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This was no ordinary LOU REED concert. Having never seen the legendary figure play live, we were treated to a show dedicated to his 1973 album Berlin. For those who don’t know or have never heard it, Berlin is considered by many to be one of the most depressing albums ever made. I don’t know if I’d go that far, but the trilogy of songs before the closing “Sad Song,” which include “Caroline Says II,” “The Kids,” and “The Bed,” are some of the saddest, most harrowing pieces of music I’ve ever heard, and I have to assume that the album’s miserabilist reputation comes chiefly from these songs. Regardless, it’s a song cycle (i.e. a concept album) about two junkies named Caroline and Jim who live in Berlin. As their lives descend more and more into the drug-fueled insanity depicted on the album, Jim starts beating Caroline, who sleeps around, and then her kids are taken away because of her drug habit and promiscuity. I know it’s not the cheeriest material in the world (to say the least), but for Reed, making this album was undoubtedly a therapy of some sort. He was going through a messy divorce at the time, and though he’s never admitted it, I find it impossible to believe that there wasn’t a personal motivation for him to plumb such depths of emotional despair.
Thus, it’s amazing, even astonishing, that in a relatively stable and happy time of his life, where he’s healthy, with longtime partner LAURIE ANDERSON, drug-free and in great shape, that he would choose to perform Berlin in its entirety over the course of three nights in Brooklyn as well as later at a festival in Sydney, Australia. However, perhaps his happiness and stability is the key. It’s possible that in his darker and more harrowing periods, he wasn’t able to deal with the themes on the record, which could explain why he’s rarely performed this material live over the years. Or perhaps set designer and renowned artist and film director (of Basquiat, among others) JULIAN SCHNABEL finally convinced him to do it. In any case, it was a once-in-a-lifetime event that I felt privileged to attend.
Backed by a band that included longtime collaborators STEVE HUNTER (who also played on the studio album as well as the live album Rock and Roll Animal) on guitar and FERNANDO SAUNDERS on bass along with TONY “THUNDER” SMITH on drums, JANE SCARPANTONI on cello, ANTONY and SHARON JONES on backing vocals along with the BROOKLYN YOUTH CHOIR, they launched into the title track, the album’s first track, right after a brief introduction of “Sad Song” (foreshadowing the album’s closer). This was quickly followed by a raucous “Lady Day” and then came “Men of Good Fortune,” the first bona-fide stunner of the evening. While everything in between “Men of Good Fortune” and “Caroline Says II” was satisfactory, the highlight for me was the three-song sequence that started with “Caroline Says II” and then segued into “The Kids” and “The Bed.” On record, these songs are so emotionally heavy (with one being about Caroline’s kids being taken away from her and the other being about her subsequent suicide) that they make for very difficult, though ultimately very satisfying, listens. However, the experience of seeing these songs performed live almost made tears come to my eyes, though I did miss the cries of the children (which I wrongly assumed would be handled by the Brooklyn Youth Choir) at the end of “The Kids,” which were unfortunately not as audible as on the studio recording and therefore didn’t have the same impact.
After Berlin was performed in its entirety, Lou told the crowd that they’d be back, thus putting any doubt aside (as well as quelling the inevitable audience clamoring for more) over whether or not there would be an encore. The encore included three songs, including an Antony-sung “Candy Says” and “Sweet Jane,” which resembled the Rock and Roll Animal version without quite the same amount of bombast. Antony has a beautiful voice and his I Am a Bird Now was one of my favorite albums of last year, but this rendition of “Candy Says” was odd because of his shaky stage presence. Taking center stage and without an instrument to accompany him, his unusual hand movements signify the fact that he’s highly uncomfortable facing the audience, so now I understand why he’s behind the piano for nearly all of his songs when he peforms with the Johnsons.
Nevertheless, this was a highly enjoyable, once-in-a-lifetime event at a great venue, so I can’t really complain at all.
The above photo was the backdrop of the stage before the show started and represents the awesome view that we had from ninth row center. As always (unless credited otherwise) it was taken by Anne Leavitt-Gruberger. As photography was strictly prohibited during the show, we were unable to get any shots of Lou and the band performing.
