At Gröna Lund, Stockholm Aug 10 2012
The Event
Iggy Pop often together with Lou Reed given credit as the Grandfathers
of punk, was in town, last night on the amusement park Gröna Lund, a place that
have seen many classic rock and punk bands onstage. I´ve seen Iggy a couple of times. He has been
brilliant, less brilliant and one time surrounded by a terrible band being a
let down. Tonight he was back at Gröna Lund where he have been a busy visitor.
I think I´ve seen him twice there before. And one of them was really a terrible
experience.
This time he brought his old band, the Stooges. James Williamson have replaced
Ron Asheton on guitars since he passed away in 2009. And it is logical because
James replaced Ron in the 1970ies during the heroin years. James was Iggy´s and
drummer Scott Ashetons (Ron´s Brother) drug pal so he took over the axe and Ron
was to play bass replacing the Dave Alexander that got fired after being too
drunk to play (!). Mike Watt and Steve MacKay are now in the band as well.
Iggy and the added value of the Stooges was a good reason to see the spectacle.
The Crowd
Everyone was there. The Swedish rock journalist (Swedish Television) Per
Sinding Larsen claimed, on Facebook, there was 15 000 people trying to see
Iggy and the Stooges. Note that Bob Marley´s unbreakable 1980 crowd record
counting 32 000 visitors is legendary. 15 000 was an incredible and
likely number of people it was paced! There were people everywhere. And I
recognized half of them, haha. Everyone was there.
The Crowd might been big, but a bit stiff, not as vivid and lively as the
Dropkick Murphy´s crowd at the same place a two month earlier.
The Band
Iggy and the Stooges
They couldn´t hardly walk. Iggy and bass player limping like some
wounded wildebeest. But when they were there, on stage, they delivered one hell
of a rock show.
What strikes me with most old rock, blues and punk legends is the lack of
aggression in their playing in later years. Eric Clapton, Mick Jones gone soft
by the years. Compare the solo´s played by Clapton when he was God and today
you will get what I am after here. The Stooges and the Sex Pistols are exceptions.
The Stooges proved last night that they still know how to be bad ass. Behaving
like the mad man he is, Iggy is still going strong even if is 65 of age. OK,
not as wild as during the crazy years, but still much more than most rockers
and punk singers do together. The Bass player Mike Watt behaving like a drunk
in a minefield, hilarious! The sax player Steve MacKay playing as mean on
saxophone as John Zorn. After starting with three well known numbers, “Raw
Power”, “Search and Destroy”, “Gimme Danger” the set slowly turn into a punk
jazz festival with unpredictable jazz punk as in the early years, in the end of
the sixties. With James Williamson in the band it is a guarantee the songs from
his era in the band are played such as “Beyond the Law”, “Johanna”, “Shake Appeal”
(with the crowd invited on stage) and “Kill City”, “Johanna” and “Beyond the
Law” much faster and harder than on the original records.
Best songs? Well it would be easy to say all of them. But I think I choose Kill
City, at least it made me get going.
One non Stooges song was in the repertoire, Iggy Pop´s classic hit “Passenger”. As well as Stooges classics as “No Fun”,
“Cock in Pocket”, “Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell”, “1970” among more songs.
Note that such brilliant songs “1969”, “Down on the Street” and “TV Eye” wasn´t
played.
Worth the money?
With the “Grönan kortet”, a season card a 199SKr (20 Euros) I got to see
all the concerts and free admission to the amusement park all season. I have
already seen Dropkick Murphy´s (didn´t see Jimmy Cliff) and still the Hives
left to see. So that is a totally yes on
that on that question, it was like winning
on the lottery, all this for this small amount of money? This was one of the
better concerts this summer. Not top three but good enough.
As you might read, I complain about how the Grönan stage is an act killer, Not
last night, Iggy knew how to both get a
good sound and put on a great show.
