Summer recap
I wrapped up summer ’03 by seeing the quintessential DETROIT ROCK concert: Iggy & the Stooges, Sonic Youth, and the Von Bondies. Of course, this all happened several miles outside of Detroit city limits, in Auburn Hills, MI, at a large venue with a corporate moniker which I do not feel necessary to mention. Regardless of all that, the show was great. The entire weekend before the concert I agonized over whether to see Iggy, or to head downtown and see one of my favorite artists of all-time, Liz Phair. I decided that it was more likely that Liz Phair would come back to town before Iggy Pop, Sonic Youth and the Von Bondies shared a stage again.
It was one of those shows where you seem to know every single person in the crowd. It was strange seeing all your bar friends in broad daylight at a semi-outdoor concert venue. The only downfall of the evening was not getting to the stage area in time to catch the Von Bondies! For those of you who don’t know, the Von Bondies are one of Detroit’s most successful rock groups on the indie level right now. The past few years they have seen success after success. They’ve been to Europe and back a handful of times (both with and without the aid of the White Stripes). They picked up where the Gore Gore Girls left off on the Cramps tour this summer, and this October the Von Bondies can be seen on the West Coast in support of Guided By Voices. Needless to say, I’ve seen the band in Detroit countless times, but I thought it would be really fun to see them on a big stage. As soon as I got up to the stage my fellow Gore Gore Girl Amy appeared with two backstage passes for me. We got to watch Sonic Youth from the side of the stage, but we were quickly ushered away once it was time for Iggy & the Stooges.
The Stooges set was intense. Iggy was as thin and wiry as ever, jumping around the stage just as he must’ve 20 years ago. Without a doubt, it was his night. They played all the crowd-pleasers, including “I Wanna Be Your Dog” twice. The highlight of the performance, for me, was when everyone Detroit rocker in the first few rows climbed up on the stage and starting partying. Iggy seemed to welcome it, and the mob was allowed to stay on stage for a few songs.
Another must-see rock concert was the Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band this past Sunday at yet another corporately named venue. The Gore Gore Girls attended together, per the request of E-Street guitarist Steven Van Zant. For those not in the know, Van Zant has a nationally syndicated radio show called Little Steven’s Underground Garage – and he loves Detroit bands!! He was nice enough to invite a handful of his favorites (GGG, Freddy Fortune, the Paybacks, the Romantics, the Singles and Outrageous Cherry, to name a few) to a meet and greet before the show and also to an exclusive after party. What a nice guy! On top of all that we got great seats to the show. It was great to see Bruce Springsteen, an American music icon, live and in concert. I don’t know if I’d like to see another concert at Comerica Park, however. I think it’s best for baseball games. The sound was incredible though! Much like at the Stooges show, it was amusing seeing the cream of the crop of Detroit’s garage rock mingle amongst hardcore Bruce fanatics. A million thanks to Little Steven for supporting all of us and for showing us a good time in Detroit!! www.littlestevensundergroundgarage.com.
Upcoming in Detroit…
The debut of Bisou Bisou, Detroit’s only French pop outfit! George (my man), Jackie (my girl) and Chris (their drummer) will be performing with the Gore Gore Girls in Ypsilanti at the Elbow Room on Oct 4th, and also at Small’s in Hamtramck on Oct. 17th with the Muggs and Outrageous Cherry. Check out www.bisoubisou.net, and be sure to give a listen to the two MP3s they have posted. A frequently mentioned band in this column, the Go will celebrate a new release on Oct 18 at the Magic Bag. The Go is also in the studio recording some new tracks with Freddy Fortune, a Detroit musician who has recently taken up a seat behind the mixing board. And finally, Patty Duke fanzine #5 will be released soon on Top Quality Rock & Roll Records. This time it comes with a double vinyl 7 inch featuring the Come Ons, Saturday Looks Good to Me, Mummy the Peepshow, and a pathetic solo effort by yours truly. Expect to find it in independent record stores soon!
Photo Credits: Don Blum from the Von Bondies courtesy of Popfolio.com, Gore Gore Girls with Steven Van Zant taken by George Papanikos & photo of Bisou Bisou taken by Christopher Chouinard
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