http://www.kulturblog.com/2007/07/re...-nation-61907/
Sonic Youth came to Berkeley High School last night and played their 1989 release,
Daydream Nation, in its entirety as part of the “Don’t Look Back” series.
I’m not sure if I like the conceit of “Don’t Look Back.” Albums are not intended to be played straight through in a live setting. And one of the great things about live music is the fact that the artists can put together a setlist that draws on a variety of material, and vary it from night to night.
But there is something very satisfying about a band showing up and launching a show with the very song that was your introduction to their music. When Kim Gordon’s “Spirit desire/We will fall” incantation faded into the lodestar melody of “Teen Age Riot,” the venue just exploded with energy. Unlike a lot of their cohorts from the 1980s, the years have been very kind to SY. Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo sounded amazing, both with their guitars and their vocals, and Steve Shelley’s drumming held everything together.
The highlights of the show for me, though, were Gordon’s songs: “The Sprawl,” “‘Cross the Breeze,” and “Kissability.” She was like Nico and Patti Smith rolled into one — as contradictory as that sounds –- and she danced wonderfully.
They’re taking the show to LA tonight, then Brooklyn next week, then off to Europe. Catch them if you’re able.
Setlist:
Teen Age Riot
Silver Rocket
The Sprawl
‘Cross the Breeze
Eric’s Trip
Total Trash
Hey Joni
Providence
Candle
Rain King
Kissability
Trilogy:
a) “The Wonder
b) “Hyperstation
z) “Eliminator Jr.
**
Incinerate
Reena
Do You Believe In Rapture?
Jams Run Free
Pink Steam
**
What A Waste