Boston,
Sep. 5, 1997
By PETE
WALTON
Photos
by JENNA O'BRIEN and DEE LENZI
 The
latest version of silverchair's live show is a solid 16-song
set marked by the tight rhythm section of Ben Gillies and
Chris Joannou, and the increasingly self-confident stage presence
of singer-guitarist Daniel Johns.
The band's
Sept. 5 show at the Avalon in Boston featured eight songs
from their most recent album Freak Show, seven from their
debut Frogstomp, and an excellent live version of Spawn from
the soundtrack of the recent film of the same name. The Boston
show also featured an appearance by drummer Gillies on vocals,
a stage dive by silverchair's sound guru Peter Ward, and birthday
salutes to manager John Watson and Amy Osbourne (daughter
of British rocker and former Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne).
The show
opened with Slave and Leave Me Out, followed by Johns' first
spoken words of the night.
 "Thanks,
you guys rock," he told the 18-and-over crowd at the
event sponsored by a local radio station. "Boston, yeah,
yeah. We are hip, we are Boston." He exhorted the crowd
to join in his chant. "We are hip, we are Boston, we
are hip, not forgotten, we are hip, we are Boston, yeah, yeah,
yeah!" The band then plunged into Abuse Me, and before
the first refrain of "Throw the sailors overboard,"
Johns commanded the crowd, "Every[body] motherfucking
jump!" It was a theme that was to be repeated throughout
the night.
 The
Closing and Pure Massacre were up next, followed by more comments
from the stage by Johns.
"Thank you," he said. "Hi everyone. We're silverchair,
and we play music occasionally. Ready? I'm gonna play this
by myself."
Cemetery
was particularly enjoyable during this adults-only show with
the absence of screaming during this quiet and serious song.
Pop Song
For Us Rejects was appreciated by the crowd, as was a rendition
of Tomorrow with special lyrics:
 It's
12 o'clock and it's Watson's birthday
I know he hates it but I'll sing anyway
Won't you come with me to Townsville where he lives
With all the sex monkeys and sex junkies
There is no bathroom and there is no sink
The water in Watson's house is very hard to drink
"It's
two people's birthday," Johns said after the song. "Not
today exactly, but in the vicinity of this day. Amy and Mister
John Watson. So happy birthday to the two birthday people,
and rock, rock on and continue to get older as the human race
will progress and turn into donkeys." Johns then introduced
Gillies to sing "a Korn version of Happy Birthday."
 "Can
everyone sing it with me, please?" Gillies implored.
Unfortunately, few came to his rescue, and the audience was
reminded why Johns is the singer in silverchair. Johns accompanied
Gillies on guitar once he was able to find the approximate
key in which Gillies was singing (if you could call it singing!)
"That
was grunge," Johns said after Gillies returned to his
drum kit. "Ahh, Ben left spit!"
Quickly,
Johns was back to business.
 "You
motherfuckers ready to rock?" he asked. "I be chillin'
wit' the boys in the hood, y'all. I'm here to tell you motherfuckers
I'm gonna blow some cap in your ass if you don't rock the
house one mo' time in the motherfuckin' hood, y'all. So you
motherfuckers ready to rock? I said ARE YOU MOTHERFUCKERS
READY TO ROCK THE HOUSE? Is Boston ready to rock? Can I get
a hallelujah? Can I get a hallelujah?" The next single
from Freak Show, The Door, was up next, followed by Faultline,
No Association ("You say you care, but fuck you"),
Freak and Madman.
After
a brief intermission, a bra found its way on stage and Johns
passed it to the barechested Gillies.
"Ben's
the drag queen," Johns noted. "He's gonna dress
for you Bostonians." Apparently, someone then made a
comment of a challenging nature to Johns.
 "What?
Fuck you!" he said, tongue firmly planted in cheek. "I'd
just like to warn you, I've been pumping iron. Hey, I'm not
joking. I went to the gym. Do you wanna see me flex? Yeah?"
He paused. "I'll wait until I'm bigger, next year. Next
-- in five years' time I'll come back, you'll be scared."
Johns,
Gillies and Joannou then managed to knock the crowd out with
Spawn. The song is more dramatic and powerful in live performance
than it is in the movie soundtrack. A highlight of Spawn live
is Joannou's solo, during which a spotlight frames the hard-rocking
bassist on stage.
Near the
end of the band's traditional closer, Israel's Son, sound
engineer Peter Ward took to the stage and with little hesitation
and obvious gusto, dove off the stage and was safely returned
to an upright position.
The final
international headlining performance for silverchair in 1997
was a raucous, energy-filled affair. With a festival date
in Chicago the next day, the band quickly returned to their
Boston hotel, but Gillies came back to the venue with manager
Watson to greet fans who had waited outside the Avalon following
the show. Joannou later joined Watson and several friends
at a nearby bistro after the show. (Chris had orange juice,
in case you were wondering.)
Set List:
Slave
Leave Me Out
Abuse Me
The Closing
Pure Massacre
Cemetery
Suicidal Dream
Pop Song For Us Rejects
Tomorrow
The Door
Faultline
No Association
Freak
Madman
Encore:
Spawn
Israel's Son
|
Ah,
what shall we say about Boston -- other than it was the single
most unbelievable time of our entire lives! Pete's review
was so on target that we honestly can't think of anything
to add, except a few pictures and ONE little story that we
just can't hold back.
After
the show was over, Ben removed the bra and tossed it onto
the stage. Luckily, a nice security guard picked it up and
offered it back to Dee, drenched with sweat and the not-so-pleasant
scent of a drummer (the bra, not the security guard!)