I’m not going to fuck around here. I started really listening to BRMC about a week before the Seattle show. But man, did I bombard myself with Baby 81 and Howl during Black Rebel Motorcycle Crunch Week. I would listen to these albums in the tub, at work, on the can, at other shows, at the Seattle physic convention. I created elaborate musical mnemonics that helped me to remember song titles in sequence. I made flash cards. For instance, I would draw a cold, cold wind on one side of the card and instantly remember the corresponding BRMC song is called “Cold Wind”. None of this actually helped.

My friend Fun Time Island and I arrived at the sold-out Showbox about 15 minutes before BRMC took the stage which was already brewin’ up a smoke machine storm. Now, I’m real into heavy duty smoke machines ever since I used one on location on the set of Gorillas in the Mist 2, (which is more of a softcore porn film than a sequel to the story of Dian Fossey, the scientist who went to Africa to study the vanishing mountain gorillas, and then later fought to protect them) so I was pretty excited. Good Time Island could detect something abnormally lively in my behavior and said, “You’re really fired up tonight. Did you take a vicodin or an extra birth control or something?” Actually, I’d taken Plan B, so my hormones were probably a’ragin’ but I wasn’t anywhere near as fired up as the swarms of longtime BRMC fans who were about to go nuts.

Photos by Good Time Island

Peter, Robert and Nick emerged from the fog, erupting strait into “Took Out A Loan” as the smoke changed to brilliant colors of red and blue. I noticed that most of the band members had glorious longish manes except for Peter who was sporting some kind of extra thick yet fashionable bowl cut. The wood floor boards immediately started shaking like the big one of 1906 as some Seattleites shook their medium-sized fists in the air while others awkwardly danced to the first song. Everyone knows that people don’t normally dance at rock shows in Seattle, it’s practically against the law. So, kudos to The Club.

Show highlights included:

Robert swinging his curly mane around while playing trombone on “Promise”.

Peter wearing the hood part of his hoodie for multiple songs. Then suddenly, the hood was off and his keyboard skills were ON for a dazzling performance of “Windows”.

“Need Some Air”

The hugest BRMC fan this side of the Mississippi floppin’ around like a fish out of water who managed to catch Peter’s tambourine mid-show and kept perfect time. (His arms pictured below)

No doubt, BRMC put on an aesthetically and sonically pleasing show. With Fun Time Island to my left, a couple stupid bitches shrieking unintelligibly to my right, and a 90+ minute smoke machine glow, there was nowhere else I’d rather be. Until Fun Time and I decided to visit the hotdog vender outside.

Track BRMC’s tour on the Filter Tourzine. Next show: Salt Lake City – In House Radio.