I kept checking for a review from the Sleater-Kinney show in Cleveland, but no one has written one yet, so I've decided to relay my experience. After stalking the S-K website for months looking for a show near me I was finally rewarded with a date in Cleveland. I live in Buffalo, New York so Cleveland was the closest and most reasonable drive. I was just elated that they were on the east coast for once. I was able to order tickets online which was amazingly convenient. I bought 4 tickets and set about bribing my friends to go with me. Yes, most people reading a review on this site would find it hard to believe that I would have to bribe someone to go see S-K but unfortunately no one in Buffalo has good taste in music, and if they do I haven't been able to find them.
The day of the show was Mother's Day and it was really hard to make my mother understand that her 26 year old daughter would not be spending a Hallmark Holiday with her and would be driving 6 hours in one day to go see a rock and roll show instead. I had three friends lined up to go with me (one with a car that would actually make the trip). We agreed to meet at 5pm, since the show started @ 9 and it's a 3 hour drive. Two of my friends stiffed (they said later that they misunderstood the agreed meeting time). The whole drive there I spent fuming about being stiffed with two tickets. I was also mad because the car we rode in had no tape deck and I had mixed a tape of S-K to get my friend acclimated to them. She had never even heard of them and was just accompanying me to be a good friend. I printed out directions to the venue on Mapblast.com (which is one of the greatest things on the Internet in my opinion). We drove through a really dilapidated part of Cleveland to get to the show and my friend was getting nervous. But when we reached the Grog Shop on Coventry we were in a very quaint area. It was like a little college town with a strip of record stores and taco joints.
Outside the show there were three guys just standing around. We made eye contact and I reached for the door and the one guy asked if I had any extra tickets to the show. It was sold out!! I was shocked. They needed 2 more tickets and that's exactly what I had. They were prepared to pay well above the $10 cost but I was so happy to get them off my hands that I just asked for $20 and told them to enjoy the show. They were grateful, the one guy had in a Gits T-shirt (very good band) and I was glad that I got them in. Inside, the place was packed. It was a lot smaller then I had imagined. It reminded me a lot of CBGB'S in NYC. There were autographs pictures of bands and posters plastered all over the walls. The Gossip was already playing when we walked in and I wasn't familiar with them. They had a lot of energy and two go-go dancers flanking the stage. I wasn't blown away by there performance and no songs stand out but they were a good warm up for the crowd. I choose to peruse the S-K paraphernalia. There were lots of good stuff to buy. I debated whether to buy the stuff then and hold them for the rest of the show, or to wait until it was over. I opted to buy then and it turned out to be the smart choice because they sold out of a lot of things at the end. I bought a powder blue T-shirt that says "Sleater-Kinney The Bad One" and has a silhouette of a group of people on it. I also purchased the new CD, a set of three stickers (one says "Sleater-Kinney All Hands On The Bad One" in maroon and white, the other says the same but it's smaller and in black and silver, and the third is the best it's silver sparkly and says "Sleater-Kinney Show Me Your Riffs). I also got a set four pins, one says Sleater-Kinney and the other three have a picture of Janet, Carrie and Corin and says "The Bad One" under their face. My friend bought an orange T-shirt that has a cat on the front and says Sleater-Kinney on the back. (She said she needed a souvenir from a road trip like this, plus since she's currently embracing her gay side she liked the pussy.)
The people selling the merchandise were all wearing really weird sunglasses. Some were huge cubes as lenses, others were hearts or stars. They asked if I could take a picture of them with their camera and I obliged. Back to the show! The Gossip ended and The Bangs went on. It was really hard to get close to the stage and there's an incredibly large amount of tall people in Cleveland (must be something in the beer) so it was hard to see. I can't describe too much of their set but I remember making a mental note to pick up their album. They are definitely worth checking out. Finally S-K came on. Due to the Heineken I was consuming and the excitement of it all I can't remember the opening tune, I am positive it was off the new album but I hadn't had the pleasure of listening to it yet so I couldn't identify titles. If my memory serves me correctly it's a toss up between "Ironclad" and "the Bad One". They tore threw a bunch of new tunes off All Hands on the Bad One. The only songs that they didn't play off the new album are "Male Model", "Leave You Behind", "Pompeii", and "The Swimmer". They also played two trios of songs off old albums. "Start Together", "The End of You", and "A Quater to Three" off The Hot Rock. "Dig Me Out", "Words and Guitar" and "Little Babies" off Dig Me Out.
Their live sound is amazing. It translates very accurately from their recordings. Corin's voice is an incredible instrument that seems so free live. It just resonates off of every surface and into your ears. It made me actually shake inside. Carrie has such a fun stage presence. She banters with the crowd frequently and has some really good "rock star" poses that could put Pete Townsend to shame. She also gyrated her hips and swiveled around without missing a chord, I think she may have duck walked. Very Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future doing Johnny B. Goode. Janet is a perfect backbone for their guitar playing. I hate to use gender specifics, but I think she's one of the best female drummers in rock. She also has a great voice and harmonized well. The crowd was so hyped that they pogo'd themselves into a frenzy. At one point I thought the floor was going to collapse because it was shaking so fervently. You couldn't help but bounce along with the ground and everyone around you. Things were so close that I felt like I should take the girl who spent the entire show on top of me out to dinner or something. (Thank Lordisa for the big industrial strength fan above us).
All three band members periodically wore the same funky sunglasses that the vendors had on previously. Carrie did most of the talking with the crowd. She said "We want to wish all of you people that have kids or a have a mother Happy Mother's Day, guess that's pretty much everyone" Then she asked people to yell out their favorite movies about mothers. Some responses were "Serial Mom" and "Mommy Dearest" she said, "Wow that really says a lot about you guys. How about 'Author, Author' or that one that has Michael Keaton as the dad?" Someone helped her out and yelled "Mr. Mom!" She laughed and said thank you, give that guy a CD !"
I was really excited about the encore. I heard that they had played "White Rabbit" and "Whole Lotta Love" and I really had hoped to have heard them cover those. Instead they took requests. The only audible requests were for "Call the Doctor" and "Joey Ramone". Someone shouted out "Rock Lobster" which got a good laugh, then Carrie said they used to play that and it would be perfect because Corin had her hair fashioned into a beehive, but the last time they played that a man called Calvin Johnson had decided to do a striptease to it and they're still scarred. They did deliver with an oldie "I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone" and Carrie did an impressive job with the "wah ah oh" parts. Then as a finale they called the members of The Bangs and The Gossip onstage with them for a rousing rendition of "Fortunate Son". Corin summed it up best at the end when she thanked us for coming and said it was a fun show. Then just as I thought I could die happy they came back and started taking down their equipment. I battled my way to the front in hopes of procuring a setlist to add to my collection, but a bunch of indie rock boys beat me to it. Once upfront I noticed they were signing autographs. I realized I had nothing for them to sign so I pushed my way back to the vendors and managed to cut a huge line and buy a 7 inch of "YNRNRF" (only 3 bucks) and by the time I returned to the stage they were gone.
My friend thought I was crazy and just wanted to get to the car for the long ride home. Dejected I turned to walk away and there was Corin right in front of me signing a poster for a guy in a crushed velvet shirt. I felt like a crazy fan but I borrowed the guys Sharpe and had her sign the 7 inch. She wrote "Thanks! heart Corin". She seemed really sweet and was patient with everyone who approached her. I couldn't find Janet or Carrie but I was still pleased. One out a three aint bad. I recommend purchasing something for them to sign and having a marker with you before the show. Battle your way to the front and you're almost guaranteed a fun rock 'n roll souvenir. All in all S-K rocked! Well worth the effort and travel time. They did not disappoint this hardcore fan and they made a new one that night in Cleveland.
