Robyn Hitchcock Concert

[bdmrrr!potomac!jsl@seismo.CSS.GOV (John Labovitz)]

Well, since I haven't seen a review from Doug, Tim, or Hoffman (did you
go?), I guess I'll write a review of the Robyn Hitchcock show.  I'm not real
good at this stuff, so bear with me...

Time:	Saturday, November 9th, 9pm
Place:	9:30 club, in DC

As DCoids know, the 9:30 club is famous for starting things on time.  I got
there at 9:45.  The opening band came on at 10:15 or so.  Actually, it wasn't
as bad as usual, since I got there early enough to get a space right up
front, and could sit on the stage until the show started.  And the audience
were rather interesting to watch -- not *too* many jocko drunk assholes.

The opening band was Group Think, a trio of bass, guitar and drums.  The
bassist was the vocalist.  They weren't too bad, but nothing to get real
excited about.  I couldn't hear the vocals, tho, since I was in back of the
PA speakers (not that I minded -- 9:30 usually plays things too loud
anyway).  Group Think had a good drummer, and the guitarist had a nice
12-string Rickenbacher that sounded pretty cool.  Also had a neat Vox
guitar, but he didn't play it.  The bass player kept swinging his bass
around and nearly knocking me in the head.  Oh well.  Better than the time
the GI's bassist jumped off the stage with his bass, right into me.

They played for about half an hour, I guess.  Waited another half hour for
Robyn Hitchcock to set up.

RH played guitar and did vocals (of course).  There was also a keyboardist,
bassist, and drummer.  The drummer was the same drummer from the Soft Boys,
but I can't remember his name.  Not sure about the keyboardist and bassist.

He came on stage and played a solo version of ``I Often Dream of Trains,''
which was really good.  Then the drummer came on, and they played ``Flavor
of Night'' (I think -- it's the song with the line ``You're sister is a
butterfly, you're brother is a drunk'').  The rest of the band went onstage,
and they played:

	Egyptian Cream
	Bubble
	My Wife and My Dead Wife
	Only the Stones Remain [I think]
	[something with the line ``I Don't Know Why She Never
		Gets Anywhere'']
	Man With the Lightbulb Head
	Glass
	Brenda's Iron Sledge
	Heaven

The encore was a fantastic version of ``Uncorrected Personality Traits.''

Robyn had strange little stories before certain songs.  Before ``Egyption
Cream'' it was something about how he was always bothered by how other
people's hair looked, and he wanted to go out and smear salami on the bald
man who lives downstairs.  For ``Man With the Lightbulb Head,'' it was about
people who had been buried and wrapped in cellophane and TV being fed thru
their frontal lobe, so they'd think they were alive.  And he dug up his
father's corpse, and there was a large red lightbulb in the coffin.

Robyn is a fun person to watch.  He has all these little hand gestures and
movements, sort of Egyptian-like.  I guess they mean something to him...

Overall, I liked the show a lot.  The sound was good, the crowd wasn't *too*
bad, and I had a great view.  The main problem was that the set was really
short (like 45 minutes).  There was a second set, but I would have had to
wait around for another hour and a half.

Upcoming musical events:
	Suzanne Vega & Arlo Guthrie @ Lisner Auditorium on the 11th (tonite)
	Adrian Belew @ 9:30 Club on the 13th
	Marginal Man @ GWU Marvin Center on the 16th

John Labovitz		..!{rlgvax,seismo}!bdmrrr!potomac!jsl
--
Please don't call me Reg, it's not my name.