John Cale Innovates and Rocks at the Showbox
[John Cale, founding member of the Velvet Underground and decades-long solo artist, played Showbox at the Market last Thursday, December 6th, accompanied by a three-piece backing band. Folk songwriter Cass McCombs opened.]
If you’re hitting your head against a wall because you couldn’t make the John Cale show, you might be wondering what it’s like to be in the same room as a legendary artist- one who not only started a band that pioneered the sounds of punk, but who also managed to carry on an influential solo career, successfully marrying pop and the avant-garde. From my perpective, seeing John Cale for the first time after years of listening avidly to his music was a long-awaited experience that induced perpetual goose-bumps, to say the least.
I wasn’t alive in the 70s and was barely conscious in the 80s for that matter, so I never heard Cale play live in support of my favorite albums (Fear, Slow Dazzle, and Helen of Troy). Based on past experiences with musical acts whose long history I’ve followed and loved dearly, I imagined that seeing him in 2012 could be either a disappointment or a life-changing experience. Going into it, I worried that he’d exclusively play his new album (which is worth playing often and on high volume this winter), or that he wouldn’t demonstrate the same gusto that attracted me to his studio albums. But seeing him live beat all of these fears into a cowering corner; the energy of his band, the variety of his set list, and his sheer stage-presence were on target.
Much of Cale’s robust set did present his new record, Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood, but I was delighted to find that his set also offered a rich sampling of his catalog–a wonderful variety of songs from most eras of Cale. Opening the show was his ghostly and dissonant slow-ballad, “Hedda Gabler”, off of the 1977 EP Animal Justice. At the very moment he began emanating those long, narcotic introductory tones from his keyboard, it was clear that the audience was staying put for the next few hours; all eyes and ears affixed to Cale and his vibrant band.
Other notable songs included “Guts” (supposedly about Kevin Ayers, who had slept with Cale’s wife when they were all on tour together), and “Helen of Troy”, which was probably the most vigorously entertaining song of the night. Closing his set was an encore of the ever-aggressive “Gun” and his slinky rendition of Jonathan Richman’s “Pablo Picasso.”
Cale is celebrated for his unrelenting experimentation as well as for harmonies that can make a person swoon. Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood is a testament to his ability to stay fresh and innovative while remaining tied to the aforementioned qualities that have distinguished his other works for the last four decades. Cale’s new songs were executed with a magnetic fervor and excitement that was accentuated by his backing band who, in complete sync with Cale’s energy, were anything short of boring to watch. The drummer in particular thrashed his arms about with such energy and precision that even the most docile Seattleites couldn’t help nodding their heads.
Instead of going through the motions of performance like some veteran artists are wont to do, Cale and his band performed with command and strength, a statement to the audience that he is not a person of the past attempting to transport us to a bygone era, but rather a relevant artist in his proper contextual atmosphere. What was even more special about witnessing Cale on December 6th is that he performed in a relatively small venue that immersed the audience in the music and the action on stage.
If you missed this night, don’t fret: Judging from his dynamic performance, it’s not likely he’ll stop playing soon.