Last night I saw the Boredoms at the Fillmore and it was freakin’ amazing.
I was so tired after not really sleeping too well the night before and getting up at like 4:00 a.m. to do my radio show (6-9) and then going to work the whole day. I got home from a busy work day, took care of some paperwork, had a quick dinner and then jumped on a 38 Geary, getting to the club around 7:45. The first thing I did was check out the stage, which was set up in the middle of the auditorium floor. It was nuts, all drums and guitars mounted to shelving units. It looked like a post-apocalyptic art installation created by someone who found the remains of a semi-destroyed Guitar Center Store.
I went upstairs to the lounge area where I found the KUSF table. DJ Schmeejay was manning the turntables and Jet and Noella were sitting at the merch table. I felt like a zombie standing there, and then Jet invited me to sit in one of the chairs at the table. I managed to sit in that same spot through the first two bands. I wasn’t very chatty, so I just kind of spaced out until it was time for the Boredoms to start. I did see a lot of other KUSF Djs there including Momo, Lenode, Brad, Adam, Nicole, 6th Degree and Cactus.
I went back down to the auditorium right before 10:00 (when the Boredoms were supposed to start) and tried several spots until I hit paydirt with a bench to stand on in the southwest part of the room. The Boredoms came out and walked right past me - and they were all short like me.
The band moved through the crowd solemnly - like a funeral procession or something - and Yamantaka Eye was on crutches. The audience was going crazy with anticipation, but the musicians took their time getting to their positions on the stage. Yamantaka Eye was definitely running the show and he looked like a madman with his long, ratty dreadlocks and wild movements. It was completely dark when they started, Yamantaka Eye was twirling lights and screaming. Then the three drummers kicked in and roller coaster ride began.
How to describe it? A rhythmic frenzy that was one part noise, one part rave, one part acid trip, one part drum circle (but not the lame hippy kind you see at Golden Gate Park) and one part living art performance. The rave part is not like a dance party on ecstasy, but rather my observation and interpretation of the crowd’s reaction. It was fun. It was loud. It was mind bending. It was an intricate wall of sound. It was a visual spectacle. It was menacing. It was entertaining. It was intense.
Afterwards - though my ears were ringing - I returned a phone call to my friend Jamie and had to try to explain the show to her while I walked home. It was about 11:30 p.m. and it was a lovely night for a walk. I thought that I would have trouble falling asleep, but I think I fell almost immediately into a deep sleep until the alarm when off at around 6:15 this morning.