The Violent Femmes, backed by their Horns of Dilemma
Although it wasn't the final show of Beak & Skiff's summer concert series, it certainly was a preview of fall. The air was cool and the apple trees lining the paths from the parking areas were heavy with apples. The headliner was Violent Femmes, but the weather would have been more appropriate for Guster, with a cool, gusty wind blowing throughout the show. The banners that usually flank the stage were missing, likely having been lowered due to the winds. There was no opener, so the night was all Femmes. The show was well attended, and Femmes apparel was common. A favorite that wasn't on the tent was shirts bearing "I forget what eight was for..." from their song "Kiss Off."
The Core Three of the Violent Femmes, from L to R: Gordon Gano, John Sparrow, Brian Ritchie
The show was broken into three parts; their first two albums from start to finish, and an encore of crowd pleasers that hadn't been included in the earlier sets. Interestingly enough, it was their second album, "Hallowed Ground" that opened the show. It's probably due to 1) 2024 is the 40th anniversary of the release of Hallowed Ground, and 2) the first album has their most popular songs, and maybe was a better fit going second in terms of managing the energy of the show and building to a climax. The crowd seemingly knew every song by word, but there were clear favorites, like "Blister in the Sun" and "Kiss Off" getting people to go from singing in their lawn chairs to kicking up dust dancing.
In my experience there are bands that age and bands that seem timeless, clearly having lost a step, or most commonly, the ability to hit the notes that made them famous. I'd not seen the Violent Femmes perform before, so I don't know if they've tamed down their stage show, but while I'm sure their faces may have lines that weren't there when the albums came out, their voices and musicianship have held up incredibly well. If you closed your eyes, you were transported from 2024 back to the mid-eighties.
Blaise Garza on the Sax-zilla
Musically, this was arguably a music nerd show. The variety of instruments easily doubled most rock shows. There was a banjo, an accordion, electric and acoustic basses and an assortment of horns and saxophones of all sizes, including an saxophone that stood twice as high as its player. I'm assuming it was a contrabass sax, but if not, please drop me a line to syracuseseen at gmail dot com to correct me! Percussion instruments of all sorts were in use as well, from shakers and a cajon, to more typical drums, and even a black Weber-style charcoal grill. The musicians were clearly vibing well with each other, trading solos, harmonies and, of course, there had to be a drum solo involving the grill.
The Femmes' John Sparrow, turning up the heat on the grill drum.
It was a great show, and it didn't seem like anyone left before the last notes of the show died away. The only rough spot of night was trying to leave. During the show, a heavy dew fell. Out in the parking lots, the grass that had seemed dry on the way in was now slick, and I witnessed several cars struggling with traction trying to leave. Luckily, every time that happened, a handful of concertgoers would rally and lend a push, so no one stayed stuck for long. Definitely a night I'm happy will go down on my permanent record!
More from the Violent Femmes @ Beak & Skiff:
(Click for uncropped/full screen versions)
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