“Don’t believe what they say. As you get older, it gets easier. We could do this…. until you get up in the morning.” So said David Yow during the most recent series of The Jesus Lizard self-labeled re-enactments (don’t call them reunions, they never threw in the towel). I wasn’t there from the beginning but the 1991 tour when Goat came out is pretty close, and though they don’t have quite the same level of fire, edge and unpredictability of that era (and to be honest, that’s a task I can’t see anyone living up to), they still have 7/8th of gas in the tank and no limiter on the throttle.
Differing from the 2009 and 2018 forays back into the faces of America, the band had the benefit of a new record to showcase, their first new material since 1998’s Blue. Rack isn’t some brain-shredding revelation into new corners of noise rock, but it’s certainly no embarrassment either, and the seven songs played by one of the tightest, most perfectly formed quartets ever created. Duane Denison continues his spidery, jazz-like runs and odd chording and you think he’s lost anything, his solo on “Grind” will correctly set your perception instantly. Mac McNeilly anchors the sturdiest of rhythm sections that ever played, and longtime Yow associate David Williams Sims (hearkening back to the Scratch Acid days) brings a bass tone and might like no other. Being close to his backline was akin to floating in the Southern Ocean in a ramshackle dinghy while giant metallic icebergs calve, sending tons of steely chunks into your vicinity.
Yow needs no introduction. Among the most electric front men ever to take the stage (for my money, only Iggy Pop and Nick Cave are in the same discussion), the man who abuses the stage with thunderous stomps from his ever-present cowboy boots, or via thick ropes of phlegm stayed on stage for a larger percentage than in the past.
And it’s understandable; he’s 64 and his body has taken at least as much abuse as an average five year NFL veteran, countless bumps and bruises along with a handful of concussions and other blows that would put most humans on the injured reserve list indefinitely. But with the onset of set opener “Seasick,” he hopped down from the stage and immediately got up on the barricade to make new friends in a very intimate way. (The presence of the barricade, about eight feet from stage, was also a determining factor that meant less free ranging by Yow over the top of the crowd throughout the night.)
But not to say he was content to just stay on the performer side of the barricade; the extra-long mic cable was pressed into duty a few times as he made his way across the expansive reaches of the Roadrunner floor. At 3500 people, the venue was by far the largest capacity the band played this tour, but with the balcony closed the floor of the room got enough packing density so Yow could be safely ferried to and fro. Though they didn’t play “Is That Your Hand?” Yow remarked – “To those of you who were grabbing my dick? Thanks. We’re all friends.”
After periodically doing pushups during a song, he stated “I just did 120 pushups. Fuck you and your family.” “This the greatest song ever written.” As “Monkey Trick” came to a close (and yes, it’s a tremendous song) and the band kicked in “Grind,” Yow said “I thought that was the last song. These guys never tell me fucking anything.” The comedy hour was in full swing.
Life is unpredictable but when surprises like a new record and tour from this band happen, you know that sometimes the stars align just right and you get another glimpse at semi-controlled chaos at its finest.
Back before AEG and Live Nation sucked most of the life out of the touring environment, it was standard practice to add a local band to the bill, along with the headliner and tour support act. Those days are pretty much gone but The Jesus Lizard honored their upbringing by hand-picking some prime, complementary bands as they wended their way across the country. Tonight, Pile would get the honor in Boston, and leader Rick Maguire made it clear that he and his band truly appreciated the opportunity. The quartet lurched and howled, eschewing any keyboards from some recent sets I’ve seen and going full-bore rock mode. Even though they are a local band, they definitely made some new fans tonight.
