Live Shots
Andrew W.K. rains down on Exit/In
Andrew W.K. must sleep very soundly. His frenetic and inspirational show at the Exit/In last Sunday was a call to party, a call that hundreds heeded by dancing, moshing and flailing with abandon. Employing Jim Steinman's template of mixing hard rawk and uplifting major piano chords, W.K. was like a revival preacher with a need to bring some souls back to rock, chugging water, expectorating joyfully and feeding voraciously on the energy of the crowd.
"Never Let Down" was easily the highlight, though it would be difficult to top the closing "Party Hard," which featured an onstage pile of flesh that would have made ChiChi LaRue envious. The increasingly frustrated (and fire-codes wary) staff hit critical mass with the constant stage-diving just as the frenzy ended, bringing up the houselights and leaving a dazed and giddy crowd to file out into the torrential downpour. Even the skies rock when Andrew W.K. plays.
—Jason Shawhan
Rush light up the shed
The end of Rush's second set last Wednesday at Starwood exemplified what made the band a cult favorite long before FM radio did: the consistency of their live performances. Known for their instrumental interplay, Rush finished the opening night of their 30th Anniversary Tour with a capsule of defining tunes. On "La Villa Strangiato," the trio's guitarist, Alex Lifeson, married technique and emotive playing, coaxing his guitar to sing mournfully with a volume pedal, or allowing the distortion to scream in the instrument's upper registers.
"La Villa Strangiato" also was a showcase for Geddy Lee's bass playing, especially the way he combines chops and dexterity with the aggressive, somewhat distorted low end that has defined the band's sound as much as Lee's once shrill, still treble-heavy voice. Drummer Neil Peart's performance was a study in perpetual, if choreographed, motion.
The trio mixed it up all evening, playing standards like "Tom Sawyer" and "The Spirit of Radio," as well as songs they supposedly retired years ago, like "Red Barchetta," "Xanadu" and "Mystic Rhythms." They also did some of the layered, heavy material from 2002's Vapor Trails, along with romping turns on covers like The Who's "The Seeker," which allowed Lee, Lifeson and Peart to indulge their influences—and to lend their tight ensemble playing to a simpler, albeit beloved, repertoire.
After concluding with their 1981 track "Limelight," the band headed to Charlotte, N.C., having reminded the faithful at Starwood why they've been following Rush for three decades. Surrounded by sensory-overloading lasers, lights and graphics, Rush performed as freshly and intensely as they do on record.
—David A. Brensilver
