Eek!



Even more than the band and whatever it was doing on stage (when they finally got there), the most striking thing about this show was the audience! Am I just this out of touch? I think I've been to a few all-ages gigs in the last while, but this was the most severely-violent crowd I can remember in a long time. Not maliciously-violent mind you. Just pulsing with a testosterone-infused and callous meathead energy, even though it was mostly skinny teenagers. There was the one couple dressed like a unicorn and a big-afroed 70's dude, who were dancing in the open area at the back most of the time. That was really cute.





As a photographer, me and my cohorts feared for our lives in a media pit that was most certainly too small for 5 photogs and about 20 security guards. And damn were they ever busy, even before the show started. People were crowdsurfing in droves to the house music. The stage was short for this sort of show. Aka - now I'm in danger of breaking my nose if someone were to land on me. I ended up coming out of it unscathed, but it was pretty alarming.





The band though - Wolfmother, taking the world by storm for their Led Zeppelin replication. For some reason, I still don't buy it. Sure, it's fun, but maybe there's something a little contrived about the whole eagles-and-unicorns fantasy land that was formerly induced with reason by bands who were perma-high on hallucinogens. Listening to Zep now is cool cuz it brings back memories, or creates thoughts of a time when rock n roll was far more pure (I didn't say innocent, I said pure... sex drugs n rock n roll. What's up now, veganism, wives and straight edge? Pffft, honestly.). Wolfmother I just have a hard time dragging the relevance out of because it's so blatant a rip on the rock of yesteryear. Not merely an influence, but a complete recreation. They should have just been a cover band instead.





But apparently I'm the only person on the planet who feels this way, so have at it boys, you did something very, very right. The audience was obviously fired up when these guys hit the stage. Drummer and bass player were irrelevant, I barely saw them move, but the characteristic afro-headed singer was the one who ran around the stage, jumping off the drum riser and shredding it with stage-edge guitar solos. Okay, so it's kind of fun. But it feels like it should be more ridiculous and insane. Like he should trip and fall off the drum riser or catapult himself off the stage or just pass out from overdosing on something backstage. There should be a band manager coming through and picking girls out of the front row for aftershow 'relations.' Oh right there's like NO CHICKS in this crowd, it's all dudes. Come on, girls, if you want to recreate a Zep legacy, there needs to be some groupies involved!





Anyways, after not being readmitted to the show with my camera gear after shooting, I had to take off for the night. So I only saw three song, but I think that's all I needed. Wolfmother - loved by the world, but sadly, not endorsed by me. Power to them though.

Elsewhere

By Andy Scheffler
Photos : Andy Scheffler
Published : March, 2007.