Wednesday, October 7, 1981
page 8
daily nebraskan,
ft
Rolling Stones electrify on opener, kick allnight
By Pat Higgins
'Time is on my Sidei" sung by the Rolling Stones in
aH apparent seriousness Sunday.
Keith Richard recently stated that he plans on rocking
in his wheelchair, and from the show the Stones gave in
Boulder there is- no reason whatsoever to doubt Richard's
promise. Tatto- You and this year's tour constitutes the
biggest comeback since Ali knocked out George Foreman
in Zaire.
Normally, a rock show in a football stadium is absurd
because of the logistics involved. The sound quality is us
ually a joke and the band appears to be in the next coun
ty even with binoculars. Also, it is impossible to get a ma
jor league hot dog there. However, the Rolling Stones are
required attendance for rockopbJles, and it was well worth
it, despite various drawbacks.
The Stones performance was of a higher quality than in
either the 1975 or 197& tours, chiefly because the materi
al from Tattoo You is stronger. They have eliminated the
unnecessary props, inflatable dragons, Billy Preston, etc.
from past tours relying simply on 20; years of primal rock
and roll.
The Stones weekend was the biggest news to hit Colo
rado since James Watt took office. The blow-dry clones
on the local TV news seemed rather let down that Alte
mont Part II wasn't taking place, which shows a too- typi
cal tack of feeling for rock and roll. The economics of the
affair were staggering, as 120,000 people paid $16 apiece,
grossing a $2 million total.
The crowd included many Lincolnites who were salu
ted by a scoreboard message for making the long trek.
Most people from Lincoln, were stuck up in the rafters,
unfortunately, and a little commando work was needed to
get up close.
George Thorogood and the Destroyers were up first
and gave a rousing, high-energy display of roots rock and
roll. Thorogood was enthusiastic about being on the same
stage as the Stones and really went all out.
Between Thorogood and Heart,, ripe from Chicago, Dan
Fogelberg and Foreigner was played, leading credence to
the belief that the majority of Coloradoans are time
warped. Announcements of upcoming concerts by Journey and
Molly Hatchett were cheered; Devo booed. Maybe some
day . . .
Heart showed the stuff they are made of; the worst ex
cesses of Led Zeppelin on electric, and Jose Feliciano on,
acoustic. This mix acted on the crowd like a freebase of
ether, numbing a once-excited stadium.
The only thing Heart did less successfully than their
uninspired rockers was a desecration of soul classics, like
"Tell it Like it is.."
The sky was ominously grey for heightened dramatic
effect as the Stones took the stage for a two-hour set.. Jag
ger looked completely in his element, prancing onto, a
pink and blue stage wearing an orange Danskin, green silk
pants, and twirling an Oriental umbrella..
The first song was "Under My Thumb"" which was in
stantly electrifying. The early part of the show was fair
ly loose, though as the beginning of many of the songs
were disjointed and the sound occasionally faded. Keith,
Richard had a few problems holding onto his pick but
that is part of his image anyway. One drawback was the
lack of vocal harmonies on "Let's Spend the Night Toge
ther and "Miss You
cpWHnn was interesting as they avoided a
lot of obvious hits, and instead did great stuff like "You
Can't Always Get What You Want" and "She's So Cold.
The biggest surprise was rockabilly legend Eddie Coch
ran's "Twenty Flight Rock" on which Jagger sang parti
cularly well.
"Beggar's Banquet" and "Let it Bleed," the golden era
albums of the Stones, were heavily represented.
Jagger played a lot of rhy tlim guitar but no harmonica.
The stage was the width of the field which allowed him
room to dance and. strut, talents that put Jagger in his
own class. No doubt about it, the old boy still has it. He
looked toned and athletic throughout his moves, he has
reportedly been running five miles a day in preparation
for the tour.
There was a lot of horseplay between Jagger, and Ron
Wood, who was pushed off of the stage once. Bill Wyman,
the Tommy Newsome of the group, was teased and haras
sed by Jagger.
Keith. Richard on guitar, and Charlie Watts on. drums
were way up front, which was ideal, Richard put on a real
sonic blitz in "Shattered.'" He also seemed to enjoy toast
ing the crowd with, Budweiser. Apparently , when in Amer
ica, go native.
The show really kicked: into overdrive with the song of
the year, "Start Me Up, which was extremely hot.. After
that it was mass hysteria as the heavy duty classics like
"Brown Sugar" and "Hohky Tonk Women" were rolled
out. "Jumpuf Jack Flash," closed the set with Jagger
climbing into a cherry picker above the crowd, blessing the
multitudes like the Pope ..
The encore had Jagger. in a cape designed like the US.
and English flags doing "Street Fighting Man." The acid
rain of Colorado started coming down, heavily and the
Stones left with Jagger advising everyone to drive carefully.
DEVO musical hardware builds beautiful world
By David Wood
They came in 7& - DEYO - a strange band of mu
tants that had been left in Akron, Ohio, by the fallout of
Kent State.
Pasty-faced and clad in hermetic actionwear, they were
comic theoreticians proposing an original music to resolve
the dialectic of modern times. They had a horn-rimmed
vision of little men and big machines brought to harmony
by the pop ministries of DEYO-iution.
sSsmm reuievj
It was, great stuff. Though they failed to infect the sys
tem with a new order, they certainly popularized manne
quin dancing - jerky, emotionless posturing as Dada as a
cutting room floor.
Ever since then, DEYO, the germ that failed, has
thrived benignly on its host, and kids today tell their
mom, "Whip it. Whip it good.'
The spud boys, as they call themselves, havent really
gone commercial - they've only replaced their sublime
design with subtler strategies. DEYO's latest album, New
Traditionalists y is some brilliant, self-referential tongue-in-cheek.
The boys appear on the cover of the concept album in
starlit profile amid Grecian columns, like minor gods
wearing plastic pompadours, and declare in .song one,
"(We're) Through Bting Cool" They're happy in their
slick leisure suits. The refrain of the next song explains,
"The reason I live like this is all because of you."
Because the musical hardware DEYO developed has
been standardized by imitators, the music has lost some of
the innovative charge with which it began. But that was
never the whole reason for DEYQ's punch anyway. The
spud boys earned their niche in music largely for the soft
ware; their songs are irreparably fun.
They Ye lost none of that. New Traditionalists is as
snappy as ever. The lyrics are still catchy - daffy, rhy
ming understatements that say much. The music mecha
nizes your joints. In no time, you could be singing on the
job, "workin in a coal mine. Whoop? about to slip
down."
By song four, side one, the album is at full steam with
Soft Things," Pagan bongos stir the majesty of an elec
tronic cathedral. A choir chirps assuringry while the mu
tant empirist sings from a synthetic pulpit, "I thought it
idiotic, Her dance was so technotic."
When side one ends with "Going Under," the control
room antics are wide open and a certain subversion is, ad
mitted. Side two takes the same course - from; blithe to
brash - but in reverse.
In "Race of Doom," the almighty machine pleads mer
cy from, inevitable self-destruction.. The next song, "Love
Without Anger," makes a similar plea from a peppier, hu
man angle. "The Super Thing" is a sepulchral: search for
the dark answers about life and scoring girls - it's only
the music that's deep,
then, at the verge of redundancy, comes BeautiM
World." It's the catchiest, best song on the album, a whis-tle-while-you-work
anthem for the Neo-Right
By Julie Hagemeier
Trudance is Trudy Knisely.. In a recent interview Knis
ely explained, "Trudance is my own form of dance.. It
doesnt fit the idiom of modern, it's not jazz, it relates to
me now."
Even though Knisely uses classical and jazz music in
her classes and performances, she is most interested in "to
day music." She said that the music "inspires roe to
dance."
Trudance is a company of adults and children who
come together to perform at such locations as the Chil
dren's Zoo, the State Fair and Antelope Park. Knisely said
that the company was formed to "share dance with other
people." She added that the company likes to "go out and
have fun performing." She said that the goal for the com
pany is to become community-oriented, a base for people
who want to perform.
Started in Omaha
Trudance began in Omaha in 1975 as the Circle-Nicely
Dance Company directed by Knisely and Lisa Circo. Their
studio was in the Old Market section of Omaha.
They also based themselves at UNO and local churches.
In 1977 and I97& Knisely began working with the Lin
coln Public Schools and the Artist in the Schools program.
The company then based itself in Lincoln and changed its
name to Trudance in 1979,
During 1977-78 the company used space donated by
the First Plymouth Congregational Church at 20th and D
St. in Lincoln, The five-member company eventually took
up their current home at 217 N. 1 1th St., upstairs in the
Dirt Cheap Records building.
Currently the company is a corporation made up of a
12-member board of directors, including President Joann
"It 's a wonderful time to be here.
It's, nice tobe alive..
Wonderful people everywhere,.
The way they comb their hair . . . "
New Traditionalists then ends with an allegoric ditty to
Chicken Little called "Enough Said."
But that's not all.. The album includes a poster that's
"better than art." and an order blank to the Club DEYO
for flower-pot hats, easy-listening tapes of DEVO favo
rites, etc.. But best yet, inside there's a 45, "Workin" in a
Coal Mine," DEVO's instant classic from the soundtrack
oi Heavy Metal.
Their salesmanship, alone shows what vested theoreti
cians the spud boys still are.
Ashmun and Executive Directors Terry Moore, Linda
Moore, and Fred Kos, with artistic director Knisely.
As an extension of the art form of Trudance, Knisely
still participates in the Artist in the Schools program.. She
works with students of all ages using visual aides, slides,
and live musicians.. Some of her projects ar school dan
ces, choreography (especially with swing choirs) and per
formances including solo works.
Knisely would like to work with the media to a greater
extent. She terms herself an improvisational artist" and
says she works well within the media. Another of her
long-term goals includes learning African dance forms as
expressed in the steel drums of Jamaican music. She
would also like to perform in Europe.
"Performers are treated better in Europe," Knisely
said.
Work with children
Currently the bulk of Knisely's work in Trudance is
with 9- and I O-year-old children. "They have great enthu
siasm she said.
Upcoming events at the Trudance studio include a two
week residency with Matthew Child, who will give work
shops in comic dance and mime. He will be in concert
Oct. 30-51, Paul Mesner will bring a puppet show to the
studio and a UNL student director will produce a play in
the space, Knisely would like to see the studio become a
community performing arts space.
Another future project is the "Dancing in the Park"
program conducted at Pinewood Bowl the first week in
June. This program, in its third year, includes a variety of
dance styles; square dance, folk dance, modern dance and
Trudance, It is a chance to "bring dance together," Knis
ely said.
ancer moves to her own beat
