Sonic Youth Gossip - View Single Post - ATP/Don't Look Back is just taking the piss now

pokkeherrie · 09.02.2010, 05:43 PM

I don't really have a problem with the concept, although I generally prefer a normal gig. In the case of Sonic Youth for me it was very exciting to see them play songs they hadn't played in 20 years, from what is considered a landmark album and one that I have listened to maybe a thousand times, while being too young to have seen them do it in 1988. To be honest those Daydream Nation shows I saw were the only Sonic Youth shows I really enjoyed in the last 4 years, between the two Rather Ripped shows I saw and one on The Eternal tour.

I think the nostalgia element is not so much the Don't Look Back series themselves as it's the bands who are reuniting left and right to do them. If it's really an album that hasn't been touched in 15-20 years then I can see a point, but what bothers me a bit is that it's often used as a marketing tool to brand some perfomance as exclusive, while in reality it is just another show. Some examples:

Slint performing Spiderland. It's not like they weren't already playing all those songs anyway. Or that they even have enough albums to NOT play most of them. Or that they needed to make it a "special" gig, since it was their first time ever in Holland anyway. Or that they needed to make their show any more boring by taking out the element of not knowing what song is being played next. Talk about a band who sound EXACTLY the same live as they do on record, that's Slint.

Boris playing Feedbacker on ATP NY. Whoa, a special set of Boris spending 35 minutes of their set playing Feedbacker!??? For fuck sake, they were playing it all the time 4-5 years ago, same with Flood after that. I bet they'll be doing that EXCLUSIVELY at the next ATP NY? Sounds awesome!

Sleep performing Holy Mountain last year on ATP vs the Fans. As if a one-off Sleep reunion in the original lineup wasn't exclusive enough already, they needed to make it "Sleep performing Holy Mountain". I mean how many albums do they even have? Thank God they didn't play the album in order, so I guess it doesn't really count... best 2 shows I saw in 2009.

GZA performing Liquid Swords. On my CD player it last about an hour. When I saw him do it live he only needed 40 minutes, skipping verses left and right while rushing his way through it. Why even bother in the first place? I would've preferred a "normal" show.

Stooges performing Funhouse in London a few years back. A big fancy ATP announcement like a year in advance and then just The Stooges playing the same songs as they always play, except starting with Funhouse in order, then followed by the rest of the songs. I don't mind them cashing in though, since they never got to make any real money in the 70s, except maybe for Iggy with his solo carreer.

Actually, I don't mind any band cashing in if they want. But I agree that Don't Look Back is getting a bit tacky. Not just ATP though, there are plenty of bands who have been doing the same concept outside of ATP (Pixies, Slayer, etc...)

09.02.2010, 05:43 PM	#43
pokkeherrie invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 4,289	I don't really have a problem with the concept, although I generally prefer a normal gig. In the case of Sonic Youth for me it was very exciting to see them play songs they hadn't played in 20 years, from what is considered a landmark album and one that I have listened to maybe a thousand times, while being too young to have seen them do it in 1988. To be honest those Daydream Nation shows I saw were the only Sonic Youth shows I really enjoyed in the last 4 years, between the two Rather Ripped shows I saw and one on The Eternal tour. I think the nostalgia element is not so much the Don't Look Back series themselves as it's the bands who are reuniting left and right to do them. If it's really an album that hasn't been touched in 15-20 years then I can see a point, but what bothers me a bit is that it's often used as a marketing tool to brand some perfomance as exclusive, while in reality it is just another show. Some examples: Slint performing Spiderland. It's not like they weren't already playing all those songs anyway. Or that they even have enough albums to NOT play most of them. Or that they needed to make it a "special" gig, since it was their first time ever in Holland anyway. Or that they needed to make their show any more boring by taking out the element of not knowing what song is being played next. Talk about a band who sound EXACTLY the same live as they do on record, that's Slint. Boris playing Feedbacker on ATP NY. Whoa, a special set of Boris spending 35 minutes of their set playing Feedbacker!??? For fuck sake, they were playing it all the time 4-5 years ago, same with Flood after that. I bet they'll be doing that EXCLUSIVELY at the next ATP NY? Sounds awesome! Sleep performing Holy Mountain last year on ATP vs the Fans. As if a one-off Sleep reunion in the original lineup wasn't exclusive enough already, they needed to make it "Sleep performing Holy Mountain". I mean how many albums do they even have? Thank God they didn't play the album in order, so I guess it doesn't really count... best 2 shows I saw in 2009. GZA performing Liquid Swords. On my CD player it last about an hour. When I saw him do it live he only needed 40 minutes, skipping verses left and right while rushing his way through it. Why even bother in the first place? I would've preferred a "normal" show. Stooges performing Funhouse in London a few years back. A big fancy ATP announcement like a year in advance and then just The Stooges playing the same songs as they always play, except starting with Funhouse in order, then followed by the rest of the songs. I don't mind them cashing in though, since they never got to make any real money in the 70s, except maybe for Iggy with his solo carreer. Actually, I don't mind any band cashing in if they want. But I agree that Don't Look Back is getting a bit tacky. Not just ATP though, there are plenty of bands who have been doing the same concept outside of ATP (Pixies, Slayer, etc...)
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