Eagles of Death Metal and The Living Things @ Henry Fonda Theater, 2/4/09

A caped avenger with a Queens of the Stone Age T-shirt were among the fans who raced to the front of the stage as soon as the doors of the Henry Fonda Theater opened on Wednesday. The lady in question wore her cape with a grace that even Dracula would have envied. Among the other die hard Eagles of Death Metal fans included several men who greased their hair like the lead singer, Jesse Hughes. As the crowd began to trickle in, it became abundantly apparent that the fans had come dressed to kill. Leather jackets with chains, black jeans, and leather boots were in abundance. And why not? The bands that they had come to see had made their mark not just with their music, but by embodying what it was to be a rock star.

The Living Things opened the show with their fuzzed out, big, angry guitars that bit and clawed through your eardrums...in a good way. Dressed all in black with leather jackets, these boys from St. Louis looked the part of a rock band. Lead singer, Lillian Berlin, at one point jumped off the stage and climbed up onto the side speaker making him look like a politician on a soapbox or a prophet of doom. But something was bothering me, during the performance. Something was not quite right about it, that rubbed like a pebble in your shoe. And then Lillian gave a speech two songs that revealed why this performance was so off. He said, "Fuck this recession shit! How many of you have jobs?" about half the crowd raised their hands. Berlin continued, "Well if you don't have a job, fuck your boss! How about we all just not pay our rent? What would they do then?" and started giggling. And I thought, "Holy shit. He thinks this recession is funny." That's what is so off. The Living Things are out of touch.

When the Living Things first broke on to the scene in 2005 with their album Ahead of Lions,their music was really exciting. They sang about the American soldiers dying in Iraq, the government, and the rage that a lot of people were feeling at the time. They gave voice to those who were scared about where this country was headed and helped channel a lot of their angst musically. But now that rage is outdated. In the middle of this recession, Americans are turning to a new administration to help them rebuild their country. There is a feeling of picking up the pieces of the last eight years and constructing a new America. So when the Living Things yell, "Fuck the government!" it makes a lot of us want to yell back, "Dude, you are not helping!" This is no time for destruction and rebellion. We are being tested as a nation as our old foundations crumble around us. It is a time of rebirth and the Living Things better adjust fast because otherwise they will end up sounding like a relic of the Bush years.

Eagles of Death Metal - WannaBe in LA

The Eagles of Death Metal are beloved in Los Angeles. When I told people I was going to the show almost everyone I knew had a Jesse Hughes story. They had either worked with him, met him, or dated him, and everyone unanimously loved him. . Even the girl at the register at Amoeba Records knew who he was and sang his praises. So it broke my heart when Eagles of Death Metal took the stage on Wednesday night in front of a sold out crowd and stunk the joint out. Seriously, my heart splintered like dry timber and pumped shards of dissappointment into my soul.

I mean they looked great. Jesse Hughes looked bad ass in his avaitors and blue t-shirt, his giant arms rippling with tattoos. Lead guitarist, Dave Catching had a Gibson Flying V guitar and a mohawk. The bassist, Brian O'Connor, was dressed in black and had locks of dark hair falling in his eyes. From a purely aesthetic viewpoint the guys rocked. But if you closed your eyes and actually listened to the quality of music being churned out, it was dreadful. It was a half-hearted affair. Everyone was off, the sound quality was awful, and no one was in key. Josh Homme made what seemed like a guest appearance in his own band. He showed up for the fourth song, sang a few, took a couple sips of beer, and left. It was as if he had just shown up as a favor to the band and when his obligation was up he was gone.

My only conclusion is that everyone was too high to play. At least I hope that's true. I really hope that wasn't their best efforts. It is always such a shame when people record well and can't play live. I mean, c'mon. It's two hours of your day. Two hours that most bands would kill to have. Sold out hometown show, with hundreds of adoring fans. To play a show like that and do it half-assed is a disgrace. If any of you have seen Eagles of Death Metal on a good night, please let me know. It would be better to know that Wednesday was just a bad night, then to wonder if Eagles of Death Metal have any good nights at all. It'll be a step towards mending my broken heart.

Photos by Sandra Vahtelfor the LAist