Iggy Pop – Avalon, Boston – 11/9/01
After seeing an Anthrax show at Mama Kin about eighteen months ago where people were thrown out for trying to get a friendly mosh pit going, I was wondering whether seeing live rock in this town was even worth the effort. Iggy Pop and Avalon have washed that bad taste out of my mouth forever with an insanely loud show at a packed Avalon that had balls aplenty.
It was Friday night and Iggy was in a good mood. Choice stage patter included: “This ain’t Social Distortion” (who were next door at Axis), “Hey you in back, you can’t fuckin’ hide from me”, and “Turn all the fuckin’ houselights on Asswipe!”
Highlight Iggy cuts included I Wanna be your Dog, Cold Metal, Home, Search and Destroy, and Real Wild Child. He represented his latest ferocious album well with Beat ’em Up, L.O.S.T., Howl, Death is Certain, and Mask. No Lust for Life but you can’t have everything (where would you put it?).
The perpetually shirtless Iggy cuts a striking figure. He defines sinewy. He makes the dude from Buckcherry look fat. The only thing more legendary than his abs is his energy that immortalized him more than thirty years ago when he was helping to invent punk with the Stooges. He’s not rubbing raw steaks all over his body or cutting himself on stage these days but he never eased off the throttle over the relentless 75 minute set.
The climax came during Passenger when he crowd surfed and then demanded company on stage. Security guys helped up about forty or so fans who reveled triumphantly for a few minutes before security duly kicked their asses off. Top notch.
Our hero was last seen climbing into the back seat of a Toyota Camry on Lansdowne Street with the gorgeous brown skinned woman who was dancing at the back of the stage and who is also pictured in the inner sleeve photo of “Beat ’em Up.”
-Eric Holland
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