10.19.02, The Fez Ballroom
Portland, OR
Set 1: (~95 min)
Jam (~31 min) ->
Tenfold (~21 min)
Dear Milena (~11 min) ->
Stars Fell on Alabama!* (~7 min)
Hey Worrier! (~6 min) ->
Spice Groove (~19 min)
Set 2: (~86 min)
Sometimes True to Nothing (~12 min)
Take a Beetle to the Badlands** (~18 min) ->
Sorry (~10 min) ->
Rastaman Chant (~6 min)
Weight of Solomon*** (~10 min)
Rhythm Changes (~12 min)
Rhythm and Gold (~18 min)
Encore:
In Russia With Love**** (~20 min)
* Jimmy Buffet cover (to my ears)
** With anti-war rap
*** Brad on Rhodes, Sesame Street theme
**** With Asher Fulero on keys
--
The circumstances surrounding this show were somewhat unusual. Three
months ago, shortly after we learned that the Slip would be in
Portland on the 19th, SCI announced that they too were going to play
Portland that evening. So basically rather than try to compete
directly with SCI as they did the previous night in Seattle, the Slip
chose to play a late-night show in PDX at the Fez. I hear that 1200
Slip fliers were handed out to people entering and exiting the Cheese
show . . . Must be that bad-ass Slip grassroots team, again.
The opener, GreyArea, went on at approximately 10:30 and played for
roughly an hour and a half. There were probably 120 people in there
by the time they ended, but before the post-SCI people showed up,
which they did a short time later. Between 12:15 and 12:35, an
additional 200 people showed up, and they room became quite packed
with the usual buzz of anticipation. It was clear that most of the
attendees had saved a lot of energy for the Slip, and there was a
decidedly psychedelic vibe in the room.
The Slip began the show with approximately 52 minutes of
uninterrupted music before taking a break. The first 30 minutes of
it appeared wholly improvised. It was not the usual ambient
atmospheric material that usually opens shows, but an instantaneous
driving break-beat with pulsating bass and Brad supplying
volume-pedal, de-attacked oblique chords over the top. The first few
minutes served as a soundcheck while Leonard got everything dialed.
As soon as the band started, the crowd just levitated and started
bouncing en masse; BAM had them in the palm of their hand, hook line
and sinker. As the first minutes of the show played out, people
throughout the room broke out in huge grins on their faces and before
long, the place was thoroughly bumping.
After about a half hour of improv, Andrew dropped into this
completely improbable groove which developed into none other than
Tenfold. Many people in the room were rocking out furiously. I
talked to Brad and got the low-down on Tenfold. The phrase is in
fact 5 measures of 4, or 20, I was just counting it as 8 and 12,
which is also twenty. To me, it sounds like 8 and 12, but we're
splitting hairs. AAR, perhaps it should be called twentyfold.
Bottom line, this tune is a dangerously funky frankenstein drum and
bass/house tune that is hitting people like so many tons of bricks.
The extra measure of four hangs off the end like a bizarre mutation
and adds levels of depth to the tune. After a 20 minute version, and
almost an hour after they started, the band paused for the first
time, took a breath and surveyed the room.
Next up was Dear Milena, a definite crowd favorite. We saw how much
Brad's vocals have improved. I'm confident this trend will continue.
This version was long and focused and had people dancing furiously.
It is so amazing to see a band go from deep d+b/house to whatever
you'd call Brad's brand of singer-songwriter Americana, without
skipping a beat. Milena segued into a slow way. It appeared to be
an an opportunity for the audience, who had been dancing furiously in
a focused discursive interchange with the band, to catch their
breath. The closest thing I could come up on this tune is Jimmy
Buffet's Stars Fell Over Alabama, as awesome tune, by the way. But
the Slip's version was subtly different, so we'll just have to find
out from Leonard what this was. The tune concluded with a Spice
Groove bluff.
Next they played Hey Worrier, and I had a meltdown right next to the
stage. In my view this is one of the best Slip tunes ever written,
so I was extremely enthused to hear them bust this nugget out. This
version was just a tad slower than others and had a very relaxed
feeling to it, really in the pocket and just money. Definitely a
highlight for me. Worrier segued directly into the furious Spice
Groove intro which served notice that we were about to be assaulted
by nasty funk grooves. After making it through the intro, drop, and
bridge without error, Andrew launched into a devastatingly funky
breakbeat, accompanied by Marc playing dub bass lines and Brad
skanking along happily.
After a few minutes of classic Spice funk, Andrew embarked on a
beat-boxing oddysey, with the help of Leonard on the delay effect,
that Ted eloquently refers to. This flows directly into a blatant
quote of the chorus of rapper Eminem's "Without Me," teases of which
continue to be heard throughout the song. At the conclusion of this
absolutely first rate Spice Groove, Brad announced that band has
until 4:00AM to play and so the band would take a set break. It was
2:15AM, and last call is heard in the venue. We were concerned that
once this occurred people would begin fleeing the Fez, but this did
not happen and our fears were allayed.
BAM took the stage for Set 2 at approximately 2:30AM. Many people
appeared to have left momentarily to go outside and refresh
themselves, but as the boys started the intro to Sometimes True to
Nothing, the crowd swelled back. The intro was long and mellow, very
reflective and contemplative. BAM was running on all cylinders, with
a few hairy moments for Brad on the vocals, but this was generally a
stellar version. More Leonard having fun with the delays. For the
rock part, Brad busted out a can of whoop-ass and did his best Jimi
impression, very fun stuff.
Next up was Beetle, which is always fun for us West Coasters cuz we
always scream louder than our East Coast counterparts when the
relevant section of the song comes up. But that's cuz on the whole
we're that much cooler ; ) This Beetle was excellent but really
became legendary when Brad decided to call out George W. Bush. What
ensued was a five minute rap/diatribe against Bush and his Iraq war,
which Brad noted was being conducted in pursuit of massive oil
reserves. I rarely hear the Slip get political, for good reason, but
Brad's comments seemed timely, appropriate and heartfelt.
Beetle segued directly into one of my favorite new Slip tunes, Sorry.
The main body of the song was declarative and emphatic and thoroughly
well played, but it wasn't until the "jam" that BAM really showed
their stripes. The band sunk into this groove with Andrew playing
snare, hi hat and cow-bell uptempo/drum and bass, with Marc laying
down a subtly melodic bass line and Brad comping expertly. Then Marc
whips out the wacky harmonics that he is so coveted and copied for,
as Andrew lays down a perfectly timed accompaniment.
How suprised were we to hear the band move seamlessly into Rastaman
Chant? Very. Even though Brad kind of botched the intro, the
allusion was inevitable. This is clearly a tune that BAM busts out
in critical, emotionally charged situations: it is one of Bob
Marley's most profound songs. By this time, it was 3:30 in the
morning, and the crowd of almost 200 people seemed to be both
dumbstruck and awe-inspired, by the incredible music that was taking
place.
Naturally, Weight of Solomon was a profound and inspiring selection
to play next. I happened to be downstairs at the time, and hearing
the tell-tale rhythm of the song rushed up just in time to see Brad
belting the tune out on the Rhodes. He completely nailed this
version, going the extra mile to capture the high notes.
This is a fabulous version, one of the best I've ever heard: relaxed,
confident, on time, and on key. Many northwest human beings boarded
the space ship in search of love at this point. I didn't start
bawling, which is good for me. Marc is on the EBO, his new 1960
vintage Gibson bass, and provides a wicked solo for the ages. He's
clearly happy with his new bass; East Coasters look out for the EBO.
Bert and Ernie were invoked as usual, and this version left people's
jaws on the flizzo.
At this point Brad thanks people for being there that late and asks
the crowd of approximately 170 people how many went to the SCI show
earlier in the evening. A weak smattering of applause. Brad says
oh, we would have thought more of you would have been there.
Realizing that they are dealing with their own crowd; eg the PDX
hardcore, they explode into Rhythm Changes a la Slip, with a
masterful new 64 bar head, Bird style. Expert execution and soul
throughout.
By this time it is 3:40 in the morning and Brad asked for requests
from the audience. Calls for Cumulus, Alsoa, Nashua, Honey Melon,
and Dogs on Bikes can all be heard requested in the short burst of
audience feedback that ensued. But I have this theory about Brad: he
asks for requests in order to figure out what not to play, rather
than what to play, and the next selection confirmed this; a long,
lush, and decidedly languid Rhythm and Gold. I will never forget
meandering back to the sound board and chilling with Leonard and
watching the crowd during the intro. 170 people were silent and
focused, intent on hearing the magic that was unfolding before them.
You could honestly hear a pin drop. 10 minutes into the tune Andrew
senses that the crowd needs a power barr and delivers a shaker driven
rock rhythm very similar in nature to the rhythm he deployed in
during the now seemingly defunct Dogs on Bikes. Massive, huge R+G.
What was really scary was that I looked down at my watch the moment
they ended and it was 4:00:14 AM. Perfectly on time.
But as usual Portland would not let the Slip leave that easily, even
though we were beyond the 4 AM deadline. Faced with sustained
applause the band had no reasonable choice other than return to the
stage. They did so, to appreciative applause. Then they launched
into our beloved Skatelites tune, In Russia With Love, the correct
title I am indebted to Donny for showing me. Talk about a tune who's
time has come! If this tune were a stock I'd buy it. Clearly, BAM
is obsessed with the song and one can hear references to it
throughout the night in the intro, Tenfold, Spice Groove and other
tunes. For this encore they bring Asher Fulero, a talented pdx
keyboard player to join them. Fulero behaves and is rewarded with a
brief solo, but the real story of this song is the intensity that the
band brings to bear at 4:30 in the morning: again focused, intense
and relentless.
best,
Sam
--
"If it had not been for these things I might live out my life talking
at street corners to scorning men. I might have died unmarked, a
failure, unknown. Now we are not a failure. This is our career and
our triumph. Never in our full life could we hope to do such work
for tolerance, for justice and for man's understanding of man."
Nicola Sacco (1891-1927)
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