The Del Amitri Concert, July 30, 1997 by Molle Whiteside
On July 30, 1997, Del Amitri played in Boston at the Paradise. The building itself is a long, low structure with gothic overtones. Inside consists of a long hallway with lots of doors(which proves troublesome when you need to find a bathroom)leading to a two-story room with a dance floor, a stage, and a bar. Did I mention there is a mirrorball and lots of blue lights hanging from the ceiling? I didn’t. How thoughtless of me.
Getting a spot with a good view was a bit of a pain. Aided by a very nice woman named Linda, I finally went to the second story, planted myself at the counter and stayed there. Not complicated.
Jackopierce, a Texas band, was the opening act. They weren’t really my cup of tea, though other audience members seemed enthusiastic. It wasn’t that I thought they were BAD; their musicianship was fine, I just didn’t find them interesting. Plus the fact that one of the two lead singers kept dropping pointless Massachusetts references; MIT, Northeastern, Marian(a small town). It was all a bit too Spinal Tap, along with the fact that at every reference, the frat boys in the audience would yowl like they’d just won something. JP did have one very good song, a thrashing low-down blues number with one lyric(“My baby don’t love me no more.”)It worked for me. By ten, Del Amitri took the stage, to everyone’s delight.
First, most obvious point: JUSTIN SHAVED HIS SIDEBURNS! Ditto his head. He looks like a Scottish Marines reject. When someone asked him why he did it, he replied, “Because I haven’t gotten laid in ten years and since I shaved them off, I’ve had a different woman and a different man every night.” This is obviously a lie. Who could resist Justin’s singular charms, with or without ‘sidies’?
Criticisms:
1) Lose the smoke machine. It smells bad and makes it hard to see the band. A quite pointless contraption.
2) PLAY OLD MATERIAL! By this I mean the first album, unless there are copyright issues, in which case I’ll shut up. But I’d die happy if I could hear Hammering Heart live! Also, more B-sides.
3)To all guitarists who aren’t Iain and all drummers: STOP LEAVING THE BAND! Last year, everyone really got to like Ashley and Jon, and then after about a minute they both moved on. I can’t keep track of the endlessly expanding list of ex-members and present members. Sheesh. The new guitarist, by the way, is named Chris Dougald(spelling ok?) and the drummer is Mark Price. They’re both incredible, especially Mark, but I wouldn’t get too attached if I were you. Highlights: the slinky blues guitar riff of Paper Thin, a rocked-out Always the Last to Know, a gorgeous acoustic medley of Be My Downfall/Drowned on Dry Land, with Justin on guitar and Andy on accordion, and the image of Iain, off in the shadows of the stage with his guitar, cigarette glowing like a faraway star.
What comes across most is the obvious pleasure the guys take in playing together. This, above all, makes the show memorable, when their joy and the audience’s joy are in synch. I wish the band well on the rest of the tour and thank them for stopping in at Boston.
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