Live Review: Guided By Voices

Robert Pollard (photo: Tony Jenkins)

Live Review: Guided By Voices, Saturday, October 23, 2010, Buckhead Theatre, Atlanta
by Tony Jenkins

Earlier this year, Owen Pallett did an excellent cover of the Guided By Voices classic “Game of Pricks” for A.V. Undercover. Before he performed the song he talked about how he had always been a fan of the band.

Until he went to see them live.

“They were amazing, but there were a lot of jocks,” Pallett said, before describing beer bottles flying and being pushed around on the dance floor.

Owen Pallett covers Guided By Voices

As a fan who has seen the band nine times in six different cities, I thought Pallett was off base. The experiences I’ve had have always been positive. So much so that I’ve always praised GBV fans for being so cool. If you’re up front and need to go get a beer or go to the bathroom, everyone will hold your spot and welcome you back with a hearty “cheers!”

Are the fans usually drunk? Sure. Are they loud and obnoxious? Probably so. But it’s never an I’m-gonna-kick-your-fucking-ass vibe. Instead, it has been always rock n’ roll revelry at its finest. Being obnoxious only meant that maybe someone was hugging you too hard when you were singing the songs together at the top of your lungs.

This was not the vibe Saturday night when the classic line-up of Guided By Voices played Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta. Instead, it was much like what Pallett had described. The band was amazing, but there were a lot of people doing their best to fuck up a good time.

The night started off with promise when Sweet Apple, featuring J. Mascis on drums, came out and assaulted the crowd with its thundering power pop. (I know “assaulted” sounds a bit much, but if you would have heard how excruciatingly loud the guitar was you’d understand.) Despite the uneven sound, it was a nice kick in the ass before the main event.

As soon as Sweet Apple left the stage the bullshit started. Here are some bullshit bullet points. (Please note that this is far from a complete list.)

• A trashed girl dressed as a cheerleader starts pushing me, but then stops when her friend informs her that I am “super cool.” She then starts hugging on me and I let her know that I’ll be there for her throughout the show. (See, I AM super cool.) Her sweet streak lasts for about five minutes. Then she suddenly shoves me and calls me an asshole. Her friend tells her to be cool, and I try to tell her the same thing. And that’s when her drunk husband accosts me. “Hey motherfucker! That’s my wife.” It takes a while, but I eventually calm him down by saying “We’re all here for the same thing. To have a good time. Relax.”
• I hear a dude behind me telling a girl that, “When this shit gets started it’s going to be fucking crazy. Are you going to be OK?” I turn around and say, “Dude, it’s gonna be fine. We’re all here for each other. We’re going to have a great time.” Instead of the expected beer bump and “Hell yeah!” the bald, musclebound douche utters the weirdest “insult” I’ve ever heard. “Thanks a lot Gandhi. You’re soooo cool. Gandhi.” (It’s no surprise that during the show this guy was pushing everyone around and being a huge asshole.)
• During the show, a huge dude aggressively tries to push his way in front of me. I hold my ground and he screams, “Can you name one fucking album?! Can you?!” I smugly reply, “Nope. Not one,” then continue singing along with the band. The entire time he’s yelling at me, he’s pushing hard into the back of a kid to my left, who keeps telling him to back off. But the meathead keeps going at me. “Name one album!” Finally the young kid yells “He bought a fucking ticket! Now get the fuck off me!” It actually worked. Amazing.

I could go on and on, but I should spend at least some time talking about what happened onstage. I should also mention that a couple of friends who decided to move away from the front of the stage said the rest of the crowd was really cool and was having a great time. I guess I should have not been so stubborn and also moved back. Oh well.

Even though he’s a week away from his 53rd birthday, Robert Pollard was jumping and kicking as high as ever as he lead GBV through a 40-song set list featuring favorites from its Lo-Fi era. Unlike a lot of “reunion” shows, you could tell that everyone in the band, especially bass player Greg Demos, who never stopped moving, relished the opportunity to play for the fans again. It’s just a good thing they didn’t have to stand next to any of them.

Editor’s Note: The is the first contribution by Tony Jenkins to DeadJournalist.com – but hopefully not the last. You can visit his Web site or follow him on Twitter: ttboi.