AVALON BALLROOM
I started to get into them just after Sweet Oblivion came out--now I think they rock! When I found out they were going to start their summer tour in Boston I lost it. I am not sure if I will be able to see them at Lolla because they aren't playing anywhere close except for Vermont. If I can I might try to see them again in Vermont--it's worth a try.
Any how I saw them Tuesday night at the Avalon Ballroom. It holds about 1,500 people but I don't think there were near that many people which was fine with me--I was just there to see them nothing else. Salt opened up for them but I only caught the second half of the second set, but what I heard was excellent.
I will try to list all of the songs they played but this is from memorization and a night of drinking doesn't help. I will try to list in order but I doubt they are. I know they opened up with "Before We Rise"--I couldn't believe it--I thought for sure they would come out with some fast and hard. Then I think they played "Butterfly." From here I will just list the songs: Dollar Bill, Winter Song, Troubled Times, Julie Paradise, Bed of Roses, Where the Twain Shall Meet, Shadow of the Season (song rocked) and Nearly Lost You. They only played three new songs off of Dust: Gospel Plow, Halo of Ashes and All I Know. I think they also played E.S.K. and I am pretty sure they finished up with an older song I didn't recognize..
Mark Lanegan sounded great--he didn't get into as much as I hoped but I guess that's the way he is. He must have smoked a pack a cigarettes in about an hour. Gary Lee was way into it he kept jumping around and doing his Curly imitation on the stage-- he sounded great. At the very end of the show he took his guitar and started rubbing it against the microphone stand to make some pretty freaky noises. Van was into it too, but not as much as Gary Lee. The drummer, I think his name is Barrett Martin, also played very well. He was throwing his sticks about twenty feet into the air right in the middle of a lot of songs catching them and playing like nothing happened. One other thing I noticed was that they picked up another rhythm guitarist--some guy from Kyuss--but he was not there. I wonder if he will meet up with them further down the road.
I wish I could have given you a more accurate song list but again it is from memorization and a cloudy one at that. If in the future anyone wants to correct it, I would be psyched. I think you picked a perfect time to put together a page--right before their album comes out. I can't wait. I think they will get the respect and recognition that they deserve. Lolla won't hurt either. If you have any questions or comments let me know. If you hear anything else about other shows Iwould like to hear them also.
Erik Keller
JUNE 12, 1996 AT THE TROCADERO PHILADELPHIA, PA
3lb Thrill, Salt, SCREAMING TREES We all jumped in the car. Drove to Philly and parked two blocks from the Troc. The day had been cloudy and there was a thunder storm watch until 8PM that night. As we walked the two block distance to the venue, the rain came down lightly but the evening was still warm and pleasant. As we got closer, we could see a fairly long line out the door and a gentleman of good stature frisking everybody.
We stood in line and the rain came down harder and harder until everybody was standing pressed against the wall to shield themselves with the overhang. I had worn a pretty redsundress and I remember how wonderful the rain felt against my skin. Warm and wet, but soothing.The line moved pretty fast so we got our reserved ducats, got our stub and then walked in the door. I had never been to the Troc, nor had I ever seen the Trees live, so all was a new experience for me!
I remember standing in the vestibule with wide-eyed wonder at how unique the place was.I had heard it was originally built to be an Opera House, moved on to Vaudeville, then to Burlesque style showings. All five of us walked upstairs, got beers, and sat on the seats. The seats themselves were gradating steps with cushioning. They provided a PERFECT view of the stage and enough room to relax. "Pretty kewl", I thought...
There were probably about 20 people upstairs, at first, and about 10 or so downstairs. Not many, as far as I could tell. I assumed that most people were waiting to come and see the Trees, not the opening bands. But, I wanted to see everything and everybody.
3lb Thrill came out and did a fairly decent set. They received a warm response from the scattered crowd and sounded good. I remember thinking, as everyone was clapping after each song, of how happy the crowd and the whole atmosphere of the place was. Very calm and very accepting. I was having a good time. After 3lb Thrill signed off with their last song, Salt came out. Salt'slead singer rocked through each song and the rest of the band was nice and tight. They sounded great. Their music was much harder and head knocking than 3lb Thrill and I could see the thickening crowd nodding their heads with the music and getting excited. The place was really starting to fill up and you could see people gathering closer and closer to the stage. There was even a photographer set up, front row, center. Salt's stage layout was very raw and basic. Guitar, bass, Pearl drum set. They were actually set up in front of the Trees equipment since they took so little room. It added a nice touch, I thought. Nothing fancy, just music. "Pretty kewl", I said again.
When we were waiting for the Trees to come on, the floor and the balcony filled up pretty fast. Everybody was rubbernecking to see what was going on and the excitement was building fast. As the lights dimmed, the guitarist was the first to come out. Everyone whistled and yelled and woo hoo'd, and he smiled. It was an endearing smile and I remember how his appreciation of our affection was expressed through that smile. It definitely warmed my heart from the very beginning. One by one, the members came out and everybody cheered. Every song was incredibly charged with Mark's sauntering emotions. He looked beautifully poised and fuck-you-ish with black smeared around his eyes and his who-cares attitude. By the second song, I just *had* to run down the steps and get closer to the band. I wanted to see their sweat and feel the energy of their performance. I came within touching distance of the stage and all I could do was stare at every one of them as they gave all they had to the music. I danced and cheered and smiled and I just couldn't drink in enough of Mark's presence. He was hypnotizing. By the time they performed "Nearly Lost You", I was entranced. It was sung so beautifully and the band played so incredibly well. Needless to say, we called them out for an encore and they almost seemed surprised. Mark seemed exhausted and unhappy up to that point but the smile on his face when he walked out for the encore was all I needed. At that moment, I became a true fan of the Trees and I'm never looking back. I truly believe that they are the best band that I have ever seen and I hope to see them many times again.
Lisa Marie Cipollo
LOLLAPALOOZA JULY 9TH POWNAL, VT
Saw the Trees at Lollapalooza in Pownal, Vermont. I was very disappointed. They sounded very good but played only FOUR songs. Mark was apparently upset about objects being thrown onto the stage. Now, this went on all day and In ever saw anything thrown in a vicious manner. Obviously Mark thought differently. At one point he said "you're lucky that didn't hit me" to someone in the crowd stage left. A bit later, it was something like "if we don't come back out,you can blame your friend". Then he walked off stage. And he didn't come back out. The band stood around for some time, apparently unsure if he was offstage for good or just bluffing. Finally they handed out guitar strings, drumsticks,etc., and left. I WAS a Trees fan (moderately so, not hardcore) but no longer. After paying $50 and driving three hours, I expect the artists to PERFORM, rambunctious crowd or not. You can't tell me that the Trees haven't experienced some crazy shit at concerts before. DEAL WITH IT and keep playing (or singing). His little rock star temper tantrum really turned me off. He seems to be an egocentric asshole with no respect for his fans. At least he did on July 9th.
I BRAKE FOR SNAKES.S..S...S......S
Matt Nott
LOLLAPALOOZA JULY 18TH WEST PALM BEACH, FL
I caught the Trees at Lolla in W. Palm Beach, FL on July 18th. They played a great set, but it seemed too short. I was curious to see if they were going to play any of their mellower tracks off of Dust in front of a crowd anticipating Rage Against the Machine. They didn't, I believe (my memory of that day is a wee bit fuzzy) they opened with "Shadow of The Season", then they cranked out in no particular order, "All I Know", "Nearly Lost You", "Halo of Ashes", "Dying Days", "Julie Paradise", and "Gospel Plow". They had an additional guitarist, besides Gary and Van. Speaking of Gary, he was wearing long sleeve flannel in 95 degree weather and bounding about the stage as usual, he also added in quite a few windmills. Mark seemed to be drowned out by the bass, I don't think they can overcome this problem w/o changing lead singers, but as a fan I could make out the lyrics and enjoyed it. Mark didn't say anything to the crowd, but Van announced who they were and what not. They were much heavier and louder of course, than the album ("Dust"), and most of the songs seemed a little up tempo compared to album cuts. Overall they kicked ass, the 3rd guitarist was a definite plus.
Sean Baribeau
LOLLAPALOOZA NEWPORT, TN
I saw the Screaming Trees at Lollapalooza in Newport,TN. They were great!I had never really been exposed to too much of their music but I am now a devoted fan. I thought that they would be a kind of layed back mellow grunge band but they rocked. I found myself in a daze listening to the outstanding riffs and solos. The band is just a well rounded machine all together. They hung with the best of the Lollapalooza mainstage bands, which isn't easy. I live in Cleveland, Georgia and had to drive like 250 miles to see the Screaming trees but it was well worth it. I encourage anyone who gets a chance to go and see the Screaming Trees. And I say unto them rock on!!!!!:-)
Bob Hirschi
OASIS TOUR WORCESTER, MA
Hi, I saw the Oasis/Screaming Trees show here in Worcester MA, I have been a Trees fan for years, this was my first time to see them live. They played great, and some of my favorite songs. Gary was entertaining as always, and Mark had his attitude in overdrive. what was frustrating is that they only played 8 songs, under 40 minutes... i hope they headline sometime soon, I would love to see them play again, with a longer set... they played:
Shadow Of The Season, Nearly Lost You, Julie Paridise, (that was great, they ended with it, after marks part was done he left with out even a thank you for the audience, and the guys jammed for another 5 minutes) Halo of Ashes, All I Know, Dying Days, Witness and Gospel Plow
mike
JONES BEACH, SEPTEMBER 7, 1996
The Screaming Trees concert at Jones Beach was opened by Manic Street Preachers, an up-and coming british band who i thought were pretty good. But the real highlight was when Lanegan and co. took the stage (of course.) From the opening notes of "Shadow of the Season" to the closing riff of "Nearly lost you", the band, simply put, kicked ass. They played 7 songs in total, with two (SOTS and Nearly Lost You) off of their 1992 epic records release Sweet Oblivion and five off of their new album entitled Dust. Live, the band took off straight into, after SOTS, searing versions of Dying Days, Witness, Halo Of Ashes, All I Know, and Gospel Plow. Van Conner, who was drinking gin for the whole show, filled in the tween-song gaps with comments about the kiss reunion and many other interesting irreverant things. Nobody threw any- thing onstage, nobody walked off stage. The live versions of the Dust songs in particular were very faithful to the album versions; only the mellotron/ analog keyboards and cello were missing. A Rhythm guitarist was onstage with them whose name i don't quite remember. Barrett Martin even started off SOTS and Gospel plow on LP matador bongos, while guitarist Gary Lee Conner windmilled the hell out of his guitar. I hope to come across a tape of this concert some time, as it's one of my favorites either taped or that i've seen personally. If you have a tape, let me know. Also, that's me yelling "Dust kicks ass!" in between songs. The only bad part about this show was the fact that they only played 7 songs. Hopefully, the band will launch a full- scale tour later on, maybe with the keyboards in the mix and some old parts of their repotoire, such as "Cold rain" and "Uncle Anesthesia". Or maybe I'm asking for too much. Either way, I reccomend seeing the Trees on this mini- tour, even if it is with Oasis. Also, if you go, pick up a Dust tee shirt. They're 100% Cotton.
Ward
SOUL ASYLUM/SPIN DOCTORS TOUR 1993
Well the one and only time that I saw the Screaming Trees was in 1993 when they were touring with Soul Asylum and Spin Doctors. I had been a Soul Asylum fan for several years and it was them who I was primarily going to see. (the spin doctors do absolutely nothing for me) I had bought Sweet Oblivion and I really liked it. The album absolutely did not prepare me for that show.
To say that I was blown away is a complete understatement. Soul Asylum were good, but as far as I was concerned the Screaming Trees blew them off stage. (We didn't stay for the spin doctors) The album only hints at the kinda of energy that they produce on stage.
Three years later and I am at the point where I would give a limb to see them again. They were meant to open for 54-40 here in Vancouver, but they were replaced by Limblifter for some unknown reason.
Everyone who I have played their music for has gone and bought the album. When will they come to Vancouver? I would even travel to Washington to see them.
Goddamn they rock
Lisa
NOVEMBER 4, 1996 MANCHESTER, UK
Well I finally got to see a band I really like at long last. The Trees played Manchester last night ( 4 Nov 1996) at the Students Union bar at the University. Small venue and unfortunately the sound system was not really up to it. Gary Lee had problems with his guitars and Mark was all but drowned out so as a result looked really pissed off all night. A very short set, only just over an hour including the encore. The band were all excellent, particularly Barratt. Excellent jam for the encore between the two brothers and Barrett doing vocals at one point ! The set included
" Shadow of the Season "
" Halo of Ashes "
" All I Know "
" Dying Days "
" Nearly Lost You "
I'm a recent convert so I can't fill you in on some of the older numbers but they were really good despite the acoustics and the small stage.
Julie Scanlan England
NOVEMBER 4, 1996 MANCHESTER, UK
howdy,
anyone go to the manchester gig on the 4th Nov. here's how it went if ya didn't.
we arrived at the place around 8ish and the doors had been open for half an hour. we figured the first band must be on around eight. so we bought a beer and trolled on thru to the noisiest room in the place. i guessed that the band playing was 'sponge' (also 'seaweed' were supporting) tho later found out it *was* seaweed - either we missed sponge or they were just playing landan gigs i s'pose.
seaweed were the usual loud geeetars and drums and crappy lead singer mincing about on the stage. it's just that all the songs sounded the same. it really is a shame when it comes to support bands, unless ya have heard of them they're just too samey. as seaweed went off we were kindly told that the trees were on next, and that they were going to quote, kick some ass, unquote. luckily i had an extra padding on :>
and so the real bit begins....
hmmm what can i say, the trees set was split into two distinct sections, lanegan and co making recogisable noise and then just co (with lanegan sulking probably - more later) making more noise.
lanegan came on in red plaid shirt buttoned up bar one and black leather pants - minus the red (all i know - video) tint in hair and sporting a five day gruff. not a welcoming word was uttered by him and within seconds the distinctive bars of shadows kicked in. the whole section of the mosh sprung into life, it was a great sight. it was from here on i began to dislike lanegan, every other expression was a sly grimace, cringe, scowl at his band members, at notes that were obviously to him naff, but to the hearing punter nowt wrong with. even after the gig i overhead one bloke in the bog saying 'what an attitude that lead singers got!'
as for the other band members, well van conner (bassist) was the only one to front the chants from the punters. gary lee conner (gotta be brothers, being so fat like) was mouthing off extrangantly at the roadies for his lack of sound. after that tho he was giving it the full 360 degree swingin of the arm action - great stuff. the drummer barret martin really gave them drums a good pumelling, every so often throwing the sticks in the air - carnival style - and catchin em again. later on he even sang a few songs!
and so the set went on, all the loud live classics were played and not a sworn and broken or winter song in sight. best moments were: nearly lost you, all i know, dying days, and shadows. after the set though, like i said, lanegan disappeared and the remaining four (josh from primus?? helped out on geetar) carried on, with the connor brothers both singing and generally havin a good time knockin out unknown toons to my ears tho pleasin to the moshers (includin me).
the night ended with a sooperb one up on the touters, i bought a tout t- shirt for £3, however upon upwrapping it half way down the street i found i had two - ha ha - £1.50 a t-shirt. great stuff.
Lanagen - get a life.
regards - mr pon
EMail: poneill@sleazy.demon.co.uk
NOVEMBER 16, 1996 PARADISO, AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
I knew Screaming Trees only from their album Uncle Anesthesia, so most of the songs they played, were new to me. I don't mind. Their sound is so distinctive, it was beautiful anyway. Their gig in Amsterdam was the last of their European (mostly UK) Tour.
To give you an idea of where the Screaming Trees played, a little word about the Paradiso first. It's a Rock Temple. It used to be a church, but I believe somewhere in the sixties they turned it into a cultural center. Since then Paradiso has hosted a choice of trend-setting bands. Many of them were later to become big names in music. Nirvana did a legendary gig here in November '91. I read that footage of that concert -some say one of their best ever- can be found on the LIVE! TONIGHT! SOLD OUT! video. Paradiso is located near the city center of Amsterdam. It's pretty small and intimate, which makes it an ideal place to go to a concert. There's a balcony that goes all the way round and if you're lucky, you can find a place practically on stage, less than 7 yards away from it. What better place is there, to see a band perform and at the same time see the audience respond? I wouldn't know, so on the balcony, less than 7 yards away from the stage, is where we (me and a housemate) sat down.
The concert started off with The Eels, a three piece band from LA. Go check these guys out. They're cool and they're versatile. I've heard subtle piano melodies, grunge riffs, and exotic drum rhythms all in one set. The crowd loved it. Their debut album "beautiful freak" received critical acclaim over here already.
Then The Trees came on. This is what I came for. Like I said, I didn't know most of the songs they played, except Caught Between and Bed Of Roses. At first Gary Lee had problems getting noise out of his guitar but it didn't dampen his enthusiasm. That guy rocked! And so did the rest of the band. However, what struck me was Mark Lanegan's attitude. I could see the people in front getting wilder with every song, but Mark Lanegan seemed totally indifferent about it. He didn't do anything to communicate with the crowd. It was Van who did the talking in between the songs. After bearly 45 minutes Mark walked off... I thought I heard him say "thank you" or something. The audience deserved better than that. All in all The Trees played for about 1 hour including the encores, which is pretty short, even for a "club-concert". Still, I had a great time. Screaming Trees is one of my favorite bands. They're a bit away from all the alternative hype that's going on. They're just too good as a live band to be labelled "grunge" or "alternative" or whatever. Lanegan's voice is an instrument in itself. It perfectly fits in with the Trees' music. Next time I hope he looks a bit more vivid, as the other Trees did.
The day after, I went to see the Fun Lovin' Criminals in Utrecht. Their lead singer did everything to involve the audience, and in an ultra-cool fashion too. It led to a fantastic atmosphere, a gig to remember.
Koen
NORTHAMPTON ROADMENDER, NOVEMBER 12th, 1996
Walking onstage, Van said 'This is our first time in your town'. Mark Lanegan followed this with 'Praise God make it the last!' The band began with a very cool, relaxed song which I didn't recognise, then absolutely tore the roof off the place with 'Shadow of the Season'. I could tell that it was a good gig because I lost all sense of time! Lanegan stood welded to the mike stand throughout, as usual, and I was surprised at how wasted he looked- much thinner than I had imagined. Van reminded me of an enlarged Jimmy Page, and he played with a great big grin on his face for most of the time. They played with their extra guitarist from Caius (spelling?), and the overall sound was powerful and loud to say the least.
I can't unfortunately remember all the set, but I do remember superb renditions of the following; 'Nearly Lost You' (I got the impression they wanted this one to be over quickly!), 'Gospel Plow' (My personal favourite), 'All I Want', 'Julie Paradise', and 'Winter Song'. Near the end Lanegan left the stage with a quick 'Goodnight', and the remaining band members continued the go mental with some old punk tunes (well that's what they sounded like to my ravaged ears, anyway), taking it in turns to sing. During the penultimate number the second guitarist broke all his guitar strings one by one and didn't seem to notice!
The ending was a bit mad, with howls of feedback and Van ripping his bass strings off and throwing them to the crowd. What a band!
The support, Seaweed, didn't go down too well, although they looked as if they were enjoying themselves. They asked the crowd to name a new song for them- and after the torrent of abuse one person's voice could be heard, titling the song 'Dougal's a dick'. Oh well. At least the Trees were good!
Queen Elizabeth Corby
LONDON ASTORIA
Screaming Trees got a great reception when they toured over here; all the gigs they played got great reviews, which is unusual as some music papers will deliberately go against the grain and criticize a band for the hell of it.
Made it to the London Astoria gig - it was something else. Wish I'd been able to see them all.
The place was packed out, and they played a nice mix of songs, some from way back, some off Sweet Oblivion, and about 1/2 of Dust. They actually played for about 1 1/2 hours, although there were a couple of breaks, but not for more than 5 minutes each.
Saw the Jools Holland show they were on, but seeing them on tv just isn't the same as live. They played Halo of Ashes and All I Know. Mark looked like he'd died he was so pale, and sounded even huskier than usual. They didn't look too happy to be there, but who knows??
Nila
NOVEMBER 16, 1996 PARADISO, AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
I was a bit dissapointed when I found out the Screaming Trees cancelled their festival tour in august 1996. I really looked forward to seeing them live. Then it was announced that they only would play Great Britain, which really pissed me off at that moment. Then finally they were confirmed to play at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. Finally I would get to see them. Their support act was EELS and they were really good! Then the Trees entered the stage, backed up by the guitar player from Kyuss which really added a lot to their live sound. The band really rocked, played tight and were seemingly happy to play. Then there is Mark Lenegan..... His voice beautiful as ever, but his stage presence scared the hell out of me. I really feared for his life.... He stood motionless while singing, eyes closed all the time and his face had the color as if he had already died. The show was beautiful though. A lot of songs from Dust were played, also a few old ones. The crowd was very enthusiastic. Unfortunately that didn't affect Mark and after 45 minutes he left the stage. The band looked a bit confused and finished the show without him. I must say I had been living up to the moment of seeing Screaming Trees live. Then Mark Lenegan of all people spoiled that moment a bit for me. Luckily the band was really good and the show was quite good.
Later that evening I saw the TV broadcast of a show they did in Germany the day before and that was even worse. I don't think Mark Lenegan is the touring kind of singer. He is better off just making records and that's it. I also saw a TV broadcast of a studio session they did in Hilversum and there, sitting on a stool, Mark looked much more comfortable. He still didn't look very healthy but hey, he looked better than on that stage at the Paradiso.
The Trees achieved a lot of media attention here in Holland. Their show was scheduled to be broadcast on the radio, but due to Mark's behaviour they only broadcast 5 songs. Also a radio session was broadcast on radio AND tv and the newspapers all had reviews of the show. I was lucky enough to take a few good pictures and together with the five songs from the radio, this show will be remembered forever.
EDGAR KRUIZE
JONES BEACH, SEPTEMBER 7, 1996
I was at the Jones Beach show on September 7, 1996. They opened up for Oasis after the Manic Street Preachers (who were pretty good). Well, I was about 30 seconds late to their opening number(I was buying a DUST shirt) , Shadow of the Season. I was in the 20th row, about twenty feet from the stage. Shadow of the Season rocked my ass. At that point in time, the only album by them I owned was Sweet Oblivion, but I heard that DUST kicked ass. So now that I know what they played, they played a huge chunk of DUST for the rest of the set. Mark was in the center of the stage at the mic, with a beard, and hardly moving till the middle of the set. Lee was like a bear beating the shit out of his guitar. Younger Conner, Van was to the left of the stage, and had a comment to make after every couple of songs. That dude from Kyuss was there too. Barrett, however, was the whole show if you ask me. I've been to Chilli Peppers, Type O Negative, Kiss, Oasis, and plenty others, and I've never seen a better live drummer than Mr. Martin. He was the band that night. After All I Know, Gary sat down and was handed a sitar, and after jamming for a while they played Halo of Ashes. It rocked. Then Mark almost started bowing down to some holier spirit, and began to sing my favorite tune by them, Gospel Plow. After a few more songs, theyended with NEARLY LOST YOU. Other than that, they didn't play anything else off of Sweet Oblivion. I'm pretty sure they did witness, and Dime Western too. However, it was amazing!! They blew away Oasis by far. But the most amazing part was during Oasis.................
There was this group of about 6 people sitting behind us, with guest list pass stickers for the Screaming Trees. I was thinkin to my self, "Wish I was them....." anywayz they knew every word to every song. They kept on shouting LEE to get his attention. About 15 minutes after Oasis hit the stage, a really heavyset guy, resembling Gary Lee Conner, a lot, sits next to the group with the passes, about 4 seats behind me. He was resting his head on the shoulder of his wife, I knew it had to be him. But I got so excited, I forgot his name, so I asked one of the guys behind me just to make sure. I'll never forget this moment---- I turned around, introduced myself, and told him how awesome the show was. I almost pissed in my pants. He was very flattered (even by a 16 year old). I shook his hand , and he and his wife told me that they liked my shirt. I was so mad later on, b/c I didn't have a pen so he could sign it with. Oh well...... About 10 minutes later, he and his friends left. I wonder if he remembers me.
Reverend Reverend2000
JUNE 29, 1997 THE SHOWBOX, SEATTLE, WA
This can't be a technical review. I don't remember the exact set list,or how long the band played. I missed most of the opening bands. What I do remember are mostly images, and feeling that everything I hoped to see was right there.
When I said I was going to see the Screaming Trees in Seattle, people asked why I would go across the country to see a band. I said I just wanted to get away, visit, see the sights of Seattle. I wasn't going just to see a show. That would be silly, right?
From the time the Trees started playing I was enthralled. They sounded excellent, and there was always something to watch. At one point, Gary Lee was bent over at the waist, hair hanging down, and he looked exactly like the cover of Change Has Come. Barrett was incredible, tossing his sticks and wailing away intently. Van filled the between song gaps with comments, just as I'd always read he did. Every one of them looked like they were having a good time with it, Mark would even hop around when he turned back to get a drink after each song.
They did a lot from Dust, and having Josh there really filled out the sound. Everything was played with energy and enthusiasm, and I loved every minute of it. I wish it had been longer, but even if they'd played for a solid week, I'd still wish it had been longer!!!
The place was packed, and the steam coming up from the crowd looked like a little dry ice show! It would have been impossible to just stand there and watch, you definitely had to be moving! I guess that's what prompted me to move from the side of the stage by the backstage door out to the middle for the Bed of Roses encore. I got right to the middle, then wormed up to the front with only one other guy between me and the stage (it was nice to have no barriers there!).
Barrett got up to the mike and introduced Mark Pickerel as the drummer for that song, and I felt privledged to get to see the Trees now & then. I didn't have to jump around anymore, everyone else was doing it for me. (it's not a show until you have the sweat of other fans on you, after all!) What else can be said? The music was perfect, Mark's voice was beyond describing, the crowd was great. And the floor was sticky and littered with bottles at the end. Just the way it should be. "...bring us closer to the fire, this world can't take us any higher..."
I had really built this show up in my mind before I went, and I was thrilled to be able to say I got way more than I ever expected. People asked me how Seattle was. I've been saying it was nice, but I really only went there to see the Screaming Trees play, and it was more than worth it!
Debbi Sullivan
MARCH 18, 1997 THE SHOWBOX, SEATTLE, WAAt last, the Screaming Trees plan a few hometown shows with one thing on their minds... rawking the house. In the first of their 3 shows in Seattle, they did just that.
This show was more of a "Trees Party", as half the folks in the room were on the guest list. It made for a fun evening as the band were relaxed and ready to do an intimate show for a few hundred of their closest friends and fans.
Mark Lanegan was a presence on stage. Looking a bit [and sounding a lot] like the late Jim Morrison, he was unusually animated, intense and emotional. From low moans to full-on wails, he covered the whole nine yards vocally. Keeping his beat with a steady stomp of his heel and wildly tapping his fingers on the mic stand as if "playing" it, he seemed to feed off of the energy of the stomping, sweating fans in this packed house.
Not to be outdone, Van Conner chatted with the audience when he wasn't busy driving the Trees near trademark sound with his bass lines. Gary Lee Conner, who has a tremendous amount of energy, kept the audience excited. Barrett Martin put in a solid performance, pretty much "letting it all hang out." Also, on guitar, Kyuss' Josh Hoarke (sp?) gave the rest of the band a little more freedom to go wild and was pretty darn rockin' himself.
Speaking of guitarists, Mike McCready popped up for a couple of songs [including "Dying Days"], adding his usual amount of Vaughn-esque guitar licks for good measure.
Overall, the band sounded great. In a club which is almost notorious for relatively poor sound, the Trees managed to pour in an impressive performance for themselves and everyone in attendance. Songs like "All I Know", "Nearly Lost You," and "Bed of Roses" were among the audience favorites and often inspired mosh-frenzies, not that anyone up front noticed since they were busy being "awestruck."
The show ended during the encore with a punk jam with Barrett on lead vocals, singing from behind his drum-kit, [a la Phil Collins], and Mike McCready jumping up and down on stage. "This is where we play one-and-a half songs and trash our instruments" were the words of Van Conner just before the encore began. And trash they did. After dumping a couple of guitars in Barrett's freshly-demolished drum kit, the Screaming Trees left the stage... to rest up for another rockin' show the next night.
In the humble words of one happy attendee ... "Shit, yeah!" He took the words right out of my mouth.
Full Set List:
Halo of Ashes
Winter Song
Butterfly
All I Know
Witness
Sworn and Broken
Dying Days [w/ Mike McCready]
Nearly Lost You
Gospel Plow
Julie Paradise
(encore)
Dollar Bill
Where the Twain Shall Meet
Bed of Roses
??? [Punky Song w/ Mike McCready on guitar and Barrett on lead vocals]
::Khadejah::
MARCH 18, 1997 THE SHOWBOX, SEATTLE, WA
It rained all day.
It was an oddly early show -- doors at 6:30 (though they did not in fact open the doors until 7:00), music at 8:00. And I guess they really meant it: promptly at 8:00 the first opening act came on -- Praying (or maybe it was Preying?) Mantis. They're a relatively youthful power trio, with a kind of psychedelic metallic sound. Ran through 8 songs in 30 minutes, to a pretty warm reception by the crowd. At 8:45 Huge Space Bird came on. Sorry, guys, but I have to say that you've got a thoroughly derivative metal sound here -- heavy chords, metal harmonies, with a bluesy overlay which is fine if you like the old sounds of T.Rex, but not for me, no thanks. Nine songs in 30 minutes. Then it was a long 45 minutes' wait for the headliners... by 9:45 or so the stage appeared all set, and the crowd (capacity crowd of about 800) was clearly ready for the Trees. Just after 10:00 the lights dimmed, and the band took the stage in the dark to a wildly enthusiastic reception. They tore right into Halo of Ashes, and sounded better live than I could have imagined. Before I forget, here's the setlist:
Halo of Ashes
Winter Song
Butterfly
All I know
Witness
Sworn and Broken
Dying Days
Nearly Lost You
Gospel Plow
Julie Paradise
[band leaves stage.. then an encore!]
Dollar Bill
Where The Twain Shall Meet
Bed of Roses
[Lanegan leaves the stage; one (or was it two?) more tunes, pretty darn punk, with Barrett on vocals. Then they trash the stage. Lights up about 11:15 p.m.]
Basically, they sounded great. Fabulous. So tight, so full, so together. I guess I had read too much about what a dysfunctional group they are, but they played together as if playing together was the best thing on earth. Josh Homme (from Kyuss; introduced to us by Van) added an extra guitar dimension, ensuring a really full sound. Oh, and here's one advantage of playing in Seattle -- Mike McCready joined them for Dying Days and Bed of Roses. (And let me just take this opportunity to say that the guy is *short*. Granted none of the Trees are what you'd call normal-sized, but he was definitely diminutive (and smoked like a fiend, which was also pretty funny, as he took a break from a solo at one point to drag on his cigarette).) As ever, Van did most of the talking from the stage, and sounded as cheerful and full of life as always. He also tossed his strings into the crowd at the end of the set. Lee Conner has more energy than you could imagine, and seemed to be having two tons of fun out there. He sounded great (and did some great things with feedback at the very end -- was the last guy to leave the stage). Barrett Martin impressed the hell out of me -- he clearly provided the backbone of the music, propelling it with energy and style. (He's also the healthiest looking one of the bunch, with Josh running a close second (but then again he's 10 years younger than the rest).) And then there's Lanegan. OK so I'm biased, I admit it -- I think his solo work is about the coolest stuff ever. And I still think that it's his voice which sets the Trees apart from a lot of other bands. What I wasn't prepared for was how well his voice integrates with the rest of the band to create a full and irreproducible sound. He's skinny as hell (and bearded these days), but that voice is still totally there, the most expressive thing I know in music today. He sounded great, and looked better than I'd expected -- clearly into the music (vibrating with the beat), not self-absorbed, not sullen, with more energy than I'd expected. Like I said, fully integrated. So what if he doesn't move around the stage like Bono Vox? You want a showman or you want the best singer around? He didn't talk much -- introduced Mike McCready, said thanks the first time he left the stage, and "thank you very much good night" after the encore.
There was an official-looking video camera set up; don't know if this means there might be live video available some day. The crowd was totally happy, totally into it. A bit of stage diving, minimal crowd surfing. It was a great show. It was still raining when we left. What a great night.
Unsigned
MARCH 18 & 19, 1997 THE SHOWBOX, SEATTLE, WA
I spent the afternoon trying to recollect the last time the Screaming Trees played in Seattle. Must have been back in the summer of 1994 when they opened for Soundgarden. Anyway, it had been far too long.
I got to the Showbox late, about 9:30 and the place was packed. The Trees stormed the stage promptly at 10:00 and immediately kicked into a rocking version of "Halo of Ashes." The band never sounded better. Really tight. Totally in sync. Barrett and Van controlled the rhythm, Lee was a solid wall of sound. The stage was fairly small, but that didn’t limit his energetic windmilling, jumping off monitors and leaning out into the crowd, all the while playing a blistering guitar. The sound was rounded out Josh Homme (who played Lollapalooza with them) who gave the band more depth and texture. Lanegan was in fine form. His voice never sounded better. Sporting a full beard and looking somewhat frail, he clung to the mike stand, holding his own in the hurricane storming around him. He sang strong all night. The tiresome comparisons to Jim Morrison don’t do justice to the best rock voice in the business. Sometimes you just know when you are in the presence of the real thing.
Unfortunately, the microphone starting screeching during the second number, "Winter Song", but it was quickly taken care of and by the time they got into "Butterfly" the crowd was totally into it. There was such an intimate feel to the evening. Like their own private party. Van joked at one point, "everybody happy? You should be, half of you are on the guest list!" It was great to see them in a club setting instead in some distant stadium. The energy in the place was palpable. The floor was literally pulsating. There was some body surfing and flying objects, but the crowd was pretty cool.
The band played a number of songs from Dust and since they couldn’t recreate the beautiful, eastern-tinged influence of the album, they turned it up a notch and really rocked on "Witness", "All I Know" and "Gospel Plow." Mike McCready of Pearl Jam reprised his role as guest guitarist and joined the band on stage for "Dying Days." Unfortunately, I couldn’t see him too well because I was stuck behind a rather large Conner relative (he had to have been a brother or a cousin because he looked exactly like Van, but with shorter hair.) The band played about 50 minutes and then came back out for an encore starting with a great version of "Dollar Bill", followed by "Where the Twain Shall Meet" and "Bed of Roses." Lanegan thanked the crowd and left the stage. McCready rejoined the band and they closed the evening with Barrett singing a Devo song! As the feedback died out, Barrett jumped out from behind his drum set, hoisted the bass drum over his head (looking like Atlas) and dropped it to the stage where Van finished it off by ramming his bass through the center of it. That smashed any hopes of a second encore.
I couldn’t wait to see them again the next evening to see if they could possibly perform an equally kick-ass rock show. I vowed to get there early in order to find the bar and avoid any Conner relatives. Found a good spot near the stage with a good view of Lee, Mark and Van. They started off with "Change Has Come" and never slowed down. Same great rock dynamic and histrionics. Lanegan looked a little worse for the wear on the second night, but still delivered strong vocals. Van did all the chatting between songs. Barrett really drove the tempo, but the band managed to keep up. Lee was completely crazed with amazing guitar work. They played about 50 minutes again (but with a different set list) and came back out as the crowd demanded more. Van warned on the first encore number, "we’ve never played this before," and launched into the old spiritual "Peace in the Valley." He must have meant they’ve never played it live before, because it is on the Dollar Bill CD single. It didn’t come across too strong because they just couldn’t bring the energy down. They followed with great versions of "Traveler" and "Shadow of the Season." Lanegan left after the encore once again, and McCready joined the band for the Devo cover jam.
Lee was all over the stage. He leaned out with his guitar a little too far and was pulled down into the crowd. Security eventually got him back on stage, he appeared to be all right, and said "see you Sunday" (in reference to their next Seattle show) as he made his way off stage. As the lights came up, my friend said, "I don’t even remember the last time I saw a real rock band, or a real rock show like that." It was definitely, the Trees at their best. Who knows how long we will have to wait for another CD or tour, especially with all the band members venturing out with solo and side projects, but after last night, it will be worth the wait.
Barbara Arnett
MARCH 22, 1997 LA LUNA, PORTLAND, OR
Four words: They totally fucking ROCKED.
Okay, I'll elaborate if you insist. We showed up at the club at around 5:00 to watch sound check because we were guests of Gary Lee and Van (thanks to Curt and his kickin' web page). We met them both; they were very mellow and extremely nice. Lanegan and Josh came soon after, and after Van and Josh tuning their guitars and generally screwing around for awhile, Mark and Gary Lee came on stage and they broke into Shadow of the Season (Barrett was not there, "probably in the shower," as Gary Lee said, but the guy filling in did a pretty decent job). My God, that voice sounded better than I could have imagined! So smooth, deep, and throaty...I had goosebumps. It was really a treat because that song is one of my favorites and was not on the setlist. After the song Mark was outa there, leaving us with our jaws on the floor in awe (or was it just mine?) and anticipating the actual concert.
The first opening band, Citizens Utilities, was pretty rockin' and had a very original sound, with great harmonizing vocals. The second band, the Maroons, pretty much sucked (I won't go into detail; just take my word for it), and after about two songs I was wishing they'd get the hell off the stage, which they finally did, not soon enough. Jen, Ann, and I shoved (and sweet talked) our way into the front of the pit to grab ourselves a prime view of the Trees, and the anticipation was almost too much.
When the Trees finally came out, Gary Lee stumbled onstage as if he were drunk off his ass, but we soon realized it was a joke as they tore into Halo of Ashes (another one of my favorites). Holy shit, they were so damn tight! The entire set was from their two best albums, Dust and Sweet Oblivion (although it would've been cool to hear some older stuff), and good God did they kick ass. Barrett was throwing his sticks up and catching them in the middle of jamming his ass off, and Gary Lee's solos were just fucking amazing (I'm not a musician so excuse the layman's terms). All of them seemed to be having a great time, Barrett grinning through the whole thing and Gary Lee jumping around and windmilling like a wild man. Van did most of the talking to the crowd, while Lanegan preserved his voice for the songs. The voice...God it was so powerful, and he delivered it with everything he had. He kept his eyes closed most of the time which to me reinforced the emotional power of the songs; but he was also moving quite a bit and tapping on the mike stand.
Here's the setlist:
Halo of Ashes
All I Know
Winter Song
Butterfly
Sworn and Broken
Dying Days
Witness
Nearly Lost You
Gospel Plow
Julie Paradise
They did Bed of Roses for the encore, and Mark said "Thanks" and he was gone. The rest of the guys did two more songs, a Velvet Underground cover and a Bowie cover, and it became the Conner Brothers Show with Gary Lee singing lead and Van backing him up. Lee had already proven that he is a guitar GOD, but the guy can also belt out the vocals! Those two songs rocked!
After the concert I was lucky enough to meet Lanegan, and although I was a stuttering, pathetic idiot because I was so stunned, I did manage to tell him how amazing his voice was. He was very nice and seemed genuniely appreciative of the compliment. I also met Barrett and was a bit more coherent when I told him he was the most incredible drummer I've ever heard. He was very modest and seemed almost embarrassed, like he didn't deserve the praise, but I meant every word. Afterward he signed my setlist (Josh gave one each to me and Jen-- WooHoo!). A very nice guy. After I'd annoyed them enough, we said our goodbyes and thanks to Gary Lee and Van. It was an incredible night that I'll never forget!
When I was introduced to the Screaming Trees' music a few months ago (thanks to Mike & Curt), I became an instant fan and now I have 8 of their albums. After seeing them, I'm convinced that they are the most talented group of musicians on the fucking planet. I think we made converts out of Fran and Marie that night, but it's sad to know that there are people out there listening to shit like Oasis and Silverchair thinking it's good music, not knowing what the hell they're missing because they've never heard of the Screaming Trees. Anyone reading this, if you *ever* get the chance, GO SEE THE TREES and find out for yourself!
--Unsigned
MARCH 24, 1997 RCKCNDY, SEATTLE, WA
I found out about the Screaming Trees in 1992 when I lived in Birmingham, Al. I got a copy of Uncle Anesthesia and thought they was pretty damn good songwriters with a brilliant layer of lead vocals. I got Sweet Oblivian when it came out and was totally amazed......I saw the Trees in concert in Atlanta, GA shortly there after and was lucky enough to meet what I realized that night was the living ghost of Jim Morrison only a bit more realistic person. I've been a fanatic about the Trees ever since. When Dust came out I was blown away I really didn't expect to see anything out of the Trees again with all the rumors of health and fighting problems. But what I heard is the best rock album since the Rollong Stones put out " Sticky Fingers". "Dust" is a deeply moving listening experince...Thank-You Mark, Van, Gary Lee, Barrett for an amazing piece of work...I saw them in Birmingham this past summer at City Stages and they put on one hell of a show with intensity and determination flowing out of them.... the addition of Josh Homme on guitars was a big improvement ...but it was Lanegan's voice that totally awe struck me ..absolutely brilliant....
I moved to Seattle this past fall and this past Sunday i witnessed the death of the Screeming Trees. ..the show at Rck Candy was a depressing site indeed..there was absolutely no emotion there ...maybe it was that this show was scheduled badly and the Trees just didn't get into playing in front of a bunch of kids ...but in all (by the way i'm 25) it was a sad sight to witness and I wish that I had not been there at all....they opened the set with Halo of Ashes but the mix wasn't right and Mark looked like he would rather be in a f**king septic tank instead of this club.....the band basically just rambled on getting through the night and moving as fast as they could through their set list which included:
Halo of Ashes
All I Know
Julie Paradise
Dying Days
Nearly Lost You
Gospel Plow
Sworn and Broken
Dime Western
Butterfly
And when they finished the set Lanegan just ran off the stage.....they did come back on and do an uninspired version of Bed of Roses...Lanegan then said "Thats all you deserve" and walked out of the venue.....the rest of the band stayed on and jammed for about fifteen minutes and talked about how Gary Lee is finished with the Trees and going into promoting and managing other acts and then said their good-byes.
The Screaming Trees are by far one of the best rock bands ever to grace this planet ..they are not over loaded with talent ...but can hit you with hard-hitting emotional tunes that are catchy with a depressing twist.....But I can't believe the world has let the talents of Mr.Lanegan pass right through their hands......I congratulate the Trees on an unbelievable album and maybe it's best that they don't conquer the world...I don't think that's what they set out in Ellinsburg, Wa to do.... maybe there is such a thing as true heros in this sick rock mega-industry world today......maybe it's best for the Trees to go out kicking up a little "DUST" and screwing the industry out of the best song talent out right now......
If you have any comments about my review or opinion please e-mail me and if any of the Trees happen to read this please give me a reply thanks..........
Chris Littlefield
E-mail - Lynne3174
MARCH 15TH, WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
This concert was truly one of the best i have ever heard. If you ever have the chance to see this awsome band DO IT!! I had heard about the concert two weeks earlier when i went to see The Fastbacks. So naturally I started to make plans for the show.
A couple of my best buds came up from Seattle. We hoppd into a car and headed for the venue. We got there as the doors opened. We were over-joyed to find that Tad would be playing as well. The opening band started playing. They were really pretty good but their sound shrank as Tad came out and took the stage. (they really riped it up)
So with the crowd pumped up from Tad's excellent performance and everyone in the whole place chanting TREES! TREES! the band took the stage. As the first note was played the pit went into a melee of young and old alike. Never in my whole life have i ever seen a show like this one.
Highlights included Sweet Oblivion, Nearly Lost You, and All I Know. But that is not to say that the rest of the show didn't kick ass! ( truly it was probably the best show i have ever seen. And I've been to a lot of shows). The emotion and energy that the band played with was incredible. As the band came out for the encore, Van came out with a bottle of beer. What he said was something like this. "Here is the permit that we signed saying that there would be no alcohol here. Well you know what i think of your permit (pauses to take a drink) You can shove it up your ass!!" At this point he crumpled it up and threw it to the crowd. Yours truly managed to snag it. I also picked up some of Barrets sticks and his set list.
All in all the show Kicked major Ass.
Josiah Cox
TUATARA MAY 30TH, CHAPEL HILL, NC
Saw Tuatara at Cat's Cradle, Chapel Hill, NC last nite May 30, 1997 and it was hot! Tuatara's music is so cool - I love the blend of Eastern influence with the jazz stuff with even a little new age thrown in. And every type of drum/percussion instrument you can possibly think of was employed, and to be quite honest, I don't know what some of these instruments are!
The band played for three solid hours - the first set Tuatara-focused, the next set brought out the wonderful Mark Eitzel for vocal entertainment, then turned over to Scott Mckoy to transform into "Minus 5".
These guys are totally focused on the music - every song brought a switch of musicians to a new instrument - for example- Barrett Martin played every type drum imaginable, upright bass, keyboards, xylophone (sp?), and some of those other unnamable instruments! ha! Barrett Martin is just an astounding drummer, and at the risk of sounding sooooo lame, is the finest man I have shared air space with in awhile!
I highly recommend seeing this band to anyone lucky enough to have them coming to your town. I am still kicking myself in the arse for missing Screaming Trees here in NC last summer, but coming on the elcurte website has been a comforting factor.
Brenda/Suprcuz!
LONDON ASTORIA
A sold out gig. I was quite surprised of how many fans there were. The band came on first without Mark Lanegan. The crowd went a little crazy. Then he appeared. I don't remember what song they started with but i remember they did most of Dust and some of Sweet Oblivion. The song which stood out most was definitely Dying Days. Mark thoughout the gig did not say much. But Lee had a few words (more like bad jokes) which was greeted by shouting out of "you fat bastard" I don't think he took too much offense and carried on. They did an encore. And that's about it. A fucking great gig though.
yaz (yasir alani)
manicyaz@hotmail.com
VANCOUVER B.C.
Howdy...just wanted to say I think your page is pretty good. I saw the Trees play in Vancouver a couple of months ago and unfortunately, after they played for about 1/2 an hour, I was sorely disappointed to see them leave the stage! Mind you I certainly enjoyed the rendition of (what the hell's the name of that song!) the DEVO song they did without Mark. I suspect Mark was in a foul mood (and I hear he's in a foul mood a lot of the time!) and just wanted to leave. Anyway, I was stoked for the show because it was my third and by far most successful attempt at seeing the Trees live. Previous attempts failed because I
a: was too sick to see them at the Commodore (with Nirvana opening).
b: was getting drunk with my friends while they played (opening for Soul Asylum and (yecch) the Spin Doctors)
c: our car broke down in Ellensburg of all places on our way to Lollapalooza!
So here I was stoked up for the show. REAL happy to get a chance to see them. The second opening band was really good, I believe they were called Citizen's Utilities but I could be wrong. The first opening band was a local band called Jar, who are OK and are friends of my friend Dave. (yeah...)
Standouts from the Trees' set included Butterfly (always one of my favorites), Halo of Ashes and Julie Paradise. Then Mark left the stage leaving Gary Lee and the boys to play the Devo track I can't remember the name of! I feel like I may have been the only person to "get it" (the fact that it was a DEVO song). So now I'm stoked to see them at the Showbox in Seattle, so I'm keeping my toes crossed that they'll play for at least an hour, hopefully more. I really like their stuff, so I hope they're all feeling good. Gary's guitar work is awesome, and he's a sight to behold live, jumping and rolling around and generally appearing to be having an awesome time. Josh is great too, I don't know if he's still working with them or not but we'll see. I'll be sure to post again if I have any brain cells left after the Showbox gig.
Neil
THE SHOWBOX SEATTLE, WA 6/29/97
The Showbox, three months after the most astounding show. Given all that's gone on in those three months, I have to admit to being a little concerned: worried about being disappointed, I guess, worried that the show might not be as amazing as the March show was.
I'm not even going to compare. It was an incredible show, an incredible band playing to an incredible audience. People here love the Trees, and it shows, and I am still trying to figure out why this band is not huge (but I am still really glad to be able to see them in a club like the Showbox).
Sometimes this feels like such a small town. The Conner brothers were in and out of the club several times over the course of the evening -- just genial guys out with their friends. Barrett Martin was in the crowd during the changeover and part of the Hater set -- I lost track of how many friends came over for a hug and a brief conversation. You really get the sense that people love these guys.
First, the openers: Mike Johnson has a wonderful, sardonic stage presence, and the Smoking Section really can smoke. Not a particularly up-tempo set, but pleasant. If you liked him already you'd love it; if you were primed for the Trees you might want a little more energy. Then came Hater. And all I can say is why why why? You've got a lead singer who clearly is working hard to achieve a level of studied unintelligibility that is utterly at odds with a surprisingly tight rhythm section (anchored by some truly solid bass playing); pretty highly structured songs (with a certain sameness to their structure) fronted by a willfully sloppy mess. Go figure. And why did Matt Cameron cut his hair?
Again it seemed like a long wait for the Trees; they came on stage a bit after 11:30. And from the very start of Halo of Ashes they totally, thoroughly, thrillingly rocked. It is hard to describe the excellence of a full sounding, totally integrated, no-holds-barred band: they fill the stage, they fill the room, they fill your head.
The setlist:
Halo of Ashes
Change Has Come
Winter Song
All I Know
Witness
Where the Twain Shall Meet
Butterfly
Dime Western
Dollar Bill
Gospel Plow
Nearly Lost You
Dying Days
Encore:
Bed of Roses
Then Lanegan left the stage for good, and special guest vocalist (and I use the term guardedly) Ben Shepherd from Hater came out for something I don't know the name of.
Second Encore:
A Lee Conner-focussed number; a rocking jam bracketed by a surprisingly gentle, tuneful Lee-and-his-guitar melody. (David Bowie cover)
If I had to pick a high point (and that's hard work in such a stellar lineup) I think it would have to be Dollar Bill -- bluesy, soulful, scorching. Lanegan in full voice; Lee in fine form, all of them right there with it.
As always Van was our ringmaster for the evening -- interspersed with his thanks were random aphorisms like "Only you can prevent forest fires!" "True value hardware" and "It's all part of trying to enjoy the pain." Lanegan spoke only to say "Thank you very much good night"; Barrett Martin introduced us to the guest on drums, original Trees drummer Mark Pickerel. That was a very gracious moment -- but since it's hard to imagine anyone hitting as hard as Barrett Martin (and looking like he's having that much fun doing it), the current lineup sort of trumps the past.
Don't know how much more I can say. I feel incredibly fortunate to have seen two great Trees shows in the space of three months. Who knows what will happen next? (Though when he left the stage Gary Lee Conner did say he'd see us again real soon.) After a great show like this all you can do is be glad it happened, and leave the worrying about what's going to happen next for another place and time.
Unsigned
GARY LEE CONNER THE CROCODILE CAFE SEATTLE, WA 6/27/97
Collectively, the Screaming Trees are an all out, no holds barred, aural onslaught of rock music. More recently, we have been able to appreciate the individual musical talents of the Trees.
Barrett's jazzy, eclectic Tuatara has been a showcase for his wide range of percussive skills, and all fans of the Screaming Trees anxiously await the release of Mark's next solo project. It was a rare treat to be able to hear a solo set by the Trees' guitarist, Gary Lee Conner.
Well known for his dynamic on stage histrionics--the Townsend-like windmills, the chaotic back spins--all the while leading the Trees with monster guitar riffs. I really didn't know what to expect from his solo set.
The Crocodile was full that evening. There was a sort of 1960s coffeehouse funky, folksy feeling, as most of the audience took seats on the floor, settling in for an evening of acoustic acts. Gary Lee was sandwiched in between Lance Paine (of Micro Mini) and Australian sensation, Ben Lee. Van and Barrett were spotted in the club, lending moral support.
Gary Lee took the stage, looking dapper with his newly shorn, shoulder length hair and suit jacket. Amiable, and not discernibly nervous, he delighted the crowd with a great mix of older Trees songs and new original material. The set included:
Grasshopper's Daydream (new)
Transfiguration (Trees)
Blackrose Way (new)
Afterglow (new)
Too Far Away (Trees)
Behind The Smile (new)
Time Speaks Her Golden Tongue (Trees)
Polly Pereguin (Trees)
Burn On Tonite (new)
Yard Trip #7 (Trees)
Hollow Man (new)
Memory of a Free Festival (David Bowie)
Cold Rain (Trees)*
His guitar work, as usual, was outstanding and his vocals were surprisingly strong and pleasant. No rolling, diving or spinning, but he did manage a few embellishments as he stood at the microphone. Hearing his new material, along with the Trees material, made me realize his very important role and contribution as a songwriter to the Screaming Trees. The old and new material meshed extremely well--seamless. It could have been a preview of new Trees material or perhaps a preview to a solo effort by Lee.
Gary Lee was well received by the crowd, particularly on Transfiguration, Polly Pereguin and closing with an incredible rendition of Cold Rain. It was so refreshing to be able to witness in an isolated manner, one integral component of the Screaming Trees. It was also an opportunity to truly appreciate Lee's contributions to the band, as well as enjoy his uniquely individual talent.
*Special thanks to Lee for providing the set list.
Barbara Arnett
JUNE 29, 1997 THE SHOWBOX, SEATTLE, WA
...Gee I hope I'm not the only one who posts a review. But for the record, I thought the show was far superior to the one in Vancouver a couple of months previous. Mark stuck around for a good hour and the band went through a whole slew of damn fine songs, mostly from Sweet Oblivion and Dust. A couple of older songs were thrown in, Bed of Roses for one. Standout songs from Dust included Witness and Dime Western, a couple of my personal favorites from that album. Speaking of personal favorites, Watching Lee go to work is a sight to behold, as the 250 lb plus behemoth jumps around, windmilling to beat Pete and missing nary a note. Mark Lanegan has a unique presence himself, seeming to withdraw into himself onstage. It would appear that he doesn't even focus on what's going on around him, much like other singers will suck up the energy from the crowd, Lanegan seems to hide from the attention of the fans. I saw him return to reality once or twice, and at one point he actually grinned at someone offstage when there was a minor technical screwup, but he quickly hid the grin in his armpit...
Van made his worthy contribution - fine musicianship and off the wall quotes between songs ("you see, it pays to buy american..."). Josh was there, keeping a close eye on Lee it would appear. And Barrett Martin was great to watch too as he kept the rhythm thing happening. Special appearances by Mark Pickerel, the original drummer for the Trees who left around '89 and Ben Shepherd, singer of opening band Hater helped round out the evening. Lee did his rendition of "Memory Of A Free Festival", a really old David Bowie song, from the late '60's/early 70's period of his career. Toward the end of the show, the band joined in and rocked out the end of the song. This was the final song, and it was a fitting end to (like I said) a damn fine show! I hope the Trees can keep it together and continue to dish it out to the more than willing fans for a few more years!
Neil