It seemed somewhat ironic that SWANS, a band notorious for a vast, engulfing maelstrom of sound should be dwarfed by a literally vast, engulfing maelstrom, but that's what it was looking like yesterday. Despite the fact that I'd been looking forward to this show for months, it seemed fairly likely that in light of the impending wrath of Hurricane Sandy (otherwise known as "Frankenstorm" and many colorful variations thereof) and the accompanying closing of the NYC mass transit system, SWANS' October 28th date at the Bowery Ballroom was going to be cancelled or postponed. But as I kept checking back over the course of the afternoon, the Bowery Ballroom's website continued to assert that the show would "go ahead as planned." That seemed a bit offsides, I thought, being that a large swathe of the band's fan base probably resides in landlocked Brooklyn.
After hemming and hawing and punishing my friends on Facebook (let alone my wife) about it for hours, I decided to take the dare. Around 8:45 pm, I stepped out into the eerily quiet (albeit steadily breezy) night to march down the Bowery to Delancey Street. Strangely for the first time in decades, the streets around the Bowery once again exuded that once-prevalent vibe of quiet, empty desolation.
While it was originally a sold-out show, there was plenty of elbow room to be enjoyed in the Bowery Ballroom last night. And am I glad I went? Put simply, it was one of the most intense performances of music I have ever witnessed. I won't blather on any futher, as I have a natural disaster to prepare for, but please enjoy my photos from the evening....
The surprisingly excellent Devendra Banhart...
Gira in action...
An ABSOLUTE NECESSITY...
Thor and Phil giving it some serious percussive whallop behind Michael during "Coward"...
Recent Comments