NYC: Hiro Ballroom gig

Wow.

First of all, the Hiro Ballroom in Chelsea is kind of a perfect place to see Robyn. It's deliberately done up to look like the set of a martial arts flick, particularly the Crazy 88 scene in "Kill Bill vol. 1." All dark wood, Japanese lanterns, mirrors, candles, enigmatic murals, rising suns, Chinese dragons....it's really fun, though were were somewhat shocked when two beers and a small glass of sake came out to $31.

Even though the show was sold-out, the crowed was a perfect size, always a sign of a well-run venue. (Though restroom attendants always freak me out. They fill me with this bourgeois cognitive dissonance: this is one of the worst jobs on earth, but for a dollar, this guy will help me wash my hands. Oh boy.)

I have to say, there was a real air of excitement in the crowd that I haven't seen at Robyn shows. David Fricke was present, there were a lot of Reserved Tables filled with suspiciously older, well-groomed people, and the general crowd was just buzzing with anticipation. I had the feeling that this was a definite "event" -- hell, even the New York Times ran a *photo* of Robyn. I bet even Lawndart was there.

Thanks to Gary Assassin being an early bird, my group (Me, LJ, and a first-time friend) actually scored one of the only free tables. (Unfortunately, I missed Jon Lewis, but Gary said he saw Mr. Hooker, so a quick shout-out.)

Anyway, the gig was simply fantastic. Robyn was in peak form -- cheerful and happy, and filled with loopy digressions, improvised song fragments, and surreal stories. It was really a delight to see him like that again. (Black shirt, white polka-dots, very little blinking.) He made reference to his bad back, but played standing up for most of the show, only taking to a chair toward the end.

The band was fantastic. The Venus 5 were tight, and played the songs like a real band, not just very talented back-up musicians. I kept thinking, "Please stay together for a while, write new music, have some fun, please...!" Toward the final third of the set, Morris Windsor joined them on stage, singing harmonies and playing a few shaky-rattley things. And yeah, he still looks just like Morris Windsor. It was really a lovely moment, and the crowd cheered like greeting an old friend.

But back to the amazing performance. All the songs, new and old, had this certain texture, a rich density coupled with a real sense of propulsion. There was an urgency to the music I haven't heard since the Soft Boys reunion, and more to the point, the Egyptians.

I think a lot of credit for this goes to Scott McCaughey. His bass was a definite switch from Metcalfe or Seligman -- it was muscular, driving, and loud. Don't get me wrong, I love those Eighties guys a whole lot. But Scott's style provided a backbone to the songs that really let Robyn and Peter cut loose and play....

And boy, did they shine. There were a few times that the two of them fell into a perfect groove, guitars interlocking in a mesmerizing series of shimmering arpeggios. You could tell it in their faces, too -- Robyn and Peter just seemed so *happy,* like they knew they were making magic. It reminded me of a jangle-pop King Crimson at times. Early on, when one of these crystalline exchanges dissolved into a perfect "Chinese Bones," I had the feeling that this was going to be among the best Robyn shows I've seen.

They played most of the new album, which came across fully fleshed-out and dead-on. "Underground Sun" and "Authority Box" were the highlights. Another was "Television," which never sounded more haunting and ethereal, and genuinely spooky.

As far as old tunes, while I didn't keep a set list, I recall a super-tight "If I Was a Priest," a chiming "Queen of Eyes," a passionate "Jewels for Sophia," and a delightful (and surprising) "Vibrating." They also played "Radio Storm," which took a while to get off of the ground, but finally gelled into one of the best songs of the night. A snarling "I Wanna Destroy You" was dedicated to the Republicans ("Well, Rumsfeld is on his way out, but this is to the rest of them.") There was a similar sense of anger to "Somewhere Apart," with Robyn invoking his best John Lennon. And finally, "Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis)" was introduced by, "There are a lot of ways to care about nothing. This is one of the best, and one of the most happy song's I've written," or something to that effect.

Thankfully, no overplayed songs like "Balloon Man" or "Queen Elvis," and no gimmicky songs. Sadly, there were very few covers, even though I was expecting a "Kung Fu Fighting" for sure, given the room.

Encores included the Minus 5's "Oh Shit Man," and a deliriously psychedelic "Eight Miles High."

All in all, I've been to over 30 Robyn shows, and this was among the top five....

--Quail