Post Show Banter >>>>

[Sir HC]

Did Jim James douche around and wear a cape?

Those guys have been boring since post Z.

You mean Hagrid?  That is who he reminds me of.   

[atomicfront]

Jesus and Mary Chain show was awful.  They weren't too bad for the first four songs but got considerably worse and louder as the night went on.  Jim Reid wasn't the problem mostly the band was just bad.  First two songs of the encore took me almost the entire song to recognize though I had heard them quite often before.   Probably would have been easier to recognize if the band didn't drowned out Jim's vocals.

Ok so after a 27 year gap from seeing the band I would say the first show I saw them would have been in my top 10 of all time.  This one was one of the worst.  Not Sisters of Mercy bad but pretty awful.  Although I have to say I don't think the Sisters of Mercy caused permament hearing damage and I begining to think this show has. 

I am wondering if this is an official 27 year gap between first and second time of seeing a band as I have seen Bobby Gillepsie quite a few times since the first show.  I don't think I will even try to beat this now as Nostalgia shows turn out to be awful.  I think  my new rule is if a band hasn't put out an album in the last 5 years that I would listen to repeatedly if it was the only thing they ever did I am not going to see them live. 

Also 930 club is becoming my least favorite place to see a show.  Way too many people in there tonight.  I don't k now iolder people just take up more space or not bbut come on decrease the capcity by 100. 

[hutch]

Jesus and Mary Chain show was awful.  They weren't too bad for the first four songs but got considerably worse and louder as the night went on.  Jim Reid wasn't the problem mostly the band was just bad.  First two songs of the encore took me almost the entire song to recognize though I had heard them quite often before.   Probably would have been easier to recognize if the band didn't drowned out Jim's vocals.

Ok so after a 27 year gap from seeing the band I would say the first show I saw them would have been in my top 10 of all time.  This one was one of the worst.  Not Sisters of Mercy bad but pretty awful.  Although I have to say I don't think the Sisters of Mercy caused permament hearing damage and I begining to think this show has. 

I am wondering if this is an official 27 year gap between first and second time of seeing a band as I have seen Bobby Gillepsie quite a few times since the first show.  I don't think I will even try to beat this now as Nostalgia shows turn out to be awful.  I think  my new rule is if a band hasn't put out an album in the last 5 years that I would listen to repeatedly if it was the only thing they ever did I am not going to see them live. 

Also 930 club is becoming my least favorite place to see a show.  Way too many people in there tonight.  I don't k now iolder people just take up more space or not bbut come on decrease the capcity by 100. 

  valid point.. it was very loud for sure but what would one expect? it was distorted but what would one expect?
 could recognize every song from the opening 3 chords... the video i shot is distorted but my camera's mic aint the cats miau:) the instruments were louder than they should have been. weird thing is at the time, at the show, standing really close to the stage thought it sounded great but looking at the video i can recognize it was distorted

it is sad they have a backup guitarist that seems to be there mainly to cover for william in case he flubs something.. they don't need an additional guitarist in my opinion..
there were definite episodes of feedback which seemed to go awry particularly during the first half until william moved himself further back, almost behind jim, and in front of the speaker/amplifier/godknows what..

had an interesting night for sure..

jim sounded phenomenal..just like on the records..as if he had not aged a day.. he must not be a smoker or something...

got a chance to talk to them very briefly after the show... fwiw jim seemed to be genuinely happy with how the show had gone off...even though people talk about what a bunch of drinkers they are, and they were both drinking during the show, and there was talk of them drinking in the green room and hanging in the backbar (not sure if they made it) when i met them out front they both seemed pretty sober.  i think may be kind of made up as is often the case.

anyways, thank you 930 for letting me cross this off my bucket list..

 i wear ear plugs and my vulnerable right ear is ringing but that may be more because i loosened it to talk to my friend a bit during the show...

what a treat.

curious what others thought?

[Relaxer]

JAMC wasn't the show I planned/wanted to see. For one thing, not playing a single song off of Psychocandy until the second to last song of the regular set? That's seriously dumb. Without Psychocandy, JAMC is a third-rate novelty "alternative" 90s band on the level of Marcy Playground, so how do they play just 4 songs total from it? And holy shit, they butchered 'The Hardest Walk'. I couldn't tell whether the vocals or guitar were out of tune or someone was playing a different song, but it was awful. And since my exposure to the band is through the gloomy, antisocial debut, having them do extended choruses of "YEAH YEAH YEAH!" was odd. Plus, the ham-handed drummer was really Grohling all over the place.

That said, I ended up liking most of the songs. Just had to say "Okay, it's not what you wanted, but it is what's on-stage" and I liked how loud and crunchy it was. I was always disappointed that they focused mostly on their mediocre 90s stuff, but I thought it was pretty enjoyable as long as I didn't dwell on it too much.

And I've always said that the 9:30 is the biggest hassle for a sold out show. Every other venue in town is still navigable during a sold out show, but the 9:30 is just so overpacked that it's more trouble than its worth for only a few select bands.

[Paul Styrene]

I don't k now iolder people just take up more space or not bbut come on decrease the capcity by 100. 

It's not the older people.  It's the people who insist on photographing every single moment of the set.  I should know, since I am old and there weren't all those cameras clogging up the sightlines back in the day.  Now get off my lawn!

[hutch]

JAMC wasn't the show I planned/wanted to see. For one thing, not playing a single song off of Psychocandy until the second to last song of the regular set? That's seriously dumb. Without Psychocandy, JAMC is a third-rate novelty "alternative" 90s band on the level of Marcy Playground, so how do they play just 4 songs total from it? And holy shit, they butchered 'The Hardest Walk'. I couldn't tell whether the vocals or guitar were out of tune or someone was playing a different song, but it was awful. And since my exposure to the band is through the gloomy, antisocial debut, having them do extended choruses of "YEAH YEAH YEAH!" was odd. Plus, the ham-handed drummer was really Grohling all over the place.

That said, I ended up liking most of the songs. Just had to say "Okay, it's not what you wanted, but it is what's on-stage" and I liked how loud and crunchy it was. I was always disappointed that they focused mostly on their mediocre 90s stuff, but I thought it was pretty enjoyable as long as I didn't dwell on it too much.

And I've always said that the 9:30 is the biggest hassle for a sold out show. Every other venue in town is still navigable during a sold out show, but the 9:30 is just so overpacked that it's more trouble than its worth for only a few select bands.

interesting... sounds like you're not really a big fan of JAMC.. more like a fan of Psychocandy..nothing wrong with that..

They did play Some Candy Talking early and my understanding it has always been included on the CD as an extra track (it was the single released after Psychocandy)

"Head On" which went second is one of my favorite songs ever and along with three other songs they played is from Automatic which came out in 1989.. Also they played Happy when it rains which is from Darklands

So I am not sure it is fair to write you wrote.. I can't disagree more with the characterization that without Psychocandy they are Marcy Playground... Some days, for example, I prefer the album Darklands..

Anyways, next time check Setlist.fm... the setlist is pretty fixed and is always like that

It was annoying that the woman that sang with the band on Just Like Honey was so busy loving her dancing that the missed her cue to start singing and then when she did sing I wasn't too impressed but what can you do.. I wonder if they haul someone out from the audience every night or who that person was..

Its true that playing three songs from Psychocandy back to back in an almost medley for the entire encore was a bit strange.. they seemed rather rushed

But I loved the set list.. for a JAMC fan who had never seen them it was hard to argue with it.. I'd probably have taken out that All Things Must Pass which I think is an extra track on a greatest hits and replace it with another song from Darklands which was criminally underepresented. Also maybe it would have been cool to thrown in a cover..they have so many good ones.

[reggie]

so...will JAMC release a new record or are they going full-on Pixies with this reunion?

[hutch]

so...will JAMC release a new record or are they going full-on Pixies with this reunion?

I think Pixies
 

[Relaxer]

It's true, I'm the biggest fan of Psychocandy, I think Darklands is very good but I don't listen to it much, and I think the rest is average and unremarkable. Fact is, the first line in any JAMC bio is not going to be "the band that released the classic album 'Munki'"

[lagas]

heard the first five songs and left because the vocals were completely drowned out and it was too loud, even wearing earplugs...

[hutch]

It's true, I'm the biggest fan of Psychocandy, I think Darklands is very good but I don't listen to it much, and I think the rest is average and unremarkable. Fact is, the first line in any JAMC bio is not going to be "the band that released the classic album 'Munki'"

True, but it is also not going to be "The band that released the classic album Psychocandy and fell off the cliff.."

It just is not... You can read Ira Robbins in the NEw Trouser Press reviews or anywhere else.. JAMC was a seminal band and not because of only their first album. They had a very strong period until about 1992 or so... Dozens and dozens of singles in all kinds of formats and dozens of b-sides etc.. heck they have two b-sides compilations just for that period and they are good (Barbed Wire kisses, Sound of Speed)..


Now maybe to people that didn't grow up on them they are just the Psychocandy band that recorded that song used in that bill murray movie... but that is just for people that really aren't big fans of the band.

[hutch]

heard the first five songs and left because the vocals were completely drowned out and it was too loud, even wearing earplugs...

Really? Where were you standing? I was 10 feet back from speaker on stage right... could hear the vocals just fine.. there was a brief spell where the microphone for Jim went out so you could not hear him but it was just on part of one song.. it was fixed..

No doubt they were loud and used a distorted sound but not sure who would have expected differently.. my friend emailed me during the day about how it would be a good show for earplugs.


Sorry people did not enjoy it as much as I did.. for me it was wonderful but I can only speak for myself!

I think I did identify some issues with the show though so it is not like I am saying it was perfect or something

[Samantha]

Maybe Hutch and I went to a different show than some of you.

I can't imagine how you can complain about Jesus & Mary Chain being distorted.  Maybe it's a sign of our clean-cut-pop times.  My only regret of the night was that they were too crisp sounding and I wished there was more distortion.  And I recognized every song immediately and had to stop myself from singing along.

I was in the front row against the stage and I had plenty of room.  I was thinking to myself that this was the least sold-out-like sold out show I'd ever been to.  The people in the second row even allowed those of us in the front row room to dance.  (The photographers were a little annoying but they left early.)

I didn't think it was too loud, either, I thought it was perfect; no earplugs.

And the song selection was excellent.  Well balanced, I thought.  Of course I would have liked to hear more but if I had my way they would have played their entire discography.

I will admit that I was just happy to see them, as someone who is too young to have seen them back in the day.  I had just always wanted to see them and I'm grateful that I got to...I did not have high expectations as I know full well what reunion bands are like.  But they sounded true to themselves so I couldn't complain.  I hope they don't put out a new album just in case I don't like the new album...it's not like they don't have plenty in their repertoire already.

My complaint about the 9:30 Club is that I got shoved by two security staph at the end of the show.  I understand they were chasing someone, but it seems they could have used an arm swipe to move me to the side...I don't THINK I look so sturdy as to necessitate a two handed push in the back.  Jeesh.

[atomicfront]

heard the first five songs and left because the vocals were completely drowned out and it was too loud, even wearing earplugs...

Really? Where were you standing? I was 10 feet back from speaker on stage right... could hear the vocals just fine.. there was a brief spell where the microphone for Jim went out so you could not hear him but it was just on part of one song.. it was fixed..

No doubt they were loud and used a distorted sound but not sure who would have expected differently.. my friend emailed me during the day about how it would be a good show for earplugs.


Sorry people did not enjoy it as much as I did.. for me it was wonderful but I can only speak for myself!

I think I did identify some issues with the show though so it is not like I am saying it was perfect or something

Having seen them during psychocandy era I was not ready for the loudness of the band.  They weren't that loud originally.  actualy quite the opposite.  Playing pop songs with feeback.  I think Automatic is a good album.  And "Sometimes always" is one of their best songs.  To say that they are just "Psychocandy" is silly. 

[lagas]

heard the first five songs and left because the vocals were completely drowned out and it was too loud, even wearing earplugs...

Really? Where were you standing? I was 10 feet back from speaker on stage right... could hear the vocals just fine.. there was a brief spell where the microphone for Jim went out so you could not hear him but it was just on part of one song.. it was fixed..

No doubt they were loud and used a distorted sound but not sure who would have expected differently.. my friend emailed me during the day about how it would be a good show for earplugs.


Sorry people did not enjoy it as much as I did.. for me it was wonderful but I can only speak for myself!

I think I did identify some issues with the show though so it is not like I am saying it was perfect or something

I was right in front of the soundboard...I did see a lot of people dancing and having a good time though...