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Listen to Sleater-Kinney's The Woods on Rhapsody!
Words & Images by Jake Krolick
Sleater-Kinney :: 07.31.06 :: Starlight Niteclub :: Philadelphia, PA
Brownstein & Tucker
Sleater-Kinney :: 07.31.06 |
The end of July had brought hell up to the Northeast Corridor. A week-and-a-half-long heat wave took lives and never let the temps drop below 90. For what appears to be Sleater-Kinney's sixth-from-last show, the sold-out line wrapped around the outside of the Starlight Ballroom. Hanging on the edge of Spring Garden Street was hotter than balls in a basketball game as hundreds of sweat-covered fans barely spoke while stumbling forward in line.
About a month earlier, Sleater-Kinney, the Pacific Northwest band, announced they were taking an indefinite hiatus. This sent the remaining shows into overload as fans scrambled to grab up the last remaining chances to see this all-female trio rock their cities. The Philly crowd was a mix of hipsters and scenesters with a heavy lean towards strong women. We waited next to an enthusiastic group from NJ, the Dirty Dames, a girl's roller derby team. It felt so damn fitting to see this show with some of the Dirty Dames, but we wondered if we needed to fear a bit for our safety. We entered the old school venue, a throwback to old roller skating rinks. Tonight there would be no shooting-the-duck or group skate kids. Nope, tonight we were going to fume, sweat, and battle our way through an inexorable finale from Sleater-Kinney.
Brownstein & Tucker :: Sleater-Kinney :: 07.31.06 |
The disco ball spun dizzying circles around the dimly lit, mildew-stinking venue. Heck, what a perfect place for Carrie Brownstein, Corin Tucker, and Janet Weiss to bid farewell to Philthy-delphia. These ladies had ripped the town to shreds numerous times in the past. They first stopped here in 1996 for two April appearances at the First Unitarian Church and Bryn Mawr College, where they knocked out over a dozen of there finest early moments. We had heard them numerous times before, but for this journalist, it was the first and perhaps last time seeing this band live. It hurts to see something so good and not see it again, but then again, we could have never seen them at all. The show turned out to be what I was told was perhaps the rawest showing they have had in the city. Sleater-Kinney's not just awesome rock for a group of women; their playing is outstanding for anyone. The power trio spent the last 11 years creating seven albums and blowing roofs off venues across the country. In that time they perfected their craft while singing songs about tragedy, image, dual standards, and motherhood.
Brownstein & Tucker :: Sleater-Kinney :: 07.31.06 |
Singer/guitarists Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker strolled on stage with a purpose. Each projected a different confidence that was immediately captured by flashes from the multitude of digital devices. The relief that the ceiling fans initially brought was soon a slippery memory rolling off our brows in huge sweaty droplets. Carrie announced to the crowd that she didn't know how she would play with the sweat puddle that had collected around her fret board. Sweat or not, the three of them played with gusto, and the more they played, the more they glistened in the light. Seriously, we grabbed a bottle of water during "Wilderness" and were ready to go back for more before they finished the song. It was a nasty race with the water pouring out of our bodies faster then we could put it back in.
Janet Weiss :: 07.31.06 |
There were a few constants blazing through the music. Janet Weiss slammed the skins as mightily as any male drummer, Carrie Brownstein dug into the moments sending her guitar solos out into space while her voice remained sensitive, and Corin Tucker offered a huge vocal range. When she screamed during "The Hot Rock," you heard it. The stage dynamics were spot-on between Tucker and Brownstein, allowing the lead singer, Corin, to come out of a roar and for Brownstein's more exposed voice to shine melodiously through the thick, wet venue. Janet Weiss hung in the shadows, finding room to seal up any holes as great drummers do.
The show became the most humid place on earth. You could see the music hanging on the moisture in the air. Imagine how the band felt under the hot stage lights, elevated in the whole moisture mess of the Starlight. This didn't matter; it just amplified the evening. Corin had a reserved power that fully engulfed her area on stage. She huddled close to the mike during "What's Mine is Yours." Carrie was gutsy and brash on the ripping guitar solos, tossing her guitar around. At some point in the second song of the encore, "I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone," her guitar looked like it was a third flailing arm connected to her body by a wiry sinew.
Sleater-Kinney :: 07.31.06 |
The rock that ripped us apart was intense and passionate. This was a show for the people, and darn it, Sleater-Kinney was going to deliver no matter what. We may not have received any fanatical covers like Springsteen's "Promised Land" from the 2002 tour or last year's team-up with Pearl Jam for Danzig's "Mother," but these two front women were doing what they do best, sparring with their words and guitars. Sleater-Kinney has always been intense and will remain so. Even as they slow to a stop, they remain one of the most powerful trios in rock. This is not so much of an end of a great band, but more of a chance for us to catch our breath before the next all-female powerhouse comes to town.
JamBase | Philadelphia
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