I have to write this while it’s warm: Adam Green Concert in Zurich tonight. Was an explosion, that’s what it was. High expectations, always exceeded (so far 5 shows seen); this one best ever. Communication with crowd, bandleader, feeling/vibe of creativity tangible. Talking about that, crowdsurfing (three times), first time after second song. Standing on top of someone, realizing there is huge video beamer, knocks head on it, goes down, more crowd surfing. Touching naked ugly belly. Weird dancing (alright, that’s usual). Reason that started craziness (maybe?): sound mixing bad, first song way too loud. Green repeatedly gesturing for lower volume. Losing microphone while crowdsurfing. Playing few songs from new album. Starting a song (solo, acoustic (nylon string), intermezzo thing he always does) – song was „You Blacken My Stay“ – stopping suddenly after a while: „i’m not feeling this, let’s get the band.“ audience: „BAND“. no drama/diva thing. Pure emotion, no, strike emotion. Pure crazy, brilliance, exuberance. „Going with the flow“, he says at one point (wouldn’t have used it for title otherwise, too corny). Huge noise/feedback outro/end/orgy thing. Sexual vibe. Starting with attire: Adam in leather jacket, no shirt underneath, tight 70s (waist-cut, flare) jeans. Sweats almost immediately from beginning. Flirts with hottest girl in front row. Soon starts making out with all sorts of people in the front. Long french-kisses. Mutual, mostly. More crowd surfing.
Let’s not forget: the music is great. Not just great in relation to everything else. He’s improved/refined his songwriting (more obvious on disc than live). Raw energy from band. Weird characters. „John Whiskey Wiley“, „Dr. Omar Fuck“ (keyboards, Green says: „My own personal phyisician“ (guy looks like jesus) „Thanks for that heart transplant man“. The music is really good, louder, more beat focussed: drums starts most songs with driving rock-thing and then blends into song. Free improvisation on setlist. Songs interrupted by microphone/DIY incidences. A lot of interaction with crowd. For example:
-Green: „I need five bucks, like franken, what’s it called. Need to buy some water, man, water.“
-guy from audience throws a handful of change on stage.
-Green looks puzzled, holds up a coin „how much is that?“
-people look at size and guess: 1 or 2
-Green looks at coins on stage „that’s an insult. what’s all that, like half a buck?“
-Green picks up coin from stage, puts it in his mouth, rolls it around with his tongue, says „it tastes really good now“ (coin or mouth? i ask myself)
More music. Always talking, always music. Punk style pogo dancing in some songs. Both hands up clapping stadium rock style for other songs. Band looks on worried/enthused/amuzed/entertained/worried/professional and adapts/enhances/enables all the impromptu craziness.
So much more. Big thing: tells story of how he went to the lake of Zurich. There was a swan, Green threw an apple at/to him. Corrects „him/she/it, yeah it“. Swan gulped down the apple whole. Green concludes (traditional story telling, build-up): „and now there’s a swan here, that’s gonna wonder for the next, like, 10 years, when it’s gonna get another apple“. Parable? Just a coincidence? Storytelling skills wow.
So much more. Always crazy, but in this concert he went over the roof, so much going on. Yeah, forgot about the whole „sexual orientation thing“: also kisses a guy (shortly, quickly). for first encore comes back wearing shirt from concert venue, tries to tear it open hulk-style. fails, looks at label, where it was made. Expects „made in Switzerland“, finds „made in India“, says „India. I don’t even know what that means.“ Pulls stretched out collar down over shoulders, dances mock-gayly. Says „I’m not that strong, like you guys. I’m a sissy“. Pulls down collar to expose nipple. „But you can still suck my tits“. Guy in back yells „you wish“. Adam laughs, says „who was that, what, him, no wasn’t even him, that guy over there, dunno, you’re my favourite gay guy.“
Wow, too much blogage already. So many more stories. Will keep them coming. Good night.
And you, Adam Green, take care. Recover from divorce. Keep on going the way you are. Just one thought for future concerts: everybody make sure there’s no fire (or flammables) near stage. He might burn the house down and self-sacrifice someone.