Urge Overkill Rumbles on Stage at the Khyber
Last Modified
2/11/2004 1:25 AM
Byline: Mike Cunningham
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Story Summary
My ears are STILL ringing. That is usually a pretty good sign you were at an awesome Rock show. And I have to say I wasn''t disappointed.
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My ears are STILL ringing. That is usually a pretty good sign you were at an awesome Rock show. And I have to say I wasn't disappointed. While there were some sloppy mistakes during the show, it was lost on most of the fans who packed the tiny Khyber. The energy level from the band was phenomenal, especially compared to the supporting band, who weren't sure if they were The Who or The Byrds.
The opening soundcheck took way too long as the crowd got restless, but the band came out and seemed as close to form as they could. The drummer from the first band "Last Vegas" is touring as UO's drummer as original drummer Blackie Onassis is MIA. Second song in they hit with "Positive Bleeding" and play some songs from early albums as Eddie "King" Roeser and nash kato bounced back and forth trying to capture some of their best hooks.
One of the best riffs in the history of Rock and Roll is the opening to Sister Havana. Their College Radio hit from the 1993 album "Saturation." It brings back memories for me, as I remember having Krist Novolselic from Nirvana in studio, having him choose UO to be a bed for a PSA and Promo I had him do. [I can rarely name drop, but this is one case where I can!] Nash opened up the encore (which I tell you the savvy Philly fans didn't CHEER the entire 5 minutes while they waited. We know you are going to do an encore. So get the F out here and do it.) with "Girl you'll be a woman soon." This surprised me as it is one of those songs that while it made them a virtual household name, it doesn't entirely fit with the rest of the set. But the King comes out and they go into Sister Havana. Although the transition was either lost on my ears which were blown out by the rocking OR THEY MISSED the opening!
Overall it was a very nice effort for the first time seeing the band. I'm hoping they clean up some of their rust and get ready for some new music. While this band seems to get lumped in with the "GRUNGE" sound. These guys are just making PURE ROCK AND ROLL music.
HammRating: B-
- Boston Globe Not so flattering review
- Urge Overkill official site -- Not much here except for upcoming tour dates.
- The Khyber -- Upcoming Shows: Ours, The Walkmen (Saturn Commercial), StellaStar*, The Decemberists.
- Urge Overkill Archive