Sleater-Kinney
Crystal Ballroom, Portland, Oregon
August 12, 2006
I know it's so hard for you to let it go
I know it's so hard for you to say goodbye
I know you need a little bit, just a little more time
"One More Hour" - Sleater-Kinney
America's
best rock band of the last 10 years said farewell in rousing fashion on
Saturday night with an impassioned 2-hour, 27-song hometown performance
at Portland's Crystal Ballroom, leaving hundreds of sweat-drenched fans
physically and emotionally spent.
Sleater-Kinney,
the most prominent remnant of the early '90s riot grrrl movement, which
allied punk DIY ethos with feminism, announced in late June that they
would be going on indefinite hiatus, with no plans to record or tour in
the future. To anyone who has ever tried to come up with a list of all-female
bands that have lasted longer than 10 years, as Sleater-Kinney did, the
news probably wasn't a shock. But for those who watched the trio defy
odds and expectations throughout its lauded career, the end nevertheless
arrived too soon.
"There's
no place else I'd rather be on the planet than here tonight," said
Eddie Vedder, who played a brief solo set as a support act. Sleater-Kinney
had opened for Pearl Jam on past tours, and this was Vedder's last chance
to return the favor. Vedder sang Phil Ochs' '60s protest song "Here's
to the State of Mississippi" on acoustic guitar, updating the lyrics
to implore George W. Bush and Dick Cheney to "find another country
to be part of." Vedder acknowledged that, with political commentary
out of the way, it was a night to celebrate, and then shared his thoughts
on how he and other rock fans of his age wish they could have seen classic
acts like The Beatles, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Sex Pistols or The Who
with Keith Moon play live. He reconciled this by stating, "I'm very
fortunate and extremely grateful to have lived in a time when I could
see Sleater-Kinney live." After switching to ukelele, Vedder was
joined on stage, to the crowd's delight, by Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet
Weiss for a duet of "Tonight You Belong to Me," a 1926 Billy
Rose-Lee David composition that gained popularity in the '50s.
When
Sleater-Kinney took the stage to cheers and screams of revelry, the band
members flashed knowing smiles, but skirted any moments of grandeur or
sentimentality, instead launching into a clamorous instrumental prelude
that erupted into "The Fox," the opening track from the band's
last album, The Woods (2005). Next, the ballroom's springy, wooden
floorboards took their first trouncing of the night with "The End
of You," which was sung word for word by seemingly everyone in the
pit. Carrie Brownstein's trademark guitar-hero showmanship was in full
effect, as was guitarist Corin Tucker's booming wail. Weiss pounded her
drums like she knew there was no tomorrow. The band focused mostly on
songs from The Woods during the show's first two-thirds. In fact,
by the end of the first encore, they managed to play the whole album.
That's nothing new for Sleater-Kinney - they once played their One
Beat album start to finish as a set - but how many bands in rock
history have had the balls to perform every song from their most recent
album during a farewell show?
Brownstein and Tucker formed Sleater-Kinney in Olympia, WA, and their roots are in punk rock, but The Woods has a fair share headbanger moments. Its squalling feedback, distortion, extended jams, acid rock detours and guitar solos all might have sent the riot grrrls of 1995 running for the exits had a male band been performing the same songs. But to survive for 11 years, the women of Sleater-Kinney had to remain stimulated by challenging themselves as musicians and, this last time, surprising listeners. During a 10-plus-minute performance of "Let's Call It Love," the band played with expert hard-rock intensity, Brownstein marching in rigid, robot-soldier motions and kicking her leg in the air for punctuation. This wasn't punk rock, and these weren't our Joey Ramones, but the climax of the jam propelled Brownstein, Tucker and the crowd into a pogo-ing unison. Once Weiss' rapid-fire drum roll kicked off "Entertain," Brownstein looked as though she had been through the wringer,with wet, wavy strands of hair dangling over her eyes. During "Entertain," The Woods' most anthemic song, Brownstein snarls and rails against nostalgia, television and mediocrity, while questioning her own credibility as an entertainer. Here was the punk rock, the band's big F-you to uniformity.
Sleater-Kinney hit the backstretch with a succession of fan favorites
and rarities. Many of their best songs ("Sympathy," "Words
and Guitar") were saved for last, although this writer's favorite,
"Get Up," was granted to the previous night's attendees instead.
Tucker always has sung as if she were trying to raise roofs with her voice,
but during "God Is a Number," a rarity from The Hot Rock,
she sounded as if she had turned herself up to 11 for this special night.
The band closed the first encore with "Dig Me Out," which incited
a frenzied response before some slight trepidation that Sleater-Kinney
would leave the stage without acknowledging that this was the end.
For
the second encore, the band finally began to address the significance
of the occasion. Tucker dedicated Sleater-Kinney's most sentimental song,
"Good Things," to her husband, thanking him for years of support.
The lyrics - "Why do good things never wanna stay/ Some things you
lose, some things you give away" - were apropos for both the band
and its fans, but the consolation is that Sleater-Kinney lasted long enough
to hit its peak and leave behind a substantial catalog. A feverish "Turn
It On" had the crowd bouncing off the floor again, as Brownstein
performed a rock n' roll baptism of sorts, waving her guitar neck above
the outstretched hands of the congregation.
Before
playing their last song, the band members paused to take in the moment.
Although Tucker generally is regarded as the voice of Sleater-Kinney on
record, Brownstein has assumed the role of band spokeswoman, so it was
fitting that she should step to the mic to say the final thank you and
goodbye.
"This
band has saved my life countless times, and I'm so grateful to have been
a part of it," Brownstein said before telling her bandmates, "I
love you guys." Tucker and Weiss returned the sentiment, and then
the trio kicked into "One More Hour" - "In one more hour
I will be gone/ In one more hour I'll leave this room" - a heartacher
from 1997's Dig Me Out, Weiss' first album with the band. The
song was written when Tucker was mourning the breakup of her romantic
relationship with Brownstein, but, incredibly, Tucker and Brownstein's
allegiance to their band withstood such internal dramas and "One
More Hour" remained a staple on every Sleater-Kinney tour. At the
show's end, Tucker and Weiss clenched into a long embrace before being
joined by Brownstein. Arm in arm and grinning ear to ear, the three musicians
bowed and left the stage.
If
Saturday's show proved anything, it's that Sleater-Kinney was a rewardingly
unique collaboration of talent that exited with its integrity intact,
and with no viable heir apparent waiting in the wings. Five of the band's
last six albums placed in the top 10 of The Village Voice's
annual Pazz & Jop poll, which asks hundreds of rock critics to rank
their favorite albums of the year. Sleater-Kinney could have capitalized
on the acclaim at any time, but instead chose to release four albums on
Kill Rock Stars before stepping up to Sub-Pop for The Woods.
If that meant that one day magazine covers would dub Green Day as the
saviors of rock and The Dixie Chicks as the independent-thinking female
trio instead, then so be it.
When grunge and indie darlings started to drop like flies in the mid-'90s, Sleater-Kinney helped to keep the spirit of rock n' roll idealism alive with the passion, intelligence and conviction that its members poured into their music. Clearly, the band struck a deep chord with the throng of fans from various cities who converged to show their devotion, one last time, by clapping their hands, pumping their fists, stomping their feet and singing their lungs out with genuine smiles of gratitude. Good things indeed.
Setlist:
The
Fox (The Woods 2005)
The End of You (The Hot Rock 1999)
Wilderness (The Woods)
Jumpers (The Woods)
One Beat (One Beat 2002)
Step Aside (One Beat)
Hot Rock (The Hot Rock)
Rollercoaster (The Woods)
All Hands on the Bad One (All Hands on the Bad One 2000)
Night Light (The Woods)
What's Mine is Yours (The Woods)
Stay Where You Are (Call the Doctor 1996)
Modern Girl (The Woods)
Let's Call it Love (The Woods)
Entertain (The Woods)
Sympathy (One Beat)
Words and Guitar (Dig Me Out 1997)
(Encore)
Milkshake
n' Honey (All Hands on the Bad One)
You're No Rock n' Roll Fun (All Hands on the Bad One)
Not What You Want (Dig Me Out)
Steep Air (The Woods)
God is a Number (The Hot Rock)
Oh! (One Beat)
Dig Me Out (Dig Me Out)
(Encore 2)
Good
Things (Call the Doctor)
Turn it On (Dig Me Out)
One More Hour (Dig Me Out)
By Chris Tinkham
8/2006