iReplacements play at 'ambivalence central ’
By Charles Lieurance
Senior Editor
Welcome to ambivalence central.
Concert Review
Your favorite band is about to become
famous. The cheeseballs from hell des
cend, making peacock yelps at the
front of the crowd, singing along as if
the song were “What 1 Like About You”
and not ‘‘Unsatisfied.”
If the Replacements had come onto
the stage of the Peony Park Ballroom
Wednesday night, lunged unto a
drunken, ragged 20-minute version of
“Louie, Louie” and left town, Ud have
left proud. Bat instead the Replace
ments took the stage in lipstick and
makeup looking like the harlots of
Babylon. Whores to Sire Records?
And the show was clean. The band
members didn’t change instruments,
smash bottles into the crowd, undress,
slop through an Aerosmith song or just
stop playing and head for the bar. Lead
singer Paul Westerberg didn't even
look like he was tottering precariously
on the edge of unconsciousness.
I’m glad you’ve made it. Playing
before a near-capacity crowd in a giant
ballroom, full of people who just last
year thought Loverboy was the most
awesome thing on their FM dial. The
guy next to me starts to slam dance,
purposefully ricocheting off polo shirts.
Some sorority girl, forced to move her
feet to accommodate my careening
friend, makes that infamous noise of
the privileged caused by clicking the
tongue on the back of the teeth. Fol
lowed by "I’m sure.’’
So we’re to believe ex-guitarist Bob
Stinson was holding them back from
fame? From this? Because he roamed
the stage nude, drunkenly pouring out
monstrous, impossible leads. Because
there were nights when he couldn’t
even play. Because in order to be Amer
ica’s “newest party band” you have to
stop partying yourself.
But I got past the superficial aspects.
I ignored the clucking pastel mass in
front of me, 1 felt the reverberations of
slam dancing somewhere to my right. I
tuned in on Westerberg’s face, his mas
cara running during “A Little Mas
cara.’’ I felt the irony of “Left of the
Dial" a song about REM and their
recent popularity: "On and on and on
and on, which side are you on?”
Which side are you on?
I got over tne feeling that now
Husker Du would have to be the saviors
of alternative music I got over the fact
that the new guitarist, Slim Whitman
or something, couldn’t fill Bob Stin
son’s pajamas on the older songs. "Bas
tards of Young” just died halfway
through.
And then I was all right. Halfway
through and I was fine and Westerberg
was becoming a monster again a hungry
passion junkie with his shirt open and
makeup flooding down his throat.
Everything was perfect and 1 didn’t
mind anymore that things weren’t like
they used to be, Westerberg 6 inches
from my face, a sweaty little mob of 15
somersaulting over one another in front
of the Drumstick’s stage, Bob Stinson
looking lost over by his amplifier, his
back turned.
They were famous and every word
out of Westerberg’s mouth told me why.
Chris Mars’ white T-shirt hung on
him, heavy with sweat. Tommy Stinson
had that Johnny Thunders look, eyes
nearly closed, as if he were in a trance
while his fingers banged the bass.
I was just a little farther from the
stage than usual. The lights were just a
little too bright, and there were a few
too many. Too many colors. Some man
in a suit — a suit?? — is asking me not
to sweat on him. I realize I'm shaking
the sweat out of my hair like a dog fresh
out of the bath. 1 tell him I’m sorry and
then wonder why. lie’s in the middle of
a crowd watching the Replacements in
a suit. We lean to accommodate a surge
of slam dancers from the periphery.
‘ "The Ledge’ —
“I'm the boy you can't ignore
For the first time in my life I'm
sure
All the love you d every pledge
Won't reach the ledge...”
It dawns on me that this is the best
show I’ve ever seen. I think it dawned
on me during the last song of the last
encore, a country-rock stomping of
"Hello Dolly!” that made me realize I
wouldn’t be seeing this anywhere but
at a Replacements concert. A band
isn’t a part of all its listeners. It plays
and he who will listen, listens. I’m lis
tening A sweating, shaking dog, listen
ing behind a man in a suit and tie. I
riddle the back of his coat with my
sweat machine gun. He doesn’t seem to
mind.
He’s smiling at the stage.
Ambivalence central.
Cocteau, Welles plays
included in Joslyn series
JOSLYN from Page 10
who travels constantly between this
world and the next.
Nov. 8, Orson Welles’ “The
Magnificent Ambersons.’’ For his
second Hollywood feature, Welles chose
to adapt Booth Tarkington’s novel to
the screen.
Cards and Letters
Band coverage
by reviewer
questioned
After reading Charles Lieurance’s
concert review in the Aug. 31 edition of
the Daily Nebraskan, I question whether
he actually saw Out of Habit and Peer
Puppet play their sets. These two bands
played for the same cause and the same
amount of time as the other bands
without even a “.thank you” from the
organizers or decent coverage in the
Daily Nebraskan.
The three sentences devoted to these
two bands was nice, but since it is so
obvious Lieurance didn’t see them
play, I thought it would be nice of me to
offer my insights.
Out of Habit played a great rock’n’
roll show to a small but appreciative
crowd. Their well-polished sound stood
out regardless of the bad echo. They are
definitely a band that deserve recog
nition.
_- I)...._A A_I. A I..1 I...
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surprise with a much more aggressive
sound (original hardcore with a twist).
Between the numerous technical diffi
cult ies, they managed to pump out a
purely fun and energetic set. The crowd
responded by forming an equally fun
ami energetic thrash pit throughout
their performance.
In the future, I suggest that if you
don’t see a band, don't write anything
on them. If you don’t care for the bands,
don’t waste your precious time and
space by writing next to nothing about
them.
Ed Higgins
freshman
journalism
Editor's note: Lieu ranee was
at “Bop for Bones” and saw
both bands mentioned.
Remember family
or friends with
Special Occasion,
i Get Well or
Memorial cards
WtWr HGHIINGCX?
American Heart & Jfc
Association W
Nebraska Affiliate
Nov. 22, Jean-Jacques
Beineix’s “Diva,” is an exciting,
original combination of Hollywood
genres and influences — from Hitch
cockian suspense thrillers to serio
comic spy capers to crime action
adventures.
Dec. 6, Francois Truffaut’s
“Day for Night,” a love poem to
movies and movie-making.
Joslyn Film Classics is supported in
part by grants from United Arts Omaha
and the Nebraska Art Council.
For more information, and to request
a free “Signature” Film Classics
poster-schedule, call Joslyn Art Museum
at 342-3300.
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