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Wolfmother: The Avalon, Boston, MA 4/29/07 |
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Written by Rebecca Carter
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Tuesday, 08 May 2007 |
The Avalon, Boston, MA
April 29, 2007
Photo by: Chris Strong
Since the heyday of bands like Led Zeppelin and Rush, heavy rock with themes of fantasy has become nearly exclusive to the depths of black metal or tongue-in-check parody in the mainstream rock world. But when it comes to rock ‘n’ roll, all things are cyclical and stoner anthems about sorcerers and unicorns are making a “lighter in the air” comeback with the Aussie power trio Wolfmother.
Continuing their seemingly never-ending tour in support of their self-titled debut album, Wolfmother’s sold-out show at the Avalon had the venue packed from bar to bar with hipsters, hippies and metal heads, perhaps one of the few places they can all graze together peacefully. The band opened the set with the very Black Sabbath-esque “Dimension,” and singer Andrew Stockdale belted out the high-ranging chorus like a pre-senile Ozzy. Aside from the band members and their equipment, the stage was bare and even the house lights kept their frenzy to a minimum.
It was clear that the band only needed to rely on its own energy and musicianship to captivate the audience. Each member seemed to go into his own separate spasms, which somehow unified into a seamless heavy jamming that had the crowd pumping fists and goat horns in the air. Bass player and keyboardist Chris Ross played with so much intensity that he knocked his keyboard to the floor several times; a roadie had to take it offstage to make some minor fixes during the show. It must have been an average circumstance of performing: Ross appeared completely unfazed, simply switching to pounding the living day lights out of his bass instead.
The band played the entirety of the Wolfmother album and the real crowd favorites came during “Woman” and “Love Train.” Stockdale, in true Jimmy Page fashion, took up a double guitar for “White Unicorn” and the band jammed out on “Colossal,” breaking it down to its most minimalist beat before bringing it back up to the driving riff. Throughout the show, the band seemed almost shy or too lost in the music to pander to the crowd’s roars of approval. Stockdale greeted the audience’s cheers and chants with an occasional thank you or returned flash of the goat horns, and all their bravado came across more as passion for the music than showboating.
Wolfmother is sure to become one of those great albums that will one day be discovered by the next generation of stoner adolescents in their parents’ basements just as this generation had their minds expanded through dusty copies of Dark Side of the Moon and Zeppelin IV. We’ve got the chance to grab while it’s hot, and live Wolfmother is an experience that shouldn’t be missed.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 25 May 2007 )
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