(TV) RFTT 6/6/03

["Philip P. Obbard" <pobbard@yahoo.com>]

Just got back from the RFTT show at the Village Underground.

Incredible - really fantastic. Richard Lloyd was particularly stellar; easily
the best instrumentalist of the night. 

It's a small venue - I'd never been there before - and it's literally
underground. Much more compact than Irving Plaza. My friend and I were pretty
close to the stage. A bit on the hot side, but surprisingly not too crowded
(and the announcer mentioned that tickets were still available for tomorrow
night, 6/7). In retrospect, I'm surprised how much bigger a crowd Television
draws, considering that they had no album to promote (unlike tonight, where at
least the RFTT album could be considered 'new', and Pere Ubu is still an active
band). 

Setlist:
- Frustration
- So Cold
- What Love Is. What a great song - a major highlight of the night.
- Ain't It Fun. Richard had the lead. Again, fantastic.
- Muckraker. Richard on lead. 

Around this time, Richard motioned to the sound guy to turn him up - either in
the monitors or the PA, I'm not sure which - and they *really* cranked him up.
Dave Thomas was almost inaudible compared to the rest of the band for the rest
of the night.

- 30 Seconds Over Tokyo. Richard carried the opening part; Cheetah Chrome did
the counter-riff.
- Sonic Reducer. Richard on lead.
- Never Gonna Kill Myself Again. Richard on lead.
- Amphetamine. Richard on lead.
- Down In Flames. Richard and Cheetah traded leads during a fantastic
breakdown, which segued directly into...
- Final Solution. Another major highlight. 

At this point, Dave Thomas (who was sweating profusely all night), said "I'm
not going to go upstairs just to cool off", and the band launched into...

- Life Stinks. The encore! Richard handled the lead again.

The entire set was around 50 minutes. Normally, this would seem short, but all
things considered it was just right for a reformed RFTT. 

After the show, Craig Bell and Dave Thomas sold CDs and t-shirts; while my
friend went and bought a CD, I congratulated Richard on a great show and his
stellar guitar work. He was (as always!) very friendly and said how it all made
sense for him to replace Peter, with Peter having briefly replaced him in
Television back in 1975. He didn't seem to agree when I noted that he had "big
shoes to fill"; it occurred to me later that he probably has big shoes of his
own!

Seriously, I think this was my favorite Richard performance ever - he fit in
perfectly - and I enjoyed his playing tonight more than I ever did seeing him
solo or with Television. (Possible exception: "I'm So Glad" at the Bottom Line
a few years ago, another earth-shattering performance)

I'm sorry I won't be able to see them tomorrow night, since I'll be away. I
have a feeling they won't be coming around again. First, it's not like they are
about to write a bunch of new material. Second, Thomas rolled his eyes every
time Cheetah Chrome turned-up his guitar; he seemed a little impatient all
night. At one point he joked that this could be their "ninth breakup in five
years". Thomas' singing was impassioned when he *was* singing; when he wasn't,
he sat on a chair on-stage. (He also used a cane for support. Anyone know why?)

In summation: If you can get to see this tour - go! I can't believe I almost
missed the chance because I assumed it was long since sold-out. Two hours
later, my ears are still ringing and I'm not sorry at all.

--Philip


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