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Monster Magnet with Red Giant, Gluttons, and others
12-14-04
The House of Blues
I’m gonna’ have to start this off with a gripe. Last
time Monster Magnet played Peabody’s a few months ago, vocalist Dave
Wyndorf’s pipes were out of commission. Despite this fact, the band and/or
the club decided to go ahead with the performance. The audience was unaware
of this fact until Magnet took the stage with a member of Red Giant filling
in on vocals. Considering that Wyndorf’s stage presence pretty much is the
show with Monster Magnet, refunds or at least discounts should have been
offered. They were not.
So Magnet was scheduled to play Peabody’s again, the
show in question being the one I’m about to review. Lots of free tickets
are dispersed to local record stores. I figure this is a way of making
amends for the last time. But when I get to the club, I’m told my “free”
ticket isn’t really free. I have to fork over five dollars. Now, five
dollars is hardly a lot of money, and I’ve paid much more than that to see
Monster Magnet in the past. That’s not the point. The point is, it was a
bait and switch. The point is, after their last show, Magnet’s fans
deserved free admission to this one. I don’t know if the band is to blame
or the club, but either way it was bullshit. End of gripe.
I showed up a little late, hoping to miss Red Giant. I
know the band has their fans, but I’m not among them. They’re good
musicians and have a decent enough sound, but I’ve just never been impressed
with their songs. Unfortunately, I failed in my goal. Instead I missed
Amps II Eleven, who I had assumed were going to be in the pre-headliner
opening slot. Turns out there were at least 6 or 7 other bands playing
either on the main Peabody’s stage or the smaller Pirates Cove stage, as
well. Missed most of them, too. Luckily, while Red Giant was droning away
on the Peabody’s stage, The Gluttons were playing in the Cove area. These
guys are a little more to my liking, but they were so loud I had to step out
into the hallway. What I heard sounded good, but for all I know the band
pulled out bar stools and played sitting down after the first song.
So far, this has turned out to be a less than stellar
evening of rock ‘n’ roll, and I’m thinking Magnet better kick some serious
ass. I make my way to the front of the stage, and see the set list. My
mood improves somewhat. Then the band takes to stage, opening with the Bob
Calvert/Hawkwind tune “The Right Stuff”. The band is definitely on tonight
as they head right into “Dopes to Infinity” and “Elephant Bell”. I’ve seen
this band at least a dozen times, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen them play
“Elephant Bell”. Then it’s time for a Stooges cover, the classic “1970”.
Other highlights included “Cage Around the Sun” and “Third Alternative”,
which closed the set. The band came back for one last song, an encore of
“Spacelord” which almost seemed anticlimactic, but was fun nonetheless.
Overall, the vibe of the band’s set was much more
acid/space rock than the last few times I’ve seen them. And that’s without
doing any songs from ‘Spine of God’, their most psychedelic album. The band
seemed to be having a great time on stage, and they played with a lot of
energy. It may not have been the absolute best Magnet show I’ve ever seen,
but it was close. Was it worth five bucks? Absolutely. Am I still pissed
about the way things were handled? Sure am. But at least Magnet’s
performance tempered my displeasure somewhat. (Bob Ignizio)
For pictures, click
here.
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