PLUGGED IN (?)

Matt is obviously poopy from the lack of aggression in his life, so let me tell you about the Skinny Puppy shows. The fact of the matter is, as Irene put it, this was a "reunion" show and no matter how much we loved this kind of stuff back in the day, and I was fortunate enough to see Puppy in 1992 (the best year ever), whatever we were about to see in 2004 just wasn't going to be the same thing. For some, like my significant other, this make the show skippable. For me, I can appreciate the challenge that was laying ahead for Mssrs. Key and Ogilvie.

Most of my interest in this was helped by the fact that the new album is really good. I respect their NOT going back and doing something they had done before (screw you diehards), so I expected them to do something different live. The quick comparison: Puppy was very performance art based in the old days, tons of props, big set, etc, which you could pull off back then without losing your shirt. in 2004, its impossible to pull off a big stage show, so the emphasis was focused on musical performance and to that effect, a guitarist/bassist was added as well as a drummer, while Mr. Key manned the keyboards. Honestly, I think that his moving from drums (he is amazing) to keyboards was perhaps the only true error of this tour. His style is unique and while I'm not knocking the drummer they had (he too was amazing), it did take away from their particular sound.

It seems I have spoken negative about this, but quite honestly, I had a blast, especially the first night. In an unusual move for me, I avoided reading about setlists, so I went into it all fresh. it was an open book for me. They played a great range of material spanning their whole career, including gems like GLASS HOUSES, TIN OMEN, TESTURE and INQUISITION, and other "hits". I was impressed by the way the music was presented and I thought the live versions, particularly of the olders stuff like SMOTHERED HOPE, were sharp without insulting the original versions. I would like to note that Ash marked out like a maniac at this gig, which is a big compliment. Also, we got TWO encores at this gig, which I'm told is very rare on this tour. By the time I left the first night, I was pumped to see it again.

The second night was interesting in that its like seeing a movie you really liked for the second time and you find things you like even more and now a few things you didnt like as much. But nothing I hated and I wasn't as excited as I was the first night, obviously, but it allowed me to appreciate the show more. I had heard from TODD RYAN (I spell his name in caps, so you can all yell at him), that Puppy had rehearsed 18 different set lists, but the set list was pretty much the same the second night. We stood in a different spot and got a better view than the night before, so it was fun to watch even more. Ogre's voice was much better the second night, and the music seemed tighter, but the crowd and the vibe was lacking the second night.

However, just when I was ready to get myself a drink, out of nowhere they brought out Grandpa Al to guest on TIN OMEN. It was 1992 (the best year ever) all over again. I don't think Al was plugged in, and he seemed quite zombified (and industrial Ozzy), but the idea of Al guesting with Puppy after all these years on a classic song he helped produce was enough for the crowd to lose their shit and for the 19 year old in me to flash a wide smile. It may not have been a classic performance, but it was certainly a classic moment. And in this day and age, a classic moment here and there with our old heroes is good enough...even if they look like theyre straight out of WEEKEND AT BERNIES.

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