An unseasonably dreary evening in San Francisco set the perfect tone for The Jesus and Mary Chain’s return to San Francisco where they stopped in support of their March 2017 release, Damage and Joy, the band’s first full length release in 19 years.
The dark and smoky set by opener Cold Cave set an appropriately somber tone with the gathering crowd that seemed modest considering the promise of new material from the headliners. But what the Fillmore crowd may have lacked in numbers, they more than made up for in fervor. And when the band nonchalantly took the stage at 9:15 and launched into “Amputation,” all were content to rock along.
With the band lining the back edge of the stage shrouded in lingering fog and shadows, frontman Jim Reid commanded the open stage, a long mic cable wound up and clenched in his hand as he flawlessly belted out classic after classic. “Amputation” gave way to “Happy When It Rains” which flowed into “Head On” before Reid finally paused to state, “We might play a few songs off of our new album.” Otherwise, the between-song moments were primarily used by the band to create a lot of ruckus while tuning and steered away from the casual banter.
The setlist hit on a handful of tunes from Damage and Joy including new fan favorites “All Things Pass” and “Black and Blues.” But that’s not to say that the ample set time didn’t allow room for the rest of the catalog. In fact, the band managed to cover a wide swath of material from all seven of the albums released over their 30+ year career.
While The Jesus and Mary Chain have been reactivated for about a decade, Damage and Joy demonstrates that this is no nostalgia act and seeing them live only underscores the depth and relevance of their catalog.
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
COLD CAVE
Cold Cave
Cold Cave
Cold Cave
Cold Cave
Cold Cave
Cold Cave
Cold Cave
Cold Cave
Cold Cave
