Sunday, November 28, 2010

Drunk Bastards

Last night we went to Antone's to see the Heartless Bastards. Chris's comment: "Erika Wennerstrom pulled a Janis Joplin."

First I was irritated and then increasingly mad. She finally asked the crowd (after stumbling and fumbling with her guitar, earplugs, mic, etc. for five minutes between incoherently sung songs), "Anyone notice I'm a little fucked up?" Somehow I felt less mad once she admitted it; at least she wasn't trying to fool us into thinking she wasn't performing well because of technical difficulties and personal preferences, which is how it originally seemed. (Apparently, she is fond of playing with a gray pick and a gray pick only.)

I kept waiting for her to throw up on stage, but we left before the show ended.

Erika Wennerstrom's voice and guitar are the entire magic of the Heartless Bastards, and I mean serious magic. Having seen them playing live and on point more than once now,  I can say that the lead trying to perform while completely bombed, or whatever else she may have been, didn't do her band, her music, or the audience any justice at all.

Thirty bucks and what could have been a cozy night on the couch both wasted, but not as wasted as Erika Wennerstrom.

7 comments:

  1. "The rock scene nowadays is too organized. No surprises. Very controlled. Venues have air conditioning now. Bands seem to show up on time. Onstage monitors apparently work more often than not. It's been a long while since I've seen actual vomit and/or nudity at a rock show. Most bands seem to know how to play their instruments. This is boring. I blame the fking computers." - Charlie G. (who's damn proud to know Erika)

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  2. Wow. Not sure how I stumbled across this, but really? I think I just slipped on your tears. I was at this show and this is one of my fav bands. I've seen them more times than I can count and they're 99.9% of the time spot on. The have one drunken loosey goosey show over the holiday weekend and you can't cut them some holiday slack. Yeah, so she was bit toasty. I was quite impressed she remained vertical the entire show. Lighten up, it's rock and roll you bawl baby boobies.

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  3. They remain one of my favorite bands. At the end of the day, I'm more interested in hearing a damn good rock n roll performance (which is what I've seen from them in the past) than in seeing a damn good rock n roll persona (I don't think performance and persona are mutually exclusive, even though they can intersect). A band would have to be iconic to me for me to be entertained by seeing them in any state whatsoever. I'll keep listening to their albums, but next time I'll be more hesitant to shell out money to see them play. That's just me. I can see my friends get drunk for free. Like I said, still one of my favorite bands. And if I'd seen Erika W. drunk at a restaurant or bar on a night she wasn't playing, I'm sure I'd have been fully entertained and charmed.

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  4. good lord am i really reading this intense criticism about one loose rock and roll show? this is what rock stars do (at least the interesting ones)- they have edges, they get messy. they have personalities, off nights, they drink too much, they feel too much. that's why they write music that stays with us for years. Erika Wennerstrom writes songs that inspire people, she makes us all feel not so alone out there, and i love her for that. she's able to do this, not because she's perfect but because she's IMPERFECT and not afraid to put that out there. that's what we all relate to, that's why we spend a saturday night watching 4 people on stage playing music. performing night after night this takes a lot more balls than vivisecting one performance while hiding behind a keyboard. sure everyone has an opinion, only the truly gifted (like wennerstrom) can turn that opinion into art.

    i want perfect lines out of my computer programer, not my rock stars. i can't wait to see the bastards again, i can't wait to hear their new record, i love that the band proved they aren't a bunch of robots up there. if every show they played was a slopfest that would be one thing, but we all know this is one of the best live bands working today. maybe it's time for some of you to trade in your night out at antones for a hearing aid and a rascal to drive yourself back to the nursing home you came from, because you've clearly mistaken a rock show for a math problem. jesus.

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  5. Intense criticism? Hardly. I'm not making personal attacks or stating unreasonable desires. Second, my name is out there; I'm not hiding behind a keyboard. Who are you? (Thanks, Charlie G. for putting your name out there.) Third, I don't mistake anything for math problems; but it's a genuinely funny assertion for a stranger to make about me. Fourth, while I don't idolize Erika Wennerstrom as many people seem to, I continue to think she makes damn good music; nothing in what I've written does not acknowledge that belief. Yeah, a sloppy show is disappointing and makes some fans skeptical of what is to come. And yes, I'm old enough to go to see/hear shows for the music and not "cool" factor. But please, keep bringing on irrational personal attacks.

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  6. it sucks to be misunderstood and judged online, doesn't it herpreet?

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  7. Actually, it's more entertaining than anything. Especially to see what 6 short paragraphs can generate.

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