The Fall
5/30/6 Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago
If you are reading this, you most likely fall into one of two categories-either you’ve heard the name The Fall (perhaps you’ve heard of the legendary personality difficulties, firing of band members and the like as well) and you’d like to learn more OR you are obsessed with the Fall . You may own every album and re-release. You may google The Fall every five minutes to make sure another useful Fall fan page or news report hasn’t passed you by. Heck, you may even be running a fan page or reporting Fall news.
If you fall into the first category, I’ll direct you here) so that you can understand the deserved historical status and to the overwhelming contribution to music that Mark E. Smith has given us. I hold him in the same regard as David Byrne, for example. If you already know all this, you probably just want to see the setlist and view pictures.
Well, most people have grown to at least accept Mark E Smith’s tempermental personality. The last time I saw them was at the Empty Bottle perhaps three years back. His lineup has completely changed again, of course, because rumour has it he fired them all and they left the tour they were on here in the states. Instead, he’s playing with guys (and a girl) my age who are so tight they blew me away on their own. I mean, really you have to still have some backup to Mark E. Smith’s poor annunciation and the music proves to me that he’s still got it so to speak. I was more impressed by the Cairo Gang than by the previous band members I’d seen him with. You can hear their own stuff on their myspace page. At least, I think it was The Cairo Gang that were playing with him (they were on the official Fall website and were listed on the Logan Square Auditorium web page). In any case, they did not disappoint me.
Now, if you are a giant Fall fan, own everything including the box set which you probably had most of anyways in one version or another, but have never gotten to see the dark and enigmatic Mark E Smith live, you’ve probably atleast heard the news: Mark E. Smith is the most passive aggressive person on the planet. What I mean by this is simply that I have the feeling at most shows when the backing band bothers him, he doesn’t start punching them or anything. What he does do is obsessively adjust and readjust and readjust again all of the nobs on their amps so that even if they are playing one of the catchiest written guitar riffs you might not hear it. In some ways, this is pretty passive aggressive to the audience members too, who after awhile can become a bit jarred by the constant nob turning of the man and be driven to distraction. That doesn’t mean the set isn’t great or that the experience isn’t worth it. It simply means this: be prepared. I’ve been lucky because both times he at least stood on stage and played for a good 45 minutes. There will always be songs you’d like to hear, especially older songs (his newer material is great too, though. My favorite album of theirs overall might actually be The Real New Fall lp) but at his best, Mark E. Smith leaves you rather satisfied that, if nothing else, at least you’ve now seen a real legend up close.
View the complete photoset on flickr
Click to see a setlist:
SETLIST: (note-if some of these aren’t full titles, it will at least give you an idea of his abbreviation system.)
Bo D
Pacifying
Sparta
Mountain
Wrong Place
Systematic
Grass Grow
Formation
Blindness
Assume
Mr. Pharm
What About Us
May 31st, 2006 at 5:19 pm
Nice review and photos Kirstie. One thing, though. He didn’t fire his previous band. They quit voluntarily after the Phoenix show when they flew back to the UK the next day with only Mark and his wife Elena on keyboards staying on.
May 31st, 2006 at 6:35 pm
see, I knew you could add something…
although you are I’m sure technically correct, I must suggest however that there is a very fine line of a difference between being fired and quitting in the wonderful and frightening world of the Fall.