The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion show at the El Rey Theatre, 5515 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036, US with Quasi on 9 November 2012.
SET LIST:
2Kindsa Love
High Gear
Black Thoughts
Zimgar
Boot Cut
Get Your Pants Off
Black Mold
Bag of Bones
She’s On It (abandoned)
She’s On It – Jack The Ripper
Strange Baby
Soul Typecast
Bellbottoms (Intro)
Bottle Baby
Gadzooks
No Reservations
Feeling of Love
Danger
Bear Trap – Outro jam
encore:
Very Rare
Naked
Afro
Sweat
Tell Me That You Love Me
Bellbottoms
Unclear
“One of my old favorites, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion aka JSBX, made their triumphant return to Los Angeles with a show at the El Rey Theatre in support of their new album, Meat and Bone. It’s amazing that after 21 years Jon Spencer, Judah Bauer and Russell Simins have stayed together and are still making great music. It had been a couple years since I had last seen JSBX and I was happy to see that they are still rocking the same as they did back in the 1990s when they first got going. It almost seems like Jon Spencer is immortal, like a rock-n-roll vampire, because the years seem to go by, but he still looks the same. It’s really remarkable and if I knew his secret potion, I’d get some too.
The crowd was a nice mix of 30 to 40 something hipsterbilly (I just made that up). Most everyone was an obvious fan and presumably, like me, had seen JSBX before. That might explain why the crowd seemed somewhat catatonic at the beginning of the show – they had forgotten the amazingness of JSBX. Jon Spencer eventually got them out of their trance. It’s hard to stand still watching this trio since they simply exude energy, especially Mr. Spencer who, as Jeremiah noted, has “the energy of a thousand men.”
JSBX played quite a bit of material off their new album, but also sprinkled in some old favorites like “2Kindsa Love.” The whole show was just a whirlwind for me and when it was done, I thought it seemed short, but then realized JSBX blazed through an hour plus set with no breaks, just song after song and then followed it with an encore!
For all the rocking I did, still my favorite thing about the show was getting a JSBX apron at the merch booth, complete with a blood spattered JSBX logo on it of course!” – Vanessa Herzog (https://www.icecreamman.com/)
“Jon Spencer, do you know just how awesome you are?
Whether the frontman was frenetically strutting around the stage or delivering a blistering guitar solo at the edge of the stage, he oozed an effortless cool Friday night as the New York trio proved that the Blues is still No. 1, even in a city as jaded as Los Angeles.
Portland’s Quasi warmed up the crowd with their fearless brand of indie rock. Janet Weiss’ excellent skills on the skins and Sam Coomes’ painful thrashing of his chest, hands and feet on his keyboards proved to be the perfect lead-in to the sudden influx of energy when Spencer, guitarist Judah Bauer and drummer Russell Simins exploded onto the stage.
Although the band had not released a new album since 2004, their inimitable sound invaded my home every Monday night for the past seven years with the song over the opening credits of Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations.” The 2010 reissues of their classic Extra Width, Orange and Now I Got Worry albums whet fans’ appetites for a hint to what the future would bring from the roots rock revolutionaries. The group answered with the release of Meat And Bone in September.
And it was no surprise that tracks from the recent release, such as “Bottle Baby,” “Bag of Bones” and the new single “Black Mold,” predominated the set. Overcoming initial hurdles of sound issues and one of Simins’ cymbals needing to be tightened, the three-piece seamlessly flowed from one song to the next. Besides Meat And Bone songs, they treated the crowd to a bit of “Bellbottoms,” “Gadzooks” and a cover of the Beastie Boys’ “She’s On It.”
No matter the song, Spencer easily assumed command of the crowd, initiating a round of “soul claps” and leading a chant of “Ju-dah, Ju-dah” as Bauer banged on his guitar. As Simins’ cowbell entranced and Bauer wailed on the strings, Spencer frenetically writhed his leather-clad hips around the stage to “Get Your Pants Off.” When they departed from the stage, the audience member next to me yelled, “New York City!” Perhaps in answer, they thundered back a few minutes later with a thoroughly mind-blowing version of “Sweat.” – http://www.jigsawmagazine.com/2012/11/show-review-jon-spencer-blues-explosion.html
Live Photo: Jeremiah Garcia (https://www.icecreamman.com/)
Venue Photo via the official Jon Spencer Blues Explosion twitter.
Ticket Image: Larry Schemel (https://www.instagram.com/larryschemel/)
Venue: http://www.theelrey.com/
Tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/2C0048B2F0216658
Quasi: www.theequasi.com/ / www.facebook.com/pages/Thee-Quasi
Poster / Competition: http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/2012/11/06/aquarium-drunkard-presents-the-jon-spencer-blues-explosion-the-el-rey-nov-9th/
