Like Teen Spirit and to jump in the crowd and cause a ruckus (fortunately he kept his clothes on this time around; he stripped down to his underwear at the last Chicago show). Yow was wearing a wife beater T-shirt that he had labeled with magic marker, it read “Three Piece Bands Suck”
The set list that night was pretty consistent with every other show that’s been written about on the mailing list.
The Metro was pretty much filled to capacity and the Melvins played about 2000000 songs.
Later
MAS
Detroit, Michigan
OK. Detroit show last night. First set started with Tequilla. Ended with
Teen Spirit. 2d set included Cows song Shot Down. Things like Okie from
Muskogie and With yo heart not yr hands got played.
After the show I was threatened by a panhandler; "I'm still here. How
about a donation. You don't want anything to happen..."
So I screamed at him to get away from me and my car. Some underage based
on Xs on hands in the car next to me kept telling me to chill out, not
understanding the danger and indignity of the threat. So, dumbass he was,
he told me several times to chill out and that "Melvins Fucking Rule." As
I said, dumbass...
OK, first set list as I take it from the tape I made (things I don't know
might be on the Crybaby and I just don't remember it, but may very well
not be on it; I've listened to the album half a dozen times, but i have a
horrible inability to match up melvins songs to titles, albums, etc.
:
Opening comments on fucking Led Zepplin's singer in the ass, and how
it would be like shaking Buzz's dick in an open door, because Buzz is so
small.
Tequila
Okie from Muskogee
(then a light song, sounded like the theme for an 80s teen movie taking
itself a little oo seriously, but not super seriously)
2d part of skin horse
Tipping the lion
Captain Pungent
Blockbuster
(uhhh, a slower song, countryish, might be a melvins song)
(Uhhh, I think a Melvins song)
(Song w/lyric 'and I take a look around'. Sounds like 70s rock.)
Teen Spirit (a strung out looking young woman sang it)
Comments on Kurt, on th eorder of he's in heave, then Buzz says Kurt's
burning in hell. Rmemeber that. We'll be right back. I had to side flip,
tho, since I didn't know it was the end, and missed most of those
comments on the tape...
Oh yeah; anyone who wants to trade the 8track to me for CDRs of the 2 sets
(ie, you don't have an 8track player and aren't really thinking of getitng
one, and a low quality open air CD is better for you to have around than a
useless hunk of 8track...), feel free to email me.
Ted
Cincinnati, Ohio
the cincy show was last night. it was great. began with taquila, then okie from muskogee. 2nd part of skin horse.. tipping the lion.. and played various other things that i can't remember, mostly off of the bootlicker.. second set.. dave came out and played some noise. buzz later joined him. they eventually played wispy. i don't remember what all the played.. but i remember zodiac, its shoved, revolve, manky, amazon, AMAZON, and others. i can't even remember what they ended with. i bought a trilogy shirt. almost had to arm wrestle someone for it.
Chris
Brooklyn, New York
hey everyone,
i saw the melvins in ny last night. it was great!!
they played with yo heart not your hands. they played
stuff off of at least nine of their albums.
i almost didn't get in b/c they were sold out and as
the 2nd set was beginning they let us in.
to all thinking about going in philly, stop thinking
and just go!! it'll kick your ass.
josh
Cambridge, Massachusetts
ok so i saw the show last night in cambridge and i took a roll of shitty
pictures. i didn't get pictures of dave the dorky guitarist because there was a large
stack of speakers between him and me, and i think he was hiding anyhow. i
tried to take a picture of him when he walked out in the middle of the
stage, but my camera decided not to work.
anyhow. leif was there and he sang with them. man, he totally did not look
like what i expected. he was way too grunged out. they were wearing
heart-patterned moomoos with x's on the chest. kind of ugly, but funny.
i must say, this is the best show i've seen them do. i tried to come up with
a list of what they played, but i'm so damn tired i'm just gonna throw out a
partial list.
tequila
okie from muskogee
adolescent wet dream
with yo heart not yo hands
leech
let it all be
revolve
smells like teen spirit
its shoved
blockbuster
berthas
night goat
the bit
skin horse
AMAZON
amazon
i was quite happy they played adolescent wet dream, with yo heart not yo
hands and leech (even though it was only like 30 seconds, i was happy)
anyhow. i see them again a month from today. maybe i'll take prettier
pictures. enjoy these at least. the page will take some time to load, so be
patient. if you aren't hold on and i'll eventually have a linked page
coming, cause i have to do it for a project.
love,
sarah
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Ah! That, thick cottony ringing in my ears means I must of
been at a MELVINS show . . . Either that or I stood next to a
sequence of 21 guns salutes.
All I got to say about the show is that I saw more
femme MELVINS fans then I've ever seen in one place
before in my life. And believe me, I tried. But, it
was a tough crowd. Lot of stand-offish, attitude
with those MELVINS chicks. Then again, half of them
were jail bait. A quarter of them had guys attached
to - what must have been - an invisible leash at
the wrist. And the last quarter were just tough.
Met some of ya's backstage. I tried talking to
a cute MELVINS fan from NJ, but trying to get her
to talk was like prying open a rusty can of
eighteen year old sardines. What's with you
Melvins girls? You're just so tough.
By the way, Mr. Raymond, we were talking trash about
you with Buzzo in the alley behind the club. Lief was busy
taking Polaroids of himself with the sixteen year
olds.
Now's the down time. Like December 26th. I'm not as
ambitious about following bands as I was in my youth.
So long Melvins. Come back soon.
Francesco
Carrboro, North Carolina
buzz comes out and tells us that people in Chapel Hill all day have been
calling him nigger, sideshow bob, and some people just asked who he payed to
do his hair.
buzz was in a good mood tonight and actually asked the audience if they had
any questions...someone asked him what he thought of "that 6 year old cuban
kid" buzz replied kill him. i asked when the Mans Ruin record was going to be
out, he said they were still working on it. anyway i talked to Dave (2nd
geetar) before the show and let me just say he is one nice guy. he explained
how he has seen the Melvins almost 80 times and roadied for them and also did
some noise work on Stag and Honky.
set one. no order.
tequilla
okie
tipping the lion
interlude of skin horse
up the dumper
buck owens
smells like teen spirit
noises medly
a new song
set two. no order
Daves noise parade... buzz, kevin, then dale follow for about 13 minutes.
with teeth
revolve
amazon.
AMAZON.
zodiac.
with your heart not yo' hands
leeech
its shoved
shevil
night goat
the bit.
lovely butterfly
manky
let it all be
blockbuster
either a cover i dont know or a new one.
anyway for Ten bucks this show was well worth it. got to talk to all four
guys. got some great pics that once i get developed plan on getting scanned
and sending over to Gene if he wants them for his page. they should be good
pics as buzz was literally six inches away from me. sound was great. some
dumbass was throwing cans at buzz during the big noise thing and buzz had a
word with the young lad...
anyway. go see the fucking melvins on this tour.
i am seeing them again tonight downtown in Wilmington NC hopefully i can get
some more pics and stuff. blargh.
dave s.
My friend Mike was hoping Buzz would pick him so he
could ask what he would do for a klondike bar but it
didnt happen. Overall, the show kicked my ass hard,
though I did get shoved into the stage a few times
when the mosh pit broke out mid set which kinda had me
pissed for a little bit. After the show I got to meet
everyone except for Kevin who I didnt see around at
all, Buzzo shot me and mike with his toy lazer gun
someone had given him a few nights back. Me and Dave
chatted about music, he wished me and mike the best
with our band which was really cool of him. We left
and went to eat at a Waffle House a few hours down the
road and all these rednecks looked like they were
going to kill us, eh well, I guess even the best night
of your life cant be totally perfect.
Peace,
Ted
Wilmington, North Carolina
my horrid hometown of Wilmington NC land of Dawsons Creek and Hurricanes...
well it was an interesting evening with the Melvins, indeed.
regular chit chat from Buzz, called Kevin RUManis. it was rather funny.
well they got thru tequilla and okie. then a drunk piece of shit had a piece
of paper with "HoneyBucket" printed on it and demanded Buzz to read it. Buzz
said he was a human being not a fucking jukebox. this guy keeps hassling
Buzz, finally one of the bouncers told the guy to back off, the guy replied
with fuck you to both Buzz and the bouncer...then to make shit even better,
this idiots dumbfuck friend starts telling the Melvins that his friend was
just requesting a song and how they were a dissapointment. well. this is
where things get nasty...
the guy starts talking shit to Kevin, Kevin calls him an asshole, the guy
keeps talking shit so, with bass in hand, Kevin walks into the crowd and
calls the guy an asshole yet again...BAMN...Kevin gets punched in the face.
Immediatly the guy gets thrown down and beaten, then dragged outside. i have
never seen so many pissed off ready to KILL melvins fans....
Well Buzz said its time for a break.
the guy is outside now hes talking shit to some other bouncers...he gets his
ass kicked, then the cops come. Dale went out and talked to them...
20 minutes later the Melvins continue the first set...
set one. no order
tequilla
okie
tipping the lion
up the dumper
lone rose holding now
interlude of skin horse
buck owens
teen spirit
blockbuster
set two. no order
Daves noise...tonight with bowed cymbal and piano loop
nightgoat intro
with yo' heart not yo' hands
adolescent wet dream
leeech
its shoved
zodiac
wispy
with teeth
bit intro
amazon
AMAZON
manky
let it all be
shevil
a cover song
it was another magnificent night, the four guys are nice as hell got to talk
to them after the show and discussed the idiots in this town. Buzz told me to
get the hell out.
agreed.
got the four of them to sign my trilogy booklets
and talked some drumming to SIR dale crover.
im not allowed to call him Crover like Kevin is...hah...
Melvins kill.
i wish i had the money to head to Athens tomorrow night. but fuck!!!
...took some pics tonight as well.
dave s.
Orlando, Florida
The set was not much different than what's been posted here. The first song
was a cover of what had to be some 70's song (anybody?). Buzz talked for
about 15 minutes about how the bartenders had been feeding them singapore
slings all night. Then came Tequila and the rest of the "usual" first set,
ending with a speech about the "superstar felon," followed by some kid
taking himself too seriously singing SLTS.
The second set was brutal. The Dave noise thing was very impressive. I had
to leave the front of the stage when Kevin showed up. It was killing me.
This set reminded me of Ramones shows in it's unrelenting barrage.
I am now considering driving to Tallahassee tonight.
d
Dallas, Texas
set list in order with exception of songs unbeknownst to me. (any help,
mr. raymond? anyone?)
set I
- cover?
- tequila
- oakie
- up the dumper
- skin horse (ending)
- tipping the lion
- berthas
- blockbuster
- help?
- lonely rose
- slts
set II
- dave/noise - then buzzo/feedback - then kevin ass - then dale
- wispy
- help? i believe they sang/screamed "we wait" or something
- revolve
- night goat (no words)
- ???
- the bit (intro only)
- right into - manky- right into
- it's shoved
- not sure, there was a break where someone or a recording said, " what
the hell are you thinkin?' and then shortly thereafter buzzo sang "with
yo heart, not your hands", same song?
- leech
- ???
- ???
- ???
- let it all be (1st part only)
- let god be your gardener (intro only)
- with teeth
- amazon
- AMAZON
- shevil
also i don't know if this was posted or not yet but they had a cool 6
poster set for $20 w/ one poster each by buzzo, dale, kevin, andy ward,
mackie o and i forgot, sorry, but it's fuqin ayesum artwork. i'm going
to austin tonight so if you are @ the show tonight pay attention so you
can help me w/ the setlist.
thanks,
marco
ps, that hoolahoop dance kevin does is rad
went to melvins show at trees in dallas last night...much better
locale than deep ellum live, in my humble opinion. my first show
to see who the melvins could draw by themselves on a weekday
night and i was pretty suprised. sound was pretty good vs. last show
with bungle. first set was absolutely fucking great started off with a
cover i didn't recognize, wearing matching moo-moo's underneath
black shirts. buzz talked to the crowd about how pantera style heavy
metal and the cowboys are one and the same. 2nd guitarists' technique
during blockbuster seemed to involve rubbing his guitar against the
fake trees they have on stage. slts was sung by guy said to be kevin's
uncle, who inserted blah blah blah for most of the lyrics, not to bad.
the second was much more like the past two shows i've seen and it
was good, when they played songs. WAY too many self indulgent ten
minute long exercises in feedback. great versions of with yo' heart, let
it all be, and a lovely butterful that i didn't recognize at first. i think
i've finally determined i like the melvins better in my house where i
have them at the mercy of cd player controls.
saw lots of flashes and someone was filming.
Rorschach
Don't have that much to add really, but the lovely butterfly must have been
pretty fucked up because i dont remember hearing it. I managed to get one
of Dales sticks off the edge of the stage when he threw it and got it signed
after the show.... The sound was 10X better than the Mr. Bungle show. The
crowd was 5X better than the Mr. Bungle show. I do have a bruise on my ribs
where i one good hit in the back which forced me into the stage though. I
was expecting the second guitarist to play things like the rhythm guitar
part on revolve, where buzz is doing is solo.... but instead he played all
of the solos in unison. If i had been standing farther away i would have
thought he just wasn't playing but my head was right next to his monitor
and i could tell exactly when he was and wasn't playing. oh, and wasn't Lori
Crover there? I kept seeing her everywhere i went before the show started.
I thought someone said they got de-hitched?
-KITCHENS
Houston, Texas
we sat on the trunk of my car before the doors opened and buzzo came out on
the balcony of fitzgerald's, all you could see was hair walking back and forth.
there was also a young looking "hot chick" with all the anatomically correct
features a "hot chick" posseses. it's the hair, it entrances young women.
we got inside and after an hour and a half dan came out for the final check
on the shit, i would have said hi but dan looks like a busy man everytime i
see him. buzzo and the gang came out in their heart printed dresses with the
cool X's on them, dale came out in black briefs and a badass cape. and buzz
told the crowd that "we love you" which was cool cause the last time they were
in houston i thought the tool fans acted like shit fuckers when the melvins
played.
i'm terrible at knowing the names of the songs, and i'm too busy jumping up
and down to take notes, so i'll just stab at it.
the first set started with tequila, and okie from muskogie [spelling?], two
songs from the bootlicker, blockbuster, teen shpirit, and other stuff. noise
guy came out on the set before their second round and had what looked like a
microphone torn apart, and he had some wire hooked up into it, he took this
wire and slung it around, making some really nice noisy atmospheric sound.
buzzo came out, played along, then kevin and dale. they played the noise for
a while then jumped into the eggnog song. after that i went nuts and i just
know i heard stuff from houdini, stoner witch, stag, honky, bullhead, and maggot!
there was no fence in front of the stage, so you could walk right up to it and
get spit on by buzzo's singing. the crowd was great, everyone was a melvins
fan, it was the best melvins show i've been to.
the president
Austin, Texas
I have nothing to add to the set list, etc. The show in Houston was excellent. I really dig the two-set tour.
Austin was great. Stubb's has a wonderful PA, but the food sucks. The guy who sang SLTS did a very nice job! The band all
applauded him. Dave Stone is a great addition to the band. He was doing some wicked shit from time to time, and played perfectly
along with Buzz.
So anyhoot, I shot video of the Austin show and so did my buddy Joel. I used a digital video camera and the quality is superior.
I met Mike, the roadie with "the biggest Nirvana bootleg collection". Mike is a cool kid. He is recording audio of every show to
mini disk. What a nut! He wants me to send him both vids, and he has a friend who will edit both videos and mini disk together
etc... Sounds pretty cool.
So anyhoot, I shot video of the Austin show and so did my buddy Joel. I used a digital video camera and the quality is superior.
I met Mike, the roadie with "the biggest Nirvana bootleg collection". Mike is a cool kid. He is recording audio of every show to
mini disk. What a nut! He wants me to send him both vids, and he has a friend who will edit both videos and mini disk together
etc... Sounds pretty cool.
Crushr
stubb's barbecue, we went in a little before the door's open to eat, sitting
right there in the front enjoying some great meat was buzzo and the gang! it
took all my nerves not to be cliche and try to meet them, but i wanted to eat
too so that helped.
we got out there early and the show started around 9, before they started buzzo introduced everyone, when he got to dale he
said "newly divorced" and the crowd went crazy, then buzzo pipes in "i've been
waiting 15 years, now finally i have a chance!" the set was almost the
same except cooler with more people. the only shitty things were the fence
in front of the stage, and the gravel all over the ground, which got the best
of my poor knees a few times. (there were a shitload of drunk ass motherfuckers
too) the fellow who sang teen spirit followed buzzo's instructions and swallowed
the mic, he got it all the way in his mouth, and i think i saw kevin amused
by that one.
one difference was noise guy, he took out a zildgan [spelling] symbol which
had rectangle shapes cut into it from the edges, and took a cello bow to it,
he got up to the mic with that and made some really neat sounds for a while,
everyone got up real close when he was doing his thing, then he went into the
wire thing and whipped that around some.
these last two days will be imprinted into my brain forever, thanks melvins.
the president
ok.
i'm pretty phreakin sure it was the exact same two sets last night in
austin. i'll never know for sure because i showed up a wee bit too late
(during up the dumper). i figured they came on later in dallass, but i
learned a valuable lesson to never underestimate the Melvins.
it's also kinda funny, because i realized what all the songs were, that
i couldn't quite decipher in dallas. (adolescent wet dream, in the
first set, we reach, lovely butterfly and zodiac in the second set). i
guess when i saw them i was so HIGH on melvins that i was too
overwhelmed.
i think i even enjoyed this show better. it was at a bbq place called
Stubb's. it's outside and the stage is kinda like an amphitheater (it
has a huge scoop protruding on and outoward the audience). i definitely
heard more stuff than i did in dallas.
cheers,
marco
Tucson, Arizona
Ok, Where to begin. Got to Tucson and to the club, just as they got on
stage. They were wearing there camouflage dresses. Started the 1st.
set with Tequila. Followed with the more mellow stuff. Buzz was very
talkative to the crowed. Finished the 1st set with Teen Spirit, but
without Leaf. They picked some smuck that they figured must know the
words, He didn't and made an ass of himself. But he did get to jam with
the Melvins. Bastard!
Second set was when they really rocked. Started out with the new guy
making sounds with weird guitar strings and some flat microphone that he
rubbed on everything. LOUD! Thank god for ear plugs. Seemed as though
the guys were tired cuz I've heard tighter sets. Still rocked. Show
ended after 1hr 15min. After the show waited for them out side by the
YellowLuck truck. But didn't come out, so we left for Phoenix. Stopped
at some truck stop out in the middle of nowhere and who pulls up in a
mini van? Dale and Kevin. I yelled at Dale and he looked freaked out
that he was spotted in the middle of nowhere. He was cool. Took a
picture and talked about the web. He said as stated before that he
knows nothing of your site, but did say that a Melvins page is due to be
finished soon! He was cool. Asked him if there will be more albums,
and he replied "what else are we going to do?" Bitchin!!!
Well I'll send pics when they get developed.
later
greenguy
San Diego, California
This was one kick ass Melvins show! One of my favorites! Set list in order:
Now I'm Here - QUEEN by Brian May from SHEER HEART ATTACK
Tequila - THE CHAMPS
Okie From Muskogee - MERLE HAGGARD
Jew Boy Flower Head
Skin Horse (2nd half)
Tipping the Lion
Berthas (no Captain Pungent)
Blockbuster - THE JESUS LIZARD (Buzz does this better every time!)
Mary Lady Bobby Kins
Up The Dumper
Smells Like Teen Spirit
--intermission--
Dave noiseathon
Followed by Buzz
Followed by Kevin
Followed by Dale
Wispy
We Reach
Revolve
Night Goat
Cherub - BUTTHOLE SURFERS
The Bit (intro)
AMAZON (jam)
It's Shoved
Adolescent Wet Dream - PUSSY GALORE by John Spencer
With 'Yo Heart, Not 'Yo Hands - MALFUNKSHUN by Andrew Wood
Leech (I can't remember if this is a cover or not)
Lovely Butterfly
Zodiac
Let It All Be
Grinding Process
With Teeth
amazon
AMAZON
Shevil (beautiful. Thanks for calming us down, you guys!)
Got to the Brick By Brick about 7pm. Mike the audiographer who's recording all the shows, and the drummer from NOG (the MELVINS cover band you'll all hear more of soon) and his girlfriend were hanging out front. Adam Jones (TOOL) was there in his new black VW bug. What a trip to see scarecrow Adam in that car---with his American Stratfordshire Terrier no less! Adam was talking to some people about his dog. Dave's girl was there with their American Stratfordshire Terrier puppy. The doors weren't open yet, but I strolled in like I knew what I was doing and used the restroom. On my way, I passed Buzz and said "Hi" as he was getting some lemonade out of a cooler by the bar. I swear, when I started going to the Melvins shows, Buzz was a husky boy. He's slimmed down and he's loooooking goooood. Mackie wasn't there. I took a seat at the bar and asked the bartender for a drink. But he booted me out instead!
So back amongst the regular people, I was hanging with NOG drummer. He's barely 18 and his GF too. We were scheming a way to get them into the 21+ show. They drove a long way to be disappointed. Actually, NOG's photog friend got there about 2 in the afternoon and Buzz took him to Toys R Us for a shot in San Diego's economic arm. He said the Mommies and Kiddies in Toys R Us were tripping on Buzz as he cruised the aisles. I wish I could of been there!
The Melvins did a their sound check, then Dale steps outside. I talked to him a bit and checked out his American Staffordshire Terrier (see the trend?). I asked him if there was anything he could do to get the under 18 yo's in the door. He said sorry, he couldn't. For a time it looked like they were gonna be able to get in and hang by the board far away from any alcohol. I'm was sure Mike was gonna get to record the show. But, I guess the MAN is tough with the 21+ rules in San Diego. Those guys didn't get in. Bummer.
Dale and Maureen took their dog for a stroll and Buzz and Adam went to the Subway Sandwich Shop across the street. Kevin was wandering around outside, too. The line started forming to get in when Buzz and Adam come walking back and try to get in the place through the back door. But they were locked out! So, Buzz mustered some courage and walked through the crowd in the front door. People gawked in awe.
I finally got in and had my two shots of tequila. Holy crap--$6 a shot for regular! The show finally started at about 9:30. It was one hell of a kick ass gig! Buzz was real relaxed and joking w/ the audience and had a great time. Of course, per Melvins tradition of downgrading the previous venue, he led us in a chant of "Fuck Tucson". All in good fun. The Brick By Brick is relatively small and I was right up front between Dale and Buzz. Dale sang most of the parts of "Now I'm Here" and Buzz sang the other parts. Kevin seemed to be having a good time. He didn't wear his "gimp" props this night. Maybe he salved himself? heheheheh Some Metal Mammas next to me kept pretending they were hefting Kevins "sack" and yelling "Show your ass!" and "Who wants to fuck?!" Nuts!!
Buzz told us how he was a card carrying member of the Black Panthers and the crowd "Right On!" 'd and "Power to the People!" 'd their approval. He told us a joke with seemingly no punch line that I can't recall, too.
I met up w/ Paul Sanard (from the list) and his GF Bonnie. We had a great time rocking out! Only problems were some dumbass crowd surfer pig knocked us all in the head with his feet. Paul almost had to whoop that boy's ass good. The 400 pound security guard intervened. RoadBull felt it was important to come over and give Paul a lecture about getting shoved up against one of Buzz's monitors. We couldn't hear what he was saying, but we complied, I think.
Bonnie wanted to do the SMTS vocals, but some guy got his hand up first and proceeded to make an ass of himself while having a hell of a good time. He wasn't singing loud enough except for maybe the choruses. During the crazy free-form solos section of the song, the kid was bowing before the King! He forgot the last verse and asked Buzz, Paul and Bonnie and myself. We told him to fake it. He did a lousy job of that. But, he entertained everyone by doing this crazy "Leprechaun Dance". He had a blast!
Dave's noise jam was different from what I saw in Pomona April 1st. He took a guitar string and tied it to a pickup coil. Then he messed with his effects rack while tying the guitar string to mike stands, and Dales drum kit. He did some wild ass stuff pulling, whipping(!) and tweaking that string all over the stage. Then, he took the pickup coil and rubbed it against the toilet brush on Kevin's mike, against various drums, against amps, everywhere. It was wild! Then Buzz comes out for his feedback, foloowed by Kevin, then Dale.
Sorry to say there was no Dan Raymond. Brian and Dale said he went home. Dale said he had, "..heard Dan was starting trouble on the nerd list." hahahaha Randy was there doing his thang. I was great meeting Paul and Bonnie. I took a roll of film, which I'll put up next week sometime. I was lucky enough to get a set of posters.
Rock on Melvins!
gene
London, Ontario, Canada
hey,
just thought i'd write a bit about the london, ontario show last
night...definitely the highlight of my summer and one of the top 2
concerts i've seen (another being the jesus lizard...same venue)...i met
Mike at the merch table and talked to him for quite a while about various
things...really nice guy...and i think he mentioned to say hi to Dan
(hi)...oh and about the is Kevin gimp or not topic...i saw him after the
show and he walked right past Mike and i and we started at him funny cause
he was walking on this angle...like 45degrees to the uhh left...no
right...oh i forget...it was like being in one of those amusement park
haunted houses with the warped floors...no really, i couldn't believe my
eyes...Kevin must have this microgravity of his own that allows him to
walk like that...hence the shoe to even out the gravitational forces at
work...
...plus he had one of those new line6 delay pedal and that makes me
jealous so i had to make a crack about the shoe thing...no harm intended
with that btw...the stuff on David's mic stand was: electro harmonix micro
synthesizer, electro harmonix memory man (deluxe?), a silver pedal that
looked kinda like an eh small stone (a phaser of some sort?), and this
black pedal that looked like an eq pedal or perhaps a delay...i
dunno...i'm sure about the eh stuff though...he also had a rat distortion
pedal and a boss tuner and a few other things on the floor...Kevin had
some other stuff too but i couldn't see it that well...i remember seeing a
few boss DS1 pedals but i can't remember who had what...and whatever Dale
had on the stand thing on the side of his kit (pitch shifter??) that he
used to control the pitch of Buzz& Kevin's vocals was interesting too
the camouflage mumus (sp?) were a nice touch but they looked a little hot
in them...and Dale's briefs were much nicer than David Yow's...not that i
was looking...so Buzz started by talking for a while...told a few funny
Nirvana-related jokes ("i killed Kurt" story)...then some dumbass in a
Metallica shirt started yelling "fucking shut up and play" so Buzz
proceeds to mock the guy and Kevin and Dale join in...the final consensus
was that it was cool to have a guy in a Metallica shirt telling them to
play rather then to have Metallica fans yelling "fuck you" while they play
then tequila started and okie from muskogee and then i forget the
order...here's a bunch of songs i think they played (i was dead tired...i
get up for work at 5am so that's my excuse if i'm wrong):
zodiac, it's shoved, shevil, let it be, amazon, , with yo heart not yo
hands, cherub (butthole surfers cover without vocals...it took me a few
min to figure out where the hell i'd heard the song before but it was
really cool to hear that), some queen song (some 19yr old knew the song
and Dale says "internet geek...you read that on the internet..."...i have
no clue what the song was...i must be too young, yea that's it), lone rose
holding now, slts (Mike said the guy who sang it was one of the best on
the whole tour which was nice to hear considering there were only 75
people that showed up...stupid london people), revolve, at the stake,
blockbuster (whoohoo), lovely butterfly, joan of arc, leech, shevil
(closer?)
other possiblities (these may have been played but i'm far less sure of
whether they were or whether i just think i heard them):
eye flies, oven, heater moves and eyes, happy grey or black, lividity,
clipping roses, flex with you, steve instant newman, let god be your
gardener
then there's a few i've missed (likely from stag because that's the only
one i'm missing at the moment)...the whole thing was about 2.5hrs with an
intermission and a 10-15min noise jam (David guitar string thing and Buzz
joined in) between sets
that's about it,
tyler
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