The legendary Wayne Kramer is on the road celebrating the 50th anniversary of the MC5 classic, Kick Out The Jams including a stop at San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom. The evening kicked off with Locus Pocus … think Cage the Elephant meets the Doors … an odd combo that for some reason works. Well.
Next up, Starcrawler from Los Angeles. For those that have never seen Starcrawler, they were no doubt in awe. Much like watching a music horror movie unfurl before your eyes, waif-thin front woman Arrow de Wilde wailed through their short but powerful set during which she spat on the crowd and accosted the front row while the band blasted through the tunes. Raw, powerful, and downright good but also sometimes painful to watch. Go see them.
MC5
MC5 hit the stage a smidge before 10 pm following an intro in the form of political rant by local punk rock luminary Jello Biafra. Kramer kicked off the set on vocals for “Ramblin’ Rose” and the crowd (still a bit shell-shocked by Starcrawler) came out of its daze. Backed by Billy Gould (Faith No More) on bass, Kim Thayil (Soundgarden) on guitar, Brendan Canty (Fugazi) on drums, along with vocalist Marcus Durant (Zen Guerrilla), this show could not be anything but memorable.
After wrapping “Ramblin’ Rose,” Gould tucked into a crouch watching for the next move which came with Durant wailing the expected, “kick out the jams mother*ckers!” Free from his mic, Kramer worked the stage, swinging that iconic flag Strat to the tunes, clearly enjoying himself as much as anyone in the audience.
After tearing through the Kick Out the Jams album in its entirety, the band moved on to their other albums. With only 3 albums to their name, the Motor City 5 catalog does not run deep, however, and the fact that these guys can go back 50 years and tear through a 90 minute set only underscores the legacy that they have left behind. Very simply, this is not a show to be missed.
MC50
MC5
MC5
MC5
MC5
MC5
MC5
MC5
MC5
MC5
MC5
MC5
MC5
MC5
MC5
MC5
MC5
MC5
MC5
STARCRAWLER
Starcrawler
Starcrawler
Starcrawler
Starcrawler
Starcrawler
Starcrawler
Starcrawler
Starcrawler
Starcrawler
Starcrawler
LOCUS POCUS
Locus Pocus
Locus Pocus
Locus Pocus
Locus Pocus
Locus Pocus
Locus Pocus
SETLIST
Ramblin’ Rose
Kick Out the Jams
Come Together
Motor City Is Burning
Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)
Borderline
I Want You Right Now
Starship
Tonight
Teenage Lust
Shakin’ Street
Future/Now
I Can Only Give You Everything (Them cover)
Call Me Animal
ENCORE
Sister Anne
Let Me Try
Looking at You
