The third and final night of Pere Ubu in town went down better than we could have hoped. Beerland was already crowded by the time the first band went on at 8, and packed out when Ubu went on at 10. Thomas was in much better shape than the night before - no puking, no looking like he might keel over. He even left the stage under his own power, with no one guiding him, and went straight to a chair outside where he received anyone who wanted to talk to him or get stuff signed. (I got signed copies of the Fire reissues of the first give Ubu records, plus a copy of Thomas' book
The Book of Hieroglyphs and a three-sided live album recorded in '78.)
He was also much more engaged than the night before. Not that he wasn't into the Rocket set, but I could tell why Ubu is his main band. This material is clearly closer to his heart, even as old as it was. And it didn't hurt that this version of the band is pretty incredible. I can't compare it to any of the other lineups, since I've never seen Ubu before, but someone who has told me he thought this was the band's best lineup. Sacrilege, perhaps, but I'll take his word for it. Guitarist Gary Siperko and drummer Steven Mehlman provided the muscle, bassist Michele Temple (MVP for sure - she's incredible) the finesse, and Robert Wheeler layered in the noises with a sampler and a theremin. Thomas sang his heart out and was generally hilarious (and occasionally offputting) in between songs. They opened with "Heart of Darkness" and closed with "Humor Me," and generally surveyed their early years with skill, enthusiasm and soul.
The encore was handled differently than the night before. The band left the stage, but Thomas stayed put. He called Temple back to the stage, she started the "Final Solution" riff on her own and they did the first couple of verses without the rest of the band, who arrived back onstage just in time to crash into the chorus. "West Side Story" followed. The final song of the night, though, was a new song from the band's upcoming album
20 Years in a Montana Missile Silo. (Thomas claimed he had been forced to include it.) It fit in just fine with the band's older material.
Noisy experimental band Coma in Algiers opened. They were OK, if a little too heavy on the Fugazi worship. Punkish blues band (I guess - not sure what to call them - they have a blues base, but don't sound like the White Stripes or the Black Keys or any of the so-called blues punk bands that proliferated during the 90s garage rock thing) The Crack Pipes were in the middle slot - basically a "We're back!" party after about 10 years of being inactive. I've never been clear as to what the Pipes' national profile was - I know they released records nationally and toured, but that doesn't mean much. But they were much beloved around here, and I think a good chunk of the audience was there for them as much as for Ubu. They also played a new song, so it's clear this isn't a one-off reunion.
Once again, I had to skip the jazz in order to keep the peace at home, but that's fine. It was a great night and a great weekend.
Post Edited (05-22-17 14:47)
