Lou Reed @ Fox Theater 11/7/6

[Drunk Monk]

The Fox is this funky old small theater in Redwood City, very intimate. The band was just a three-piece, Lou, his longtime collaborator Fernando Saunders, and standing bass master Rob Wasserman, who used to play with Bob Weir of the Dead. I didn't recognize Rob at first - he's put on a lot of weight since I last saw him - but his sound was so distinctive. So it was basically Lou and two virtouso bass players. The focus was on musicianship, because with a three piece, (to quote Lou himself) 'there's no place to hide.' It was awesome - a big monstrous sound - booming bass setting off Reed's shrieking electric guitar work and moody keys. He did this evocative cut off Songs for Drella where he impersonated Warhol in a talk-speak monologue, accompanied by bowed electric bass work and ambient keys, which created a penetrating soundscape. He also had this new pedal he called the 'death box' that sounded like true rock should sound, crackling, screeching and feeding back, like only a master electric guitarist can. When he announced that the Dems took the house, the crowd roared with enthusiasm. Two encores left the audience howling, stomping and applauding on their feet three times. He sealed it with a pop hit, Dirty Boulevard, bending the lyrics to include Katrina.

I'm wasn't a huge fan of Reed before, but he totally blew me away last night. Stripped down, he's a wicked guitarist and a master storyteller. It's the second time I've seen him and now I think I might have to invest in some of his music.

Lou set us up with reserved seats, row G middle, right next to his Rob's player's family, plus backstage passes. It was an outrageous day - lunch with Lou, then the show, then the backstage scene. Got to see Rob introduce his parents to the other band members - that was sweet. We relinquished our seats right next to Lou in deference to Rob's folks who were elderly and certainly deserved the attention of the star. There were a lot of fans, and if you've ever been backstage, there's this whole awkward etiquette as the performers hold court. But once that was over, Lou got up and moved to talk just to us and we went on rapping about tai chi and art. It was cool.

[King Bob]

I suppose you didn't tell him about the genius painter you know.... Now that would be a good resume item - "in the collection of Lou Reed".

[Drunk Monk]

See http://justinsomnia.org/2006/11/lou-reed-20/

Jonathon Miller, CEO of AOL, introduces Lou Reed last night, calling him a poet, a writer, a musician, and the person who introduced him to his kung-fu mentor. What the?

Lou Reed at the Web 2.0 SummitSo Lou Reed gets on stage with two accompanying musicians, flanked by large video screens zoomed in directly on his weathered face. He begins playing a song to the buttoned down and sitting down Web 2.0 crowd. Meanwhile there’s an audible drone of people talking in the back of the large room.

Between songs Lou looks ****ed, but I think that’s normal. He tells the crowd, “You can keep on talking, I’ve only got 20 minutes. Or I can turn up the music. I can turn it up so loud it will hurt. Do you want me to turn it up? Do you want me to make it hurt?” (rough paraphrase). How awkward.

He’s met with some faint cheering/clapping to turn it up, so over the mike to his sound guy, he growls, “Frank turn it up!” Frank probably thought he was joking. Lou repeats himself once or twice: “Frank, turn it up, Frank turn up the sound!”

The sound gets cranked up, the conversation in the back of the room gets drowned out (or stops). A sense of shock travels through the audience. ****, we ****ed off Lou! People are still sitting. Except for one Tim O’Reilly, who gets up and does his signature West County snake-charmer dance across the auditorium.

By the time he makes his way across the whole room, he’s in front of me and Melanie, so I figure, what the heck, he’s got balls, I might as well stand up. Melanie follows suit, but we’re the only two people standing, clapping, as Tim bounces around the room.

By the time the song ends, the attendees, who are either impressed by Tim’s gall, or Lou’s, finally get off their feet for the rest of the performance, including the song “Sweet Jane.”

At one point Lou muses on his predicament: “Who would have thought it would come to this. I’d be playing at a cyberspace conference, brought here by AOL, introduced by my kung-fu brother.”