Indipendence Day...I'll say!
If I hadn't already adored Joan Jett going into this 4th of July celebration, I would now. The woman should rule all planets. She was frickin' FEARLESS...
By way of background I have to point out that while Albuquerque has a liberal contingent, it's mostly a blue collar town with a pretty fervently reddish political tint. Santa Fe is seen as the liberal center of the state, or as people around here have told me "the San Francisco of New Mexico." In the AlbQ area there are very vocal Democrats but there are also a lot of truck drivin', Skoal chewin', Toby Qweef Country Music Stupertard quotin', uber-Neo-Con, Jeezy Creezy neanderthals, and from what I've seen...those people tend to be the majority at events like the citywide 4th of July celebration. Events which tend to skew towards "tradition" and "family values" and nostalgic "wholesomeness" seem to really attract that sort in droves.
In light of these realities, I admit...when I first heard that Joan Jett was going to be playing the AlbQ 4th of July celebration, I was very surprised that the city had brought her on to play such an event. I saw Joan Jett play at Pride a few years back and... well...she's not exactly "mainstream" now is she? I remember thinking "That's quite the daring and subversive choice, City of Albuquerque. Cool!"
Having seen her performance from last night, I go back and forth about whether or not the city planners who got Joan Jett to perform were being edgy, subversive and brave because they knew about her life or her music post 80's OR did they just think "oooh, she's that rocker chick who sings 'I love Rock and Roll!' I love to karaoke to that! She also does 'Crimson and Clover' let's book her!"
Because if they didn't know what they were getting...I would imagine that last night's show was something of a shock to them.
Miz Jett took the stage a little late, but looking FIERCE in seamlessly tight leather pants and a matching leather halter top. How the woman hasn't aged in the last 20 years is beyond me, but she looked good. She's 47 years old and she's still rocking the midriff bearing leather halter? Rock the FUCK on!! And sister is CUT. She has abs you could bounce a quarter off of.
The first song she sang out the gate was "Bad Reputation" which was pretty telling in light of where the show went, but I'm getting ahead of myself. *grin* I don't recall what the next couple of songs were - they were great and all, but they were stuff from albums I didn't recognize. She sang "Wild One" and "Cherry Bomb" and when the crowd was a bit warmed up she launched into "Do you wanna touch (me there)."
I looked around at the family types spread out on big Veggie Tales blankets in the grass and noticed that a few of them were stirring restlessly. Parents were shooting worried looks at one another. That's an "edgy" song...borderline "naughty" after all.
But the song finished and everyone relaxed. Joan played another couple of intermediary songs aaaaand then she announces that she's going to sing a couple of songs off her new album "Sinner." More stirring from the Family Values contingent over the title...which hints at coming danger.
Joan leans into the mike and says "This song is called 'Androgynous'.."
The song begins with the lyrics: " Here comes Dick, he's wearing a skirt. Here comes Jane, she's wearing a chain."
The guy running the JumboTron TV screen cameras chose this moment to start zooming in on Joan Jett's guitar...which had a HUGE pink girl + girl sticker on it. He must've zoomed in on that five times during that song.
Now there's visible audience upset and a lot of muttering and rustling. A couple of people booed.
The next couple of songs dealt with some kind of "alternative" themes and more and more people are sitting in the audience with faces like cat's asses. Of course at the same time, some of us were having a FANTABULOUS time and the crowd near the stage seemed to be totally into it. We saw several little gothlings and post-punk punks running at full tilt towards the stage area during this set...clearly desperate to get closer and participate more actively than they'd originally planned to.
And then....just when the McNuggety sorts of people were really starting to squirm anyway... Joan Jett launched into "Riddle." If you haven't ever heard it, it's this boldly political song about this administration - about Americans being lied to, the dangers of authoritarianism, the thought police etc. Complete with sound clips of Dubbya speechifyin' at his Dubbya worst.
Oh. Mah. God. My mouth hit the floor. I couldn't -believe- she had the cajones to sing -that- song in -this- venue. On the 4th of July.
The booing and the yelling got more pronounced and the McNuggety type people were getting really agitated. A few people started shouting things like "Get the FUCK off the stage!" and more ominously "Get HER the fuck off the stage." "Fuck you!" "Shut the fuck up!" Stuff like that. And naturally these comments were peppered with the typical misogynist shouts. "Bitch." "Whore." "Cunt." "Dyke."
Shut up! Be silent! You WOMAN! Who do you think you are?
Good family values there, Bubba. And PS - nice language in front of "the children" you're always on about protecting.
It didn't help that a lot of the Toby Qweefers were drunk as a pile of skunks and thus, more inclined than usual to be obnoxious and aggressive. I saw two things get hurled at the stage, but neither object connected with anything or anyone...so they may have been exuberance or they may have been aggression. I couldn't really tell.
The crowd was really mixed between the people cheering and the people booing and heckling. The fact that the booing contingent was so much louder and more extreme and aggressive about their displeasure than those of us who were pro-Jett were being in our pleasure is something that, imho, speaks to larger issues with regard to the state of the cultural/political discussions/debate in this country is dealing with...but that's another rant for another post.
The weird thing is that from there, Joan Jett went into "I love Rock and Roll" and the -same- people who'd just been braying for her head on a platter got up and started dancing and singing along.
My kingdom for a tazer.
During "I love Rock and Roll" a lot of the families who'd been prepping to leave sat back down and the Wound Up visibly relaxed. Everything was gonna be alright. The alarming lesbian was almost done, clearly this was her last song.
Onnnnly it wasn't. She left the stage for a few minutes, but then she came back.
And she sang AC/DC. The explicit version. The Jumbo Tron operator decided this was the perfect time to go in for the extreme close up of the Girl + Girl symbol on the guitar again and he held that in frame for a couple of long seconds...I think just long enough for the slowest people in the audience to have Something Dawn On Them.
And then people. lost. their. shit. in both directions.
There was a huge rumble of disapproval in the crowd and more, super obnoxious, hyper-aggro shouting. And then a mass exodus among the Family Values crowd. One woman stormed out, dragging her kids by the arm, with an expression on her face like she was going to spit venom. Another big family stomped out, hitting each step like the ground was rising up to meet them. I heard one person yelling about how they were going to file a complaint with the mayor.
BUAAAAAH HA HA HA HA! Run, McNuggets, run!
I could tell from the expression on her face as shown by the Jumbo screen, that Joan Jett knew exactly what was going on in the crowd. There was this defiant but still joyful and strong tilt to her jaw that was just breathtaking. Very much a "you will NOT take my joy or my freedom away just because you disapprove" sort of stance. ADORE.
After AC/DC, she talked for a bit about tolerance and then kicked into "Everyone Knows." Key lyrics: "We won't be scared because they think we are freaks. They can't bring me to my knees. You're all right and I'm alright and I don't care if everyone knows."
Another big chunk of the audience left or had already been leaving prior to that song. It didnt' help that it'd started raining at that point, which may have been the Final Straw for some people.
For the final song of the evening - Joan Jett covering "Everyday People" which I thought was just frickin' spot on perfect in answer to the "ew, a queer!" crowd. I'm sure they didn't catch the irony or the message...but I still loved that she'd done it.
When I went to the PortaPotty area, there were people preaching and circulating a flyer and some kind of petition of "censure" against the city planners for having invited Joan Jett to perform...on the basis of the fact that she's a "known lesbian" who was attempting to force the gay agenda on the good moral families of the 4th of July.
I was sorely temped to take a flyer and say "Oh thanks, I needed some toilet paper!" but you I also never know when Stupid might be catching, so I wasn't taking any risks. Plus, I was all by myself in the dark, near the porta potties...thoroughly outnumbered by drunk cowboys who were - I kid you not - screaming the words to "Proud to Be An American" as they took a pee.
Seriously.
The fireworks display was hugely anticlimactic for me after the performance, but it was interesting to note that this year there were no fewer than six references to Jeebusy Christian God and prayer as linked with jingoistic Americun Pride. There was a scary "everybody but us knows all the words to this song" moment when "This is Our Country" came on. I swear I thought that song was -just- a truck commercial jingle. I had no idea it was a real song.
I was a bit distracted through the fireworks too, because it had begun to rain again and we could see big lightning all around the perimeter of the big open field where we were all sitting in metal chairs. I told Soren it was like we were all playing a big game of "Lets see who God chooses.."
All in all, I give Joan Jett 12++ stars out of 10, and the overall fireworks display a 5. The people who stormed out because their tender ears and sensibilities were all bruised get a -100. Although I do recognize that if Toby Keith had shown up to play at the 4th of July concert I probably would've stormed off so perhaps it is, again, one of those things that points more towards the larger issues and divisions facing our country at the moment than any single singer.
I suppose that's kind of relevant to a 4th of July celebration.
I also thought it was pretty telling that in the inspirational "sound clips montage" we had clips from Martin Luther King Jr. and JFK and FDR, but no Ronald Reagan or -anyone- following him. What's that about I wonder? Just the fact that those political figures are from "long ago" so nobody could be offended by them? Is that what we've come to? I didn't like Ronald Reagan, but he -did- have some inspirational speeches along the way. So did Clinton. Are we just not allowed to use those because things are so divisive at the moment?
It's all gone very odd in the present era.
Oh and AlbQ, unlike Berkeley, had zero John Lennon songs in their musical montage. I wonder why. *laugh*
Anyway, if you haven't heard it yet...I highly recommend giving "Sinner" a listen...if for no other reason than the fact that it was recorded by someone with the chutzpah to perform like that. Damn fine. I'd have downloaded it even if it sucked after that performance, just by way of paying tribute.
I aspire to be as free and as proud and as brave someday, I really do.
By way of background I have to point out that while Albuquerque has a liberal contingent, it's mostly a blue collar town with a pretty fervently reddish political tint. Santa Fe is seen as the liberal center of the state, or as people around here have told me "the San Francisco of New Mexico." In the AlbQ area there are very vocal Democrats but there are also a lot of truck drivin', Skoal chewin', Toby Qweef Country Music Stupertard quotin', uber-Neo-Con, Jeezy Creezy neanderthals, and from what I've seen...those people tend to be the majority at events like the citywide 4th of July celebration. Events which tend to skew towards "tradition" and "family values" and nostalgic "wholesomeness" seem to really attract that sort in droves.
In light of these realities, I admit...when I first heard that Joan Jett was going to be playing the AlbQ 4th of July celebration, I was very surprised that the city had brought her on to play such an event. I saw Joan Jett play at Pride a few years back and... well...she's not exactly "mainstream" now is she? I remember thinking "That's quite the daring and subversive choice, City of Albuquerque. Cool!"
Having seen her performance from last night, I go back and forth about whether or not the city planners who got Joan Jett to perform were being edgy, subversive and brave because they knew about her life or her music post 80's OR did they just think "oooh, she's that rocker chick who sings 'I love Rock and Roll!' I love to karaoke to that! She also does 'Crimson and Clover' let's book her!"
Because if they didn't know what they were getting...I would imagine that last night's show was something of a shock to them.
Miz Jett took the stage a little late, but looking FIERCE in seamlessly tight leather pants and a matching leather halter top. How the woman hasn't aged in the last 20 years is beyond me, but she looked good. She's 47 years old and she's still rocking the midriff bearing leather halter? Rock the FUCK on!! And sister is CUT. She has abs you could bounce a quarter off of.
The first song she sang out the gate was "Bad Reputation" which was pretty telling in light of where the show went, but I'm getting ahead of myself. *grin* I don't recall what the next couple of songs were - they were great and all, but they were stuff from albums I didn't recognize. She sang "Wild One" and "Cherry Bomb" and when the crowd was a bit warmed up she launched into "Do you wanna touch (me there)."
I looked around at the family types spread out on big Veggie Tales blankets in the grass and noticed that a few of them were stirring restlessly. Parents were shooting worried looks at one another. That's an "edgy" song...borderline "naughty" after all.
But the song finished and everyone relaxed. Joan played another couple of intermediary songs aaaaand then she announces that she's going to sing a couple of songs off her new album "Sinner." More stirring from the Family Values contingent over the title...which hints at coming danger.
Joan leans into the mike and says "This song is called 'Androgynous'.."
The song begins with the lyrics: " Here comes Dick, he's wearing a skirt. Here comes Jane, she's wearing a chain."
The guy running the JumboTron TV screen cameras chose this moment to start zooming in on Joan Jett's guitar...which had a HUGE pink girl + girl sticker on it. He must've zoomed in on that five times during that song.
Now there's visible audience upset and a lot of muttering and rustling. A couple of people booed.
The next couple of songs dealt with some kind of "alternative" themes and more and more people are sitting in the audience with faces like cat's asses. Of course at the same time, some of us were having a FANTABULOUS time and the crowd near the stage seemed to be totally into it. We saw several little gothlings and post-punk punks running at full tilt towards the stage area during this set...clearly desperate to get closer and participate more actively than they'd originally planned to.
And then....just when the McNuggety sorts of people were really starting to squirm anyway... Joan Jett launched into "Riddle." If you haven't ever heard it, it's this boldly political song about this administration - about Americans being lied to, the dangers of authoritarianism, the thought police etc. Complete with sound clips of Dubbya speechifyin' at his Dubbya worst.
Oh. Mah. God. My mouth hit the floor. I couldn't -believe- she had the cajones to sing -that- song in -this- venue. On the 4th of July.
The booing and the yelling got more pronounced and the McNuggety type people were getting really agitated. A few people started shouting things like "Get the FUCK off the stage!" and more ominously "Get HER the fuck off the stage." "Fuck you!" "Shut the fuck up!" Stuff like that. And naturally these comments were peppered with the typical misogynist shouts. "Bitch." "Whore." "Cunt." "Dyke."
Shut up! Be silent! You WOMAN! Who do you think you are?
Good family values there, Bubba. And PS - nice language in front of "the children" you're always on about protecting.
It didn't help that a lot of the Toby Qweefers were drunk as a pile of skunks and thus, more inclined than usual to be obnoxious and aggressive. I saw two things get hurled at the stage, but neither object connected with anything or anyone...so they may have been exuberance or they may have been aggression. I couldn't really tell.
The crowd was really mixed between the people cheering and the people booing and heckling. The fact that the booing contingent was so much louder and more extreme and aggressive about their displeasure than those of us who were pro-Jett were being in our pleasure is something that, imho, speaks to larger issues with regard to the state of the cultural/political discussions/debate in this country is dealing with...but that's another rant for another post.
The weird thing is that from there, Joan Jett went into "I love Rock and Roll" and the -same- people who'd just been braying for her head on a platter got up and started dancing and singing along.
My kingdom for a tazer.
During "I love Rock and Roll" a lot of the families who'd been prepping to leave sat back down and the Wound Up visibly relaxed. Everything was gonna be alright. The alarming lesbian was almost done, clearly this was her last song.
Onnnnly it wasn't. She left the stage for a few minutes, but then she came back.
And she sang AC/DC. The explicit version. The Jumbo Tron operator decided this was the perfect time to go in for the extreme close up of the Girl + Girl symbol on the guitar again and he held that in frame for a couple of long seconds...I think just long enough for the slowest people in the audience to have Something Dawn On Them.
And then people. lost. their. shit. in both directions.
There was a huge rumble of disapproval in the crowd and more, super obnoxious, hyper-aggro shouting. And then a mass exodus among the Family Values crowd. One woman stormed out, dragging her kids by the arm, with an expression on her face like she was going to spit venom. Another big family stomped out, hitting each step like the ground was rising up to meet them. I heard one person yelling about how they were going to file a complaint with the mayor.
BUAAAAAH HA HA HA HA! Run, McNuggets, run!
I could tell from the expression on her face as shown by the Jumbo screen, that Joan Jett knew exactly what was going on in the crowd. There was this defiant but still joyful and strong tilt to her jaw that was just breathtaking. Very much a "you will NOT take my joy or my freedom away just because you disapprove" sort of stance. ADORE.
After AC/DC, she talked for a bit about tolerance and then kicked into "Everyone Knows." Key lyrics: "We won't be scared because they think we are freaks. They can't bring me to my knees. You're all right and I'm alright and I don't care if everyone knows."
Another big chunk of the audience left or had already been leaving prior to that song. It didnt' help that it'd started raining at that point, which may have been the Final Straw for some people.
For the final song of the evening - Joan Jett covering "Everyday People" which I thought was just frickin' spot on perfect in answer to the "ew, a queer!" crowd. I'm sure they didn't catch the irony or the message...but I still loved that she'd done it.
When I went to the PortaPotty area, there were people preaching and circulating a flyer and some kind of petition of "censure" against the city planners for having invited Joan Jett to perform...on the basis of the fact that she's a "known lesbian" who was attempting to force the gay agenda on the good moral families of the 4th of July.
I was sorely temped to take a flyer and say "Oh thanks, I needed some toilet paper!" but you I also never know when Stupid might be catching, so I wasn't taking any risks. Plus, I was all by myself in the dark, near the porta potties...thoroughly outnumbered by drunk cowboys who were - I kid you not - screaming the words to "Proud to Be An American" as they took a pee.
Seriously.
The fireworks display was hugely anticlimactic for me after the performance, but it was interesting to note that this year there were no fewer than six references to Jeebusy Christian God and prayer as linked with jingoistic Americun Pride. There was a scary "everybody but us knows all the words to this song" moment when "This is Our Country" came on. I swear I thought that song was -just- a truck commercial jingle. I had no idea it was a real song.
I was a bit distracted through the fireworks too, because it had begun to rain again and we could see big lightning all around the perimeter of the big open field where we were all sitting in metal chairs. I told Soren it was like we were all playing a big game of "Lets see who God chooses.."
All in all, I give Joan Jett 12++ stars out of 10, and the overall fireworks display a 5. The people who stormed out because their tender ears and sensibilities were all bruised get a -100. Although I do recognize that if Toby Keith had shown up to play at the 4th of July concert I probably would've stormed off so perhaps it is, again, one of those things that points more towards the larger issues and divisions facing our country at the moment than any single singer.
I suppose that's kind of relevant to a 4th of July celebration.
I also thought it was pretty telling that in the inspirational "sound clips montage" we had clips from Martin Luther King Jr. and JFK and FDR, but no Ronald Reagan or -anyone- following him. What's that about I wonder? Just the fact that those political figures are from "long ago" so nobody could be offended by them? Is that what we've come to? I didn't like Ronald Reagan, but he -did- have some inspirational speeches along the way. So did Clinton. Are we just not allowed to use those because things are so divisive at the moment?
It's all gone very odd in the present era.
Oh and AlbQ, unlike Berkeley, had zero John Lennon songs in their musical montage. I wonder why. *laugh*
Anyway, if you haven't heard it yet...I highly recommend giving "Sinner" a listen...if for no other reason than the fact that it was recorded by someone with the chutzpah to perform like that. Damn fine. I'd have downloaded it even if it sucked after that performance, just by way of paying tribute.
I aspire to be as free and as proud and as brave someday, I really do.