DEAD
SUNDAY IN GHOST TOWN; BIRDMAN REBIRTH OR SWANSONG?
DEAD
SUNDAY IN GHOST TOWN;
BIRDMAN REBIRTH OR SWANSONG?
RADIO BIRDMAN
+ THE LOST DISCIPLES
Tourcoing, France
September 14, 2003
Tourcoing on a
Sunday looks just like a ghost city, not a bar open, just six to eight kids
on skates, perhaps a granny on the corner and that 's all. I didn't see any
publicity for the evening show anywhere in Lille, Tourcoing and Roubaix (in
Paris you would have seen two or three posters in every music shop of the 18th
quarter).
Arrived at about 4pm and stumbled once again into Deniz - unbelievable, just
like at Nancy! I stayed to watch the sound check and immediately noticed that
the band is actually in great shape! Not the bunch of old pals relaxing that
they were in the Nancy soundcheck. They just played a couple of songs and that's
it. But they were fit and well.
I stayed a few minutes with Den to see the job Dan Erlewine did on "the"
Crestwood after its neck was broken three times in the past...the guitar looks
absolutely worn, in fact Erlewine has repainted her to make her look "old".
The neck has been re-surfaced and re-fretted twice, so heavily that the side
dots are cut in half! The worst thing is that the neck's angle from the body
is not about three degrees back, like usual, but at least one degree UP!!! Deniz
told me it's the way Erlewine fixed it. Strange, this way the bridge is definitively
down to the body! But she plays really fine as is. Let's stop and let the gear
talk! Onto the show:
The
opening act was the Lost Disciples and, what can I say, very lost they were.
They have a good rock guitarist and a singer that is SO close to the Iggy voice,
but unfortunately a total lack of good songs (perhaps two were listenable) and
an anonymous rhythm section, so the result was disappointing. During their 40-minute
performance less than 15 people were listening. Another opening band would have
been more judicious (who's screaming "HOLY CURSE!!!!").
Then the Birdmen arrived and stormed the place, I can't remember all the songs
but recall (thanks brother Eric) that they didn't play "More Fun".
They dedicated to me a song that Deniz played on one of my Crestwood reissues
I actually own Number One) even though I don't remember what it was!!! Then
came their their cover of "Cold Turkey" plus "Route 66"
and finally "You're Gonna Miss Me".
The show was great, even better than Nancy, although the band was certainly
a bit tired from the last weeks of touring. The only thing that disappointed
was that I didn't hear any of the new songs that we've heard rumours about.
Does it mean that we'll have the pleasure to see them again? Was this Birdman's
re-birth or a farewell tour?
I would like to thanks the band for the fun they gave us and personnally salute
them as I had to leave straight just after the show without being able to do
it in person. Hope to see you again. Take care.
- Roger "the engineer"
RATINGS
Lost Disciples: One Valstar 33cl for every menber of the band for the thirst
Radio Birdman: Five bottles of 5 "Veuve Cliquot"
