Tuesday's SK concert at First Avenue in Minneapolis reminded me of the remark about Mozart: "Mozart possessed an astonishing wealth of ideas. He does not allow the listener to draw breath; for if one wants to think about an attractive idea, it has already been followed by another which makes one forget the first and which then leads on to another, and this continues at such a rate that in the end one can retain none of these beautiful themes in one's memory." (Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf) Were it not for the wonders of recording technology, that might well have been my reaction to the unrelenting torrent of wonderful songs that Carrie, Corin & Janet unleashed. Knowing the songs in advance gave me a frame of reference that allowed me to retain more than just the scattered images, sounds and emotions that would have been the result otherwise.
My daughter and I arrived early, partly to be sure we heard the opening bands and partly because SK seems to like to wander around a bit before the show and we thought we might see them. Sure enough, shortly after bankrupting ourselves at the merch table (bring extra money, this stuff is so cute that I bought stickers and pins for myself!) we see Carrie there asking for money to play air hockey. For the next few minutes we are treated to the sight of Carrie & Corin intently doing battle, emitting whoops of joy or dismay as goals are scored. The Gossip opened with a brief but energetic and entertaining set. This band should sell videos instead of CDs, they are really fun to watch. Bangs (great band name, conjures up all kinds of rock and roll connections) was next and set the stage nicely for SK with a solid set featuring a cover of Cheap Trick's Southern Girls (dedicated to The Gossip). SK started earlier than the posted set time (a rare occurrence indeed at First Ave) and was greeted with an enthusiastic roar from a crowd clearly loaded with ardent fans. It was clear right from the first notes of Ladyman that the band was in top form: guitars totally in synch, Janet taking sonic command of the room, voices warmed and supple. They followed with a rousing, passionate Start Together and the positive energy flow between band and fans was firmly established.
There was not much between song banter, the band barely waiting for the walls of shouts and claps to fall before ripping into the next tune. ("But I gotta rock!" is apparently more than just a lyric.) Janet's vocals are more incorporated into their sound now, adding even more richness to a vocal mix that I already loved. (The end of Milkshake N' Honey almost did me in, Corin's gurgling coos over those rich harmonies were indescribably delicious. King-sized candybar indeed.) Carrie moved around the stage almost constantly, in contrast to her post-back-injury caution the last time I saw them. Corin was also noticeably more mobile on stage and really seemed to be happy and animated during the entire evening. She doesn't get nearly enough credit for her guitar playing, though it is easy to overlook with everything else that is going on. They did no songs from the first album and only the title cut from Call The Doctor until the second encore, which only served to emphasize to me how many really good songs they have. Hearing the new songs rub shoulders with favorites from DMO and THR showed them all to be clearly cut from the same cloth. The later songs are noticeably more complex, but share the honesty, power and explosiveness of the earlier work. In concert, it is clear to me that some of the new songs rock as hard as anything they've done. (Exhibit A: Pompeii or should I write it Pompe!!, Corin's vocal frenzy at the end of this one is the stuff of legends and Carrie's guitar riffs are almost brutal in their power.) Youth Decay, Male Model and Was It A Lie? were also bouncing through my head for days afterward. The first encore was all from DMO and the second all from CTD, a really nice touch I thought. It was almost like saying, "See, all these songs come from the same place after all." They finished with an absolutely scorching version of Little Mouth, leaving both band and crowd happily emotionally exhausted.
The concert again drove home that SK really is a band in the best and truest sense, people who come together to make music that is a part of their real life and not some separate activity. The combination of their skills and abilities results in a whole that transcends even the sum of the formidable parts, as they draw strength and ideas from each other. (Enduring image of Carrie and Corin laughing and playing before the show, totally at ease and natural.)
As I left the show, happy daughter by my side and SK autographs (all 3, they are such sweethearts) in my CD booklet, I felt better about life. If America can still produce people and bands this good, maybe all is not yet lost.
