Sonic Youth at the Vic
Fans can expect a few rock 'n' roll conventions at a Sonic Youth show: bassist Kim Gordon's stoic and cool look in her short, shiny silver dress; frontman Thurston Moore thrashing around the stage like a teenager at age 50; and Lee Ranaldo shredding like a pro while erratically swinging the neck of his guitar. It’s easy to get caught up in, well, the rock band-like image.
But during Saturday night's show at the Vic, the Youth dragged out its shtick too long. The bandmembers have mastered an amazing sound by jamming drumsticks, screwdrivers, and pencils into the strings of their guitars. But after a while, what began as an ethereal barrier of white noise turned into a boring, self-indulgent jam session, which wasn’t the case during their 2006 tour.
But the band was undoubtedly at its best when playing the hits from its latest record, The Eternal. Opening with “Sacred Trickster,” the group played loud, energetic, and concise rock. Also, Moore and Ranaldo’s unison on “Antenna” and “No Way” proved a refreshing respite from the abundance of noise. And few could deny how tight the band was—the crowd, mostly composed of fans in their 20s, got so into the groove that they danced even when no music played.
But ultimately, the show became a disappointment because the set list drew almost entirely from The Eternal. (The group played all but two songs from that album.) Not that fans should demand the hits like at a Rolling Stones concert, but it would’ve been nice to have more diversity (something off Rather Ripped, for example). The only non-Eternal song worth mentioning was a killer rendition of “Hey Joni” from Daydream Nation; the others were simply another opportunity to drag out the inevitable jam.
Here they are on Jools Holland with “What We Know”:
