Review: Hole at the Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ, Sep 24th, 1994

The show was "under the big top," which means a large, enclosed tent in the back of the building where the Stone Pony club/bar is located. It held several hundred people and was packed (and then some). It was an all ages show, so lots of kids were there - the crowd was rowdy and ready to mosh and surf. I think they oversold because you couldn't move; I was jostled more than any other concert I've been to - there was no way to get over to the side and just stand and see the music. Still the crowd was rowdy but good-natured. There was constant crowd-surfing, and I noticed that the many women who surfed _weren't_ getting manhandled, at least no more that the men did. So that was nice.

The band Madder Rose warmed up, they were not too bad - better than their video had led me to believe. There was a _terribly_ long gap between bands, at least an hour, and we got to listen to most of Superunknown; odd, since I heard Courtney doesn't like Soundgarden much.

Then Hole hit the stage. I don't have an exact set list, trying to write would have been impossible, standing upright was enough of a challenge! But they played most of Live Though This: Violet, Miss World, Asking for It, Jennifer's Body (wow, CL did those tough vocals amazingly well live), Doll Parts, Credit in the Straight World, She Walks on Me, Rock Star, I Think That I Would Die, Plump, and Softer. Softest. They also played Beautiful Son, Pretty on the Inside, and one or two others I didn't know by name, probably from their first album. Contrary to other set lists I've heard of, there was no Hungry Like the Wolf or Where Did You Sleep Last Night. CL played something soft and short to end with, I don't know what it was.

They were brilliant, tight, and explosive. Courtney was in great voice (and plays a mean guitar), Patti is a powerful and precise drummer, Eric's guitar playing was great, and their new bass player was really good, and contributed nice harmony vocals. The sound was excellent: loud and clear. I'll get my hearing back any day now...

The fashion report (equal-time version): Courtney looked _great_ in a bright red dress, cut low in the back and sides, with a small white ruffle in front. She had on dark stockings, and so looked sexy and cool playing guitar with one foot on the monitor. The bass player (can't remember her name, sorry) wore a black leather miniskirt, dark stockings, and a white top. Patti was hard to see, but had a sleeveless, muscle type shirt on - not surprising for a drummer! Eric had a black T shirt (with drooping pocket) and jeans, with his hair covering his face, very much the skeletal rock guitarist.

Courtney brought some Barbie dolls on stage, and in a parody of Sinead O'Connor, held it up and said "this is the real enemy" and threw it into the audience. She followed with two Barbies kissing, and a Barbie and Ken scenario where Barbie apparently bobbited Ken. All the dolls went into the audience. she also introduced Francis (I couldn't see her, she was off to the side), and Drew Barrymore (CL got the crowd to chant "Drew" and said "I'm gonna embarrass you every night " to Drew. I didn't see Drew either, she was offstage too.

Starting with the last half of the show, the crowd was sprayed with water from a hose from in front of the stage - they needed it, too! Kind of a mini-Woodstock without the mud, up front. The crowd was totally into it, to say the least. A fantastic concert!!