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Photo: ©Jonathan Leong

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What does this mean? It's over. There will be no more concerts. Unless you were fortunate enough to attend one of the handful of December shows or the March California "mini-tour" you're out of luck. Just hope that in another two or three years, when the next Mazzy album is released, it sells a few more copies and the powers that be feel it is worth mounting a more extensive tour in support of the CD.

We all may be "addicted to Mazzy" but not everyone has seen the light. I hate to be the messenger bearing bad news, but sales of Among My Swan were a "disappointment" to the label. The prevous album, So Tonight That I Might See, went platinum but Swan--well, let's just say Swan didn't. The hardcore Mazzy fans bought it (this means you) but not enough average slobs saddled up to the Wal-Mart and plunked down their thirteen bucks.

Popularity does have a tendency to ruin a band and we don't want a bunch of yahoos going to the concerts just because they thought Hope looked "cute" in that video they saw on MTV. And we all know that sales figures have no relationship to quality. But, without a certain number of casual Mazzy fans out there buying CD's, there are no concerts for anyone to go to.

Moral: We need a few more yahoos.

For my view on why sales were "below expectations," read my upcoming Among My Swan Marketing Analysis (no kidding).
If you didn't catch one of the concerts, you can read about what you missed below.

Concert Reviews
(in backwards chronological order. newest to oldest.)

Matt's Santa Barbara Show Experience
A fan's perspective.

Santa Barbara, CA
March 27th, 1997 - Emerald City

Well, I can tell you that seeing them live was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. They arrived before the opener went on, they came through the back, Hope looking as beautiful as ever and, of course, David - the definition of cool, followed right behind her, as well as William Cooper, Jill Emery, Keith Mitchell, and Suki. The opening band (Acetone) went on real late. Hope actually came out and watched them play for a bit - she was about 10 feet from me! But everyone seemed too intimidated to say anything to her, so she just sat and listened. If there weren't so many people in my way, I tryed to convince myself, I would've said something to her, but I probably would have backed down like everyone else. So when they finally went on, everyone moved up front real quick, and even though my friends didn't, I merged into the big group towards the front.

They opened with "Happy" and "Umbilical", both of which Hope played guitar on! David played beautifully, God he's so cool. William Cooper amazed me - he played keyboards, strings, and guitar! Keith Mitchell is a LOT better drummer than I thought he was, and Jill Emery and Suki offered more than capable support. They played a variety of old and new; during "Tell Me Now", Hope made eye contact with me! - twice! The first time for a couple seconds, then she looked away, then looked back to see if I was still looking, and we made eye contact again! Unfortunately, some really annoying jerk had a camera, and and the flash kept going off right in Hope's face, and she started to get a little upset. They closed the set with a really cool cover of Bo Diddley's "Mona", and they jammed on it for a bit, which was really cool. They left the stage, but did come back for an encore, starting with "Give You My Lovin." The last song, I'm presuming, was a new song (and a good one at that), and though I can't remember the phrase she kept repeating, I remember one of the words was "sunshine".

I can just tell you that seeing them live, and hearing the music in a different environment with a muddier mix, was a real thrill! Seeing them live made me re-realize how much I like this band, and all the things they do, whether musically or personally. They took me to a different place, I was off in their world, and they were sharing it with me, and everyone else in attendance. And although they could have played longer, and the show could have been better, this is definitely the best concert I've been to, and I don't think anything else will top it (until I see them again). I hope all of you get the chance to see them, to experience what I have.

--contributed by Matt
Matt's Mazzy Star Tribute

[Editor's Note: Matt was nice enough to contribute this piece to Everything Mazzy. I am not Matt. And, unfortunately, I've yet to attend a Mazzy concert.]

Mazzy's set list for March 27th, (99% sure this was their set):
Happy
Umbilical
Blue Flower (I don't know who wrote this song)
Tell Me Now
Five String Serenade (Arthur Lee)
Rhymes Of An Hour
Cry, Cry
Disappear
So Tonight That I Might See
Mona (Bo Diddley)

Encore:
Give You My Lovin
?? Sunshine (I presume it's a new song)

A rare club appearance by Mazzy Star was one of the highlights of last Friday's KBLT benefit at Hollywood Moguls in Los Angeles. The well-attended show also included sets by ex-Jane's Addiction bassist Eric Avery's new project, Polar Bear, keyboard innovator Money Mark, experimental supercoalition Banyan, and local glam-pop darlings Touchcandy. The impressive lineup was assembled to raise money for KBLT, a local microradio station covertly operating in the Los Angeles area. While the "pirate radio" broadcasts have been going on for over a year without any FCC interference, the station's operators conceived the benefit to raise a "nest egg" in the event of future legal problems. And the fundraiser was a rousing success. Held at a relatively small venue, the show had been long sold out, with hopeful crowds clustering around the door for the evening's duration.

One time Angelenos Mazzy Star don't make it into town much anymore (this was the second time since the release of their most recent album, Among My Swan) and the faithful -- mostly male -- were crowded up front for their set. Singer Hope Sandoval, clad in a pretty, lacey blouse and bathed in violet light, made a striking centerpiece to Mazzy Star's languorous rootsy blues. While her stage presence has often been described as offputting or aloof, tonight she stood right up front and sang straight to the audience, her voice mixed strongly and clearly. Other highlights included the intense noisemaking of Banyan, featuring Mike Watt, Nels Cline, and Stephen Perkins (two bands tonight featured ex-Jane's Addiction members; Perry Farrell was spotted hanging out; guess all those legendary differences are being placed to rest), and a late-night set by Touchcandy. Although most of the crowd was trickling out by the time Touchcandy came on, singer Dave Willis' hammy, charismatic moves and the band's New Wave exuberance provided the purest fun of the lengthy evening. -- Mara Schwartz
Spin Online (Courtesy - John - Mazzy newsgroup)

With a noisy start, Polar Bear shook off the winter's hibernation to the small crowd as they plunged through four songs, including "Water." Then the Dust Brothers played.

Mazzy Star then took the stage after an inordinate break and played a handful of tracks from their most recent album Among My Swan including "Disappear" and "Flowers in December," and from the previous albums, "Mary of Silence" and "Ride It On." But singer Hope Sandoval's reserved approach -- she mostly stared at the floor in dark lighting -- failed to significantly connect with this audience. So when, after a not- so- rousing applause, the band retook the stage for one last song, "So Tonight That I Might See," it was to scattered enthusiasm, and an otherwise successful night ended on a perplexed note.  --  Simon Rust Lamb

Fiona Apple sounded jolly good on the radio, yet strangely giggly when talking between her angsty, artsy piano- laden view on men and the world. Failure were just loud, too loud be enjoyable, the guitar muddying up in the massive shed that is the Cow Palace. Likewise, the Lemonheads were a 20- minute disappointment. Evan Dando has remastered the art of standing up without falling over, but his new songs sound like good ideas he forgot to finish.

Mazzy Star didn't even get 20 minutes, performing only three songs. Hope Sandoval was divinely delicious and the sound perfect. But obviously scared of sending the "modern rock" demographic scattering to the hills, they left the stage to be replaced by a tape of Rage Against the Machine. Christmas concerts? Bah Humbug.    --  Amanda-Jane

Gossip filler
Allstar Magazine - December 2, 1996

Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star apparently wasn't feeling so pretty last night (Dec. 1) at the Supper Club in New York City. So she insisted that there be no stage lighting or even a spotlight, and that the plethora of photographers on hand not use a flash, threatening that if any did, she would walk offstage. Why? According to the band's tour manager, she was "feeling very unattractive." --  Miss Truth

Newsgroup Postings
Mazzy in Detroit
Detroit - State Theater
Dec 7, 96

By JoyDivision

I saw Mazzy Star in Detroit (State Theater) back at the beginning of December '96. It was absolutely spellbinding. First of all, Face to Face and Goldfinger opened up for them so there was all kinds of punkass goons there who were just sooo obnoxious. I went through 2 hours of complete hell, dodging crowd surfers and avoiding pits--just generally trying to stay alive, because I wanted to be right up against the gates when she same on.

They were amazing--they played Roseblood, Take Everything, Fade Into You, and Sweet Mary of Silence. Unfortunatly all the a--holes who were there started carrying on as if a f--kin' punk band were playing. They couldn't just chill out like everyone else did. Someone threw a shoe at her and hit her in the chest. She got very pissed off and got a bucket of water from side stage and totally threw it at the crowd. Of course who ends up getting the wettest though? Me. It doesn't matter though.

It was the trippiest show I ever went to. They had a disco ball hanging from the cieling that had to be about 20ft across! It was huge! They had strobes shining upon it. Then the had little pieces of celophane falling from the ceiling like confetti. It was thick as snow. You couldn't look up at all because it would get in your eyes. Many people had that happen to them. I just thought I'd share this experience with everyone.

Rolling Stone - December 6, 1996
Night of the Living Zombies: Hope Sandoval and David Roback.
MAZZY STAR
Washington, D.C. - Black Cat
Dec. 4, 1996

By playing just the first few songs from their opening set at Washington's Black Cat, Mazzy Star pulled off yet another trademark hypnotic feat: complete crowd sedation. Starting with somnambulant stares and coming damn close to full body paralysis, the audience was rapidly transformed into a lobotomized cross section of Capital youth.

The drug of choice, of course, was Hope Sandoval, whose overwhelming schoolgirl beauty and lush, lilting vocals lulled her captors -- both men and women -- into pleasant submission with the very first number, "Among My Swan"'s hauntingly sorrowful "Disappear." But even zombies like a little variation now and then, and with the exception of an oh-so-gentle sway triggered by David Roback's trippy-country guitar, the crowd was given no reason to do anything more than gawk wide-eyed until the performers -- plagued throughout by a piss-poor, squawking sound system -- called it quits after a mere hour onstage.

Backed by a three-piece band, Sandoval and Goback delivered their strongest performances early on, churning out in succession, "She Hangs Brightly"'s spirited "Ride It On," "Swan"'s "Flowers in December" (featuring Sandoval's more-than-adequate turn on harmonica), and "Brightly"'s "Halah," which the diminutive chanteuse, dressed in a black crochet top that offered plenty of navel gazing, delivered with sweeping melancholy.

Motionless underneath a mystical crystal chandelier, Sandoval, left hand on hip, right hand hanging limp at her side, worked almost every song with the same disinterested pose and pouty frown. Though she needed no help capturing everyone's attention, white strobe often backlit her tiny frame, and green, red, and blue stage lights would periodically fade in and out on her face.

The relationship between the singer and the skilled guitarist (whose impressive resume lists being the founder of paisley underground bands Opal and the Rain Parade) has fused to symbiotic and equal over the years, yet tonight Roback stayed hidden in the shadows, obscured by darkness and leaving Sandoval virtually alone.

The only evidence of any honest emotion occurred during a song break, when some out-of-place barbarian in the crowd grunted hostile indecipherables at the fragile singer. Roback, in an apparent act of near-brotherly love, nonchalantly tossed splashes of bottled water in the general direction of the shouts . The guy shut up, Roback went back to his guitar, and so concluded the high-adventure portion of the evening.

After an all-too-brief second set that closed with "Brightly"'s driving, drum-heavy "Ghost Highway" -- and without satisfying several cries for big hit "Fade Into You" -- the band left the stage for good as quietly as they started. Surprisingly, there was very little exit applause. For many people, perhaps still in a daze, it wasn't until after the house lights were ignited when they realized Mazzy Star was finished for the evening.
-- Sean Daly
© 1997 by Straight Arrow Publishers Company, L.P. All rights reserved.

9X Radio
A Face In The Crowd: 9X Is There
MAZZY STAR
Washington, D.C. - The Black Cat
December 4, 1996

by Chris Irving

Since the group Mazzy Star's music evokes a real moodiness and showcases a blues influence, it was only fitting that The Black Cat was the perfect venue for them to play in. Being a hole-in-the-wall club in downtown D.C., The Black Cat isn't very large and as a result, the show was sold out. There was a real coffeeshop crowd present in the low-lit nicotine haze of the main room, aging mostly from the 20s to 30s (making it wonderfully devoid of all of the little kids at larger stadium concerts).

An hour after the proposed showtime, Sparklehorse came out and played half an hour. I can't pretend to be a fan of their music, nor have I become one because of this show. Though they didn't sound that wonderful, they handled the audience rather well, even through this mysterious feedback that poisoned the instrumentals. After they left, a small crew came out for an hour trying to find the source of the feedback. And then, Mazzy came on...

Opening with "Disappear" and "Flowers In December", off of their new album Among My Swan, I was blown away with how wonderful they sounded. Accompanied with four guitarists and a drummer, frontwoman Hope Sandoval's (contrary to popular belief, her name is NOT Mazzy Star) vocals added to the usual eerieness of the recorded songs. I always thought that her voice seemed like an echo because of something done to it in the studio, but was pleasantly surprised that, from my vantage point of five feet, it really did sound distant.

The group played through "Hallah," "Be My Angel," "So Tonight That I Might See" and "Give You My Lovin'" before Hope walked offstage in the middle of "She Hangs Brightly" due to the return of the feedback and a few rowdy people in the crowd. An attempt was made to convince everyone that Hope "...had a cold" and had to stop the show short, but this was thwarted by everyone's cheers of encouragement.

So, Mazzy came back out and did "She Hangs Brightly" again, and "Ghost Highway" before finally walking out. Leaving the show I couldn't help but feel glad that I got to see one of my favorite bands perform live, but at the same time I was very disappointed that the show didn't work out. I think I can say that Mazzy Star definitely sounds more than good for a live show, they just need to let the audience know they're glad to be there. There isn't anything worse than a band that looks like they'd rather be anywhere but at the show. I just hope I can see them under better conditions sometime.
©1997, 9X, Vol. 24  plan9music, http://www.plan9music.com

Tourdates Review
Boston - Avalon
Dec 3, 96

By Mike Winchester
Rating:10
Despite obnoxious fans, and loud disco next door, Mazzy Star came through with a beautiful set. I was floored by the bands stage presence. The music was incredible and actually brought tears to my eyes.

Mazzy Newsgroup Postings
New York City
New York City - Supper Club
December 1, 1996

From: villafranc
I saw Mazzy Star at the Supper Club in NYC a couple of weeks ago. I also saw them last year when the opened for the Jesus & Mary Chain. Basically, I don't think that they are very comfortable playing for a 'crowd". Hope is definitely an introvert onstage. Don't expect to hear any "Hello, San Fransisco's!!" or any "thank you's" or any acknowledgement of the crowd by them. The stage was very dark. I could hardly see Dave Roback. The good news is that they sound gorgeous. Their violinist/cellist/rhythm guitarist is heavenly. Also, don't expect them to do more than one encore. What I'm saying is that the less you expect, the more you'll get out of the show. Like they once said in an interview-- "We're not the red hot chili peppers..." Enjoy the show.   
Peace - villafranc

From: gipswolfe@aol.com
I saw the NYC show at the Supper Club and they sounded excellent. I got there pretty early. the doors opened at 7pm and I was waiting outside at around 6:45pm and I saw Hope, David and the band exit the place and hop into taxis. She's so very petite.
Man, does Hope's boyfriend have big 80's hair, or what?
I only wish that I was able to see the band a little better. The lighting was so damn dark (I know, I know....it's the Mazzy Star mood lighting...). But I know how much Hope loathes to perform, so I guess the murky lighting only made sense.

From: docjacoby@aol.com
A tremendous live performance tonight at the thousand seat supper club. Songs played (not in order) disappear, flowers in december, rhymes of an hour, happy, look on down from the bridge....she's my baby, wasted, into dust, halah, ride it on, be my angel. With Mr. Reid: she hangs brightly, so tonight i might see, take everything, and cry, cry (the four encores).

Great, great show, good crowd, excellent lighting and stage show.

From: Seth Harris Skolnick shs29@columbia.edu
I went to the NYC show tonight too...They definitely did not play Happy, She's My Baby, or Wasted. However, they did do Umbilical, Still Cold, and Give You My Lovin, which you forgot to mention. The rest of it sounds alright to me. Great show.

The Setonian - Dec 5, 1996
Mazzy Star:
a resonant cloud in the rock universe
New York City - Supper Club
Dec 1, 1996

By Pat Charles
Assistant A&E Editor

If you were to search the skies of the underground music world, there would be an enigmatic cloud hovering around a mesmerizingly beautiful Mazzy Star. The cloud depicts the amourphous, yet amorous, consonance that guitarist David Roback contributes, while the eternal flame, which burns dimly, represents the languid, yet seductive vocals of Hope Sandoval. Mazzy Star is a group as well as an experience.

In the midst of darkness stood Hope Sandoval, radiating her elegant bloom to an attentive New York City crowd at the Supper Club this past Sunday. Melodically shifting from Roback's magnetic, drone-like guitar riffs to the subtle chimes, distant organs and the mild impacts of Sandoval's tambourine. The decelerated temp was as graceful as the northern California sunset from where they hail.

Mazzy Star's music will draw your undivided attention toward a delightful mindstate and accompany your soul through the infinite air of euphoric elation. Hope Sandoval's fascinating voice glides with grace, as Roback softly strums his guitar, making the magical vibe all the more gorgeous.

Sandoval's dynamics evolve from a mysterious fog and pursue the abstract shape of innocence, which then floats across a tame river of passion. Her voice echoes with the overcoming essence of mystical emotion, as the background music laces it with comfort. Trying to pinpoint the magic in Mazzy Star's music is equivalent to describing the universe's transcendent content. Over 1,000 fortunate fans immediately fell into the group's sultry trance.

Mazzy Star enveloped the audience with their opening tune, "Disappear," the first cut off of their latest release, AMONG MY SWAN (Capitol Records). From then on, those in attendance absorbed the enigma, which flowed silently under every syllable Sandoval whispered. She presented other tracks like "Rhymes of an Hour," "Cry, Cry," "Flowers in December," and a spectacular composition titled "Take Everything."

Mazzy Star also unveiled some of the sweetly-expressed sounds, which are captured on their first two albums, "She Hangs Brightly" (1990) and "So Tonight That I Might See" (1993). For many people the show was a convincing, yet modest reinforcement of Mazzy Star's issustrious 6-year career dwelling in the shade of the underground music scene. For others it was a marvelous discovery, indicating a long period of deprivation. Sandoval, who writes most of the groupÕs lyrics, expresses thoughts of melancholy and spiritual growth, yet without remotely quelling the listenerÕs interest and mood.

In "Take Everything" Sandoval's resonant vocals are beautiful ("You've fallen from my eyes/that's the truth"). Seeing her perform in a small setting made the moment all the more intimate. It was like Mazzy Star's music was designed for the place. It was evident when the group generated the grooves "Halah" "Be My Angel," "Ride It On" and "Into Dust."

In a peculiar way, it was appealing to me how Sandoval and Roback said nothing throughout the show. There was no "hello," no "goodbye" and no "thank you." They didn't have to say anything, because their stage presence was as magnetic as gravity. They simply strolled on stage, transcended the atmosphere and virtually dissolved into thin air. That's when it all made sense to me why it's beneficial to reach for the sky.
The Setonion Online  (Seton Hall University)

New York City - Supper Club
December 1, 1996

On record, Mazzy Star is the perfect soundtrack for late-night depressives. When Hope Sandoval sings, enigmatically and lugubriously, lines like "I could possibly be fading," accompanied by gentle acoustic guitar strums and buried washes of distorted electric, lonely young women tend to gush romantic fantasies and revelations of heartbreak into their journals at 2 a.m. It's beautifully sad music for beautifully sad moments.

Unfortunately for Mazzy Star, such moods and moments are hard to recapture in a crowded rock club, such as at New York's Supper Club Sunday night (Dec. 1). Mazzy is a one- on- one thing-- their style necessitates intimacy; otherwise their slow, swirling, psychedelic country rock comes off as inert rather than languorous.

In fact, the band was so still, the stage so dark, and their music so slo-mo, that the crowd went bananas when the disco ball started spinning. They were obviously desperate for some-- any-- indication of life, and Mazzy wasn't providing. Co-songwriter/guitarist David Roback was practically a statue, and his playing was all unvaried, snooze-inducing riffery; Sandoval was the very picture of onstage discomfort in a sexy/frumpy cocktail dress, eyes closed or riveted on the floor, shoulders curled forward. Her hands were usually behind her back, fingers tangling around each other in a display of nervousness.

Still, they were somehow compelling, mesmerizing even-- intensely unintense. (Or is it the other way around?) Besides, their onstage presence (or lack thereof) worked quite well with their music. Mazzy on record sounds like an indie-country bar outfit, drugged and at a too-slow speed, fronted by a passionately disinterested ice-queen diva; visually, torpid is really their only option.  -- Marni Davis
© 1996, 1997 allstar, the better online music magazine

Copenhagen
Copenhagen, Denmark - Little Vega
Nov 22, 1996

Mazzy Star's performance at Little Vega, in Copenhagen, was an almost gothic experience. The concert started a few minutes after midnight, and lasted about 75 minutes. I haven't heard or seen anything like this before, Mazzy Star is just so much better live . The audience was spellbound in what seemed like an fairytale with the most beautiful mermaid one can imagine, from another time or planet.

The Danish newspapers are filled with extremely good reviews. The words are so well-chosen that I will frame them, and keep them forever.

- Henrik Filskov
    filskov@post3.tele.dk

NME Review
Mazzy Star/Red House Painters
Birmingham, England - date unknown

[Editor's NOTE: I had to rewrite some of this piece--it was a mess--parts were missing. It's still not any good--just plain bad writing--but at least it's now semi-coherant. This is pretentious, in-the-know music reviewing at it's worse. Anyone who uses the phrase "a la Cobain" should be shot.]

So what have they got in common, Hope Sandoval and Mark Kozelek? Apart from the doom-child eyes, the shredded psyche and a fondness for letting us in on their sleepless travels through life?

Answer: the quest for reverence. Both strive, unwittingly or not, for a gravity that would bring world leaders out in a crimson blush. Not for them the frivolous pursuit of pop stardom (best quality, remember; transience) that clutters up the minds of our pop aspirants.

Nope, for them success is, a la Cobain, something that to be constructed as yet another of life's endless bad spells.

At last night's Birmingham show, the first of the tour, Hope fell foul of a heckler and promptly walked off the stage after 45 minutes, leaving the crowd confused and irritated. Accordingly, record company personnel wring their hands and fret over whether the Univeristy can attain the degree of decorum required.

Guitar-meister David Robeck, formally of the psychedelicos The Rain Parade, seems unable to contain himself. In the places where subtlety would normally wallow, he provides a barrage of crunching bonanzas that seem horribly out of place next to Hope's soft-wristed maraca shaking. Thus, 'Mary Of Silence' and 'Ghost' become exercises in strong-armed Doorsarama that kill any sense of other-worldliness stone dead.

But the people are hanging on her every sigh. Eventually 'She Hangs Brightly' reduces the crowd noise to a low murmur, but it's only with a wonderful 'Into Dust' that the long-sought-after awestruck vibe develops and Hope's sulky delivery elicits a complete, and stunning, silence. They flop back on for a final 'So Tonight That I Might See' bathed in organ and purple lights, and, unaware of what decorum demands next, the University applauds frantically. As she exits, Hope even offers a glimmer of a smile. Budding hecklers find their hearts in pieces.

For Mark Kozelek things can never be this easy. The latest example of an ancient tradition of singer-songrwiterdom, his gloom-laden laments of smalltown neuroses offer all the desolation of Mazzy Star with none of the mystery. Saturday in Leeds is not a light-hearted experience. An opening solo slope through 'Michael' suggests an evening of raw nerves and class A soul- bearing may be in store but, aside from a genuinely touching acoustic strum through 'Mistress', his songs find themselves surrounded by a swamp of musicians who do nothing but turn them into bar-room dirges.

He gives the impression of having lived through a million hells. He even explains that he's been "bruised internally, eternally". The Duchess Of York, staffed for the night by an alarming amount of thirtysomethings, nods its approval and mulls over the private dreams that have ended up falling through life's floorboards. He returns for a guitar-laden 'Uncle Joe' ("I'd give anything a try once!" he wails) and then, thankfully unencumbered by the band,he leaves a final time with a stirring 'New Jersey'.

It's the first night of the tour, and the combined effects of travelling and nerves have conspired to make him physically ill before and after the show. In the light of this, then, perhaps it's better to hold fire on the ins and outs of any long-term career prospects, let alone the man's lifespan potential. Even depressives can have an off-day.  -- Paul Moody
NME - eyesore

RAD concert review
Mazzy Star/Jesus & Mary Chain
Concert Review
Salt Lake City - Saltair
November 1994

I don't know which was more wonderful -- the 1994 hard-driving, multi-effect version of the Jesus and Mary Chain, with the black candy psychedelia of Mazzy Star opening for them -- both in their untouchable glory amidst a mad mass of worshippers, or, to have seen the JAM Chain in a tiny club back in 1987 on their Darklands tour, while Dave Rohback, with his pre-Mazzy Star band, Opal, opened for them, with Hope Sandoval substituting for vocalist Kendra Smith on the last part of the tour? That 1987 show was like a foreshadowing of the rave reception they were to eventually receive touring together in 1994. (Was it also when Hope and William Reid first met and hooked up?) Did Hope know that, by 1994, frat boys and raver kids still with zits and braces would be screaming to her, "Mazzy, I love you!"?

Neither Mazzy Star nor the JAM Chain were doing interviews this tour, although we did run into Suki, one of the guitarists for Mazzy Star, as she strolled about the grounds of Saltair wondering if this was indeed the film site for cult movie Carnival of Souls (which it was). We tried to talk to David Rohback (sic) later, but, just as on stage, he kept within the darkened corners, secretly working his guitar voodoo, while eluding journalists, as well. More congenial was Keith Mitchell (also with Opal), with whom we chatted a bit.

Throughout their entire set, the lighting focused upon Hope, who stood in statuesque delicacy, very detached, yet very potent vocally. The whole ambience was as sweetly lethargic as morphine. Hope was framed much of the time by a purple ray of light emanating from behind. She hardly moved at all, but shook her maraca and tambourine with mechanic precision. They began the set with a new, or at least unavailable, song called "Flowers". Half of the set included works from the recent "So Tonight That I Might See" ("Into Dust", "Bells Ring", "Fade Into You", "Mary of Silence" and the title track) and the other songs were classics off of "She Hangs Brightly" ("Ride It On", "Halah", "Ghost On A Highway" and "Blue Flower").

Now, I don't know if Mazzy Star plan it this way, but they have the effect of slowly, caressingly, lulling the audience into a psychedelic trance. I mean, I swear I actually saw the sinister bluesy music of Dave Rohback's guitar float up in the air and swirl about like a thick haze of tangible sounds. They finished with a numbing version of "So Tonight That I Might See" which marked them as one of the best bands to "phase out" with, since Spacemen 3.  -- Squid
© 1995, Rational Alternative Digital

SPIN Magazine - January 1995
LIVE!
The Jesus & Mary Chain/Mazzy Star
New York City - The Academy
October 22, 1994

by Eric Weisbard

TWO BANDS, and for the whole evening not one word was exchanged between performers and audience; the spotlight never even shined in the musicians' eyes. Wouldn't have been proper.

On the first Mazzy Star tune, Hope Sandoval played a little harmonica when she wasn't singing. On the second one, she counterpointed David Roback's guitar and the bass, drum, keyboard, and violin players with some clearly audible tambourine. During the third song, she picked up a shaker. See, not all Mazzy Star is alike. One moment, virtuoso Roback is making his guitar sound as shivery as a theremin, the next he's found a way to play blues in slow motion.

You can eat well on such distinctions (terrific minimal drumming, for instance), and we did, though when Mazzy Star went off without playing an encore no one shouted; it was enough. "Superstar in your own private movie," goes a lyric from 1990's She Hangs Brightly album. Mazzy ain't so Warhol Underground now, though- not with an MTV hit-so when it came time to play "Fade Into You," the band did the honorable thing and raised the lights a little bit; from ultraviolet to turquoise.

The Jesus & Mary Chain seemed garish by comparison. At best, the group's classic rock'n'roll sounds like the Ramones doing "Crimson and Clover," like motorcycle gospel (reverence reserved for humming guitars and Bedrock chord progressions), like singer Jim Reid's innate disdain had momentarily been suspended-a Goth just learning the joys of catching a wave. Or they drift along quietly, on such tunes as "Come On" (from Stoned & Dethroned), which has a definite Mazzyish feel. Sandoval came out to encore "Sometimes Always" with Jim Reid, just like on the album, except her mike had feedback, and she must despise Jim Reid, because have you ever seen a duet where neither singer acknowledged the other's presence and one walked off after her last line, before the song was done? Amusing, actually. But tell me: Why does a band as capable both of austerity and of vulgarity need to whip out every bloated drum machine-Primal Scream cliche you ever despised in the English?

"I Hate Rock & Roll" was the first encore, a little non-album snippet on which guitarist William Reid sings lead and actually sometimes says he loves rock'n'roll, too. Ain't it just a bitch sometimes, trying to decide?

Ben is Dead magazine
MAZZY STAR @ The Palace
Hollywood - the Palace
Sept 4, 94

As a rule, The Palace is lacking in the sort of regal comfort its name implies and certainly the sort of comforts I am accustomed to ­ it is probably the worst place I can think of to see a show. There are too many reasons to waste the energy to enumerate right now, but the main offense is that the shows there always start way too early so it is almost next to impossible to see an opening band there or even the start of the set of the headliner. So of course, it was not my fault in the least that when I showed up there at 9ish, Mazzy Star had already been playing for 10 or 15 minutes. Or should I say they were already in full bloom. I pushed past the usual Palace riff raff towards unobstructed enjoyment of what was left of the set . Not that there was really anything to see ­ a few rays from a blue sometimes red spotlight slowly roamed the otherwise black stage filled with smoke further screening out the shadowed figures on stage ­ but the overall effect was near mesmerizing and combined with the deep warmth of their heavy, heavy sound I was soon taken far, far away from the Palace to a place I really, really wanted to be. (nina la queena)

reprinted with permission from Ben Is Dead Magazine, copyright 1997

The Swan Tour - concert dates

If you attended any of these shows, please E-Mail me with a review & setlist.

Europe pre-Swan summer '96 festivals

Europe Fall '96 Swan Tour

United States Fall '96 Swan Tour

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