1997-08-15
924 Gilman Street 1997.08.15 [Berkeley, CA]
w/ Summerjack (ID) - SpecialOlympics (CAN) - Grapefruit (HI) - Empire O' Shit
1997-05-02
Hollywood Moguls 1997.05.02 [Hollywood, CA]
w/ Festival of Dead Deer - Magnum - Spastic Colon - Chickenhawks - Sluts for Hire [cancelled]
1997-04-26
Coconut Teaszer, The 1997.04.26 [Hollywod, CA]
w/ Evolution & The Exit, Breach 626, Procedure 769 (18+)
Live fan show review by "Miss Eva" - found in the digital archive. [-AArtVark]
Live fan show review by "Miss Eva" - found in the digital archive. [-AArtVark]
April 19, 1997 - Coconut Teazer, Hollywood, CA
"fuck the
teazer".
The April 26th
Babyland show at the Coconut Teazer, perhaps (ironically) because of its
problems and obstacles, stands as one of the most quintessential Babyland shows
i have ever seen.
The evening
started for me at 10:00pm, entering the labyrinthian glamrock haven to the
sounds of (unknownbandnamehere), the type of band you would expect to be
playing at the Teazer, a venue known in los angeles circles for being one of
the cornerstones of the metal/glam scene. one listener described them as
"Rage Against the Tool", a basic aggressive "complex" hard
rock, yet accessible because of its seeming lack of intelligence. none of the
people i spoke to were very impressed, yet the band kept a small audience on
their feet. Next was Evolution and the
Exit, a Los Angeles band headed up by
the former singer of My Suicide. it seemed a good number of the people
inhabiting the area around the stage had come to hear them, insinuating a small
but loyal following. their sound was something between the Mission and the
Doors, keyboards and guitars cradled by the singer's wavering yet intense
vocals. it's not quite my cup of tea, but a lot of the ideas represented by
their style had definite merit, and their wandering lyrics painted emotional
pictures that enraptured many who witnessed.
Babyland began to
take the stage in their usual way, keyboards already on stage, waiting to be
unveiled and the whole assembly taking about 20 minutes. the audience was
filled with quite a few regulars, as well as people who (by my eavesdropping
(shame on me)) were coming to see the boys after a long haitus since the last
show they attended. by the time everything was ready to go, Babyland had the
audience literally on their toes. the set was mostly comprised of new songs; in
a recent interview in PKD, the band said they're using the new shows to
practice newer material and see where they can go with it. the song list
included "Five Fingers", "It Never Ends", and
"Omaha", all songs unreleased as of yet.
by the time
"Dismissal" began, everyone was in a frothing frenzy; its calling
card (Smith mounting his drum set with circle saw in hand) was everyone's cue
to don their sunglasses, coats, or protective gear. unfortunately, the
protective gear the audience had chosen for themselves was not enough for the
management and staff of the Coconut Teazer. about two minutes into the song,
the signs were flashing, hands were waving, and the burly men in STAFF t-shirts
were being called to the stage. apparently, the sparks were a problem for the
venue, and they went so far as to go on stage and try to unplug the saw while
Smith was playing.
as they
approached the stage, Dan lit a flare and began to dance defiantly, Smith
ignoring the manager and security as long as he could. but, as more of the
Teazer's employees loomed threateningly over AArtVark, there was no choice but
to call off the fireworks. whether the manager had been trying to damper the
spirit of the crowd and the show itself or was just trying to save his own ass,
we won't know for sure, but in a case where Babyland could have just walked out
in frustration with what should have been professional courtesy turning out to
be a threat, they stayed on with the show. not a lot was said, but through the
rest of the night, the audience and Dan and Smith gave the Coconut teazer their
silent "fuck you"s.
the rest of the
night came together, somehow stronger because of the ignorance and fear that
affected it. these are the kind of shows the restore people's faith, after
being jaded by passing phases and trends in "scenes". this was music,
brilliant and honest, but still fun, accessible, and just amazing to watch.
this is the reason why i fell in love with Babyland in the first place!
1997-03-07
924 Gilman Street 1997.03.07 [Berkeley, CA]
w/ Molotov Cocktail (NY) - Wet-Nap - Magnum - Tinkle Potty
1997-01-04
Moguls 1997.01.04 [Hollywood, CA]
w/ Moog
Live fan show review by "Miss Eva" - found in the digital archive. [-AArtVark]
Live fan show review by "Miss Eva" - found in the digital archive. [-AArtVark]
January 04, 1997 - Hollywood Mogul, Hollywood, CA
Viva La Monkey!!!
The chaos of a
new year seems to leave us with only one certain thing, that everything will be
changing. Babyland is no exception to this; the new year has brought us a
rejuvenated Dan and Smith. 1997's first Babyland show was arguably their most
energetic and enthralling in quite some time. This was a markedly different
event not only because of it's place in line with shows to come, but also
because, save for the songs "A Slow News Day", "Dimissal"
and "Begin Again", the set was comprised of songs not released on the
band's three CDs.
After about
twenty minutes of set-up time, Dan and Smith opened with "Omaha", a
fast-paced song that's quickly becoming a staple to the set. From the beginning
of the night, interaction between the band and the audience was high; we
alternated between being enmeshed in a hurried, slamming frenzy to bouncing and
waving our arms in disco-like fashion. In keeping with the spirit of the new
year, Babyland offered us a peek at unreleased songs; "Five Fingers",
a song about intimate aliens, "Test Pilot", a wonderfully chaotic
aggressive piece, and "It Never Ends" were among the new selections,
which were greeted just as warmly as the constant crowd-favourite
"Dismissal", with its offering of burnt metal and showers of sparks.
It would seem
that Babyland was just as anxious to play as the audience was to see them play.
The general tone of the evening was a jovial one: a highlight of the evening
was Smith, dressed to the nines in a fitted pea green jacket and garish neon
green work shirt (sans sleeves for all you Smith admirers), calling to
attention the fact that Babyland has deemed 1997 "Viva La Monkey".
Also to be noted was his lulling (or attempting to lull) the audience into
peaceful slumber with coos of "go to sleep... you are sleepy". It
didn't work, but was certainly adorable. Dan stayed within tradition and worked
himself into a sweat quickly enough to merit his t-shirt being removed by the
second song. His vocals were incredibly sharp and, even moreso than usual, he
involved the crowd in performing, from jumping offstage (and being lost amidst
head-rubbing moshers) to singing at us to having us sing with him.
Save the
Hollywood Mogul cutting off Dan's vocals half way through the last song of the
night, "Begin Again", it was a glitch free evening, appreciated by
old fans and new visitors alike, and left us 110% BABYLAND SATISFIED.
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