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| Concert Review |  |
by Thomas H. Kercheval |
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| Fear not - Big Country is alive and well. From a creative standpoint, they proved at the packed show at The Sutler in Nashville on 7/9/99 that they’re not just surviving, they’re thriving.
Joanie Williams and I walked into the small club (The Sutler) around 6:30-ish, to the sounds of someone tinkering with their guitar on the small stage. Sure enough, it was Stuart. He was amazingly friendly and cordial as usual, and said that it should be an interesting show, as they had no effects pedals, just guitars straight through the amps. He called it the "Big Country Punk Rock Show." Tony, Bruce, and Mark walked in shortly thereafter, and began setting up themselves. Apparently, most of the equipment was borrowed for the evening. Joanie and I had already met Fil at the Baltimore airport, and we also met Susan, Anne (ARC), Shirley, Dana, Christina, Ed Clark, Donna Higgs, Howard Bryan, and many other BC fans whom we'd only previously known as a font. Everyone was incredibly nice, and there was a really great atmosphere in the room. I didn't know what to expect from the band, but when they came out and did a soundcheck in front of the packed club (about half of "You Dreamer") myself and I'm sure everyone else in the place was just blown away, mouth agape. It just sounded so good! And this was just the soundcheck! I also didn't know what to expect from the new songs, but all I can say is, I haven't been as excited about a new crop of BC tunes since the early days. These songs were AWESOME!!!! The band began with "Driving to Damascus," which begins with a CLASSIC Big Country/Stuart guitar riff. It gave me chills to hear it. Then Mark came in on the rolling toms, and they launched into the tune, and I was amazed that no one had gushed about this one yet. It's just a tremendous song. But there were so many others... “President" was next, which many have heard, and this is as hard a song as BC has ever done, and sounds really refined and powerful at this point. The drumming was just unbelievable, and the band was as into this performance already as I'd ever seen them. Another brand new one was next, "Perfect World." Again, just a CLASSIC BC song. It was brilliant - great guitar parts, great everything. I or someone else can provide a full set list later, but they didn't play any real obscure stuff, just LOTS of new songs. Besides those I already mentioned, here’s a brief rundown on some of the new songs: “John Wayne's Dream” - I think this is going to be another one of those "how could this song not make the album" tunes. It was, again, just fantastic. Big guitars, big choruses, rousing and anthemic. The "bagpipe" guitars aren't really there, a la the Watson/Adamson twin lead guitar attack of old, but it's still undeniably Big Country, and it was just great. “Spirit to Me” - a really beautiful, haunting Big Country "power ballad." I don't know why, but it reminded me a bit of "Over the Border." Spine-tingling lyrics (those I could make out), cool, unique guitar parts, and a big beautiful chorus. Another winner. “Fragile Thing” - This song seemed to have met with lukewarm reaction from some of the fans at the shepherd's bush gig. Maybe it doesn't translate as well to a big venue, I don't know, but here it seemed intimate and really haunting and moving. It's been slightly reworked from the first time the band was playing it on the Restless Natives tour, but nothing too drastic. Seems like there’s a more developed drum part, and a few new chord changes which I think really improved this great song. Interesting choice for a single, though. I talked with Bruce after the show, and he said they all wanted "See You" to be the first single, but Radio 1 or 2 or whoever didn't react very positively to it, so they submitted "Fragile Thing," which got much better reaction. Sure hope it works for them. “Dive Into Me” - Basically like the version on "Scud," but harder-edged, and some new lyrics and a slightly different arrangement. I think this song sounded fabulous, and really benefited from the heavier guitars. Afterwards, someone could be heard yelling out, “That’s a keeper,” to which Stuart seemed to agree. “I Get Hurt” - Very catchy, really got the place going. Will join the ranks of so many other BC tunes that have fans asking, "How could this become a b-side?" Anyway, in response to the esteemed Steve Bullman and other "Loserville" lovers - I didn't even wait for the show to start to ask for the song. I asked Tony if they would play it while he was setting up, and he said "no," almost as if he was tired of playing it. I later asked Bruce Watson why it got cut, and he said it was "too f-ing long." He did say that he thought it was a magnificent song, but it was just too long (over 7 minutes) to be on the album. It's going to be a b-side to the first single. As for the other songs, there was no real mystery - "Look Away," "Alone," "Chance," "I'm Not Ashamed," "Fields of Fire," "In a Big Country," "Wonderland," and some others that escape me at the moment. “Wonderland" was interesting, because they had no delay effect, so Stuart said, "who knows what this will sound like." They began playing, and it sounded fantastic. Whenever the delay parts would occur, they’d just look at each other and laugh. And what was really cool is the little instrumental bit from the "Restless Natives" soundtrack that they added in the mid section breakdown. Can’t remember what the title of that is (if there is one), but it sounded spectacular. Also, as some have reported already, they sing a verse of "Harvest Home" during the breakdown in "I'm Not Ashamed." The crowd was totally rabid by the time they reached the crescendo of the set with “Fields of Fire,” “In a Big C,” and “Chance.” During the traditional singalong part of “Chance,” the crowd surprised the band by singing along in three-part harmony. Stuart said, “only in Nashville would this happen,” and the band was all smiles as the crowd continued to sing. It really sounded incredible, almost like a gospel version of the song. The band ended with a fiery “Rockin’ in the Free World” that finally brought the last seated onlookers to their feet. Really, I went to this show not quite knowing what to expect, wondering if the band was going to be really into it, and I left Nashville just so excited about the band and so amazed at how "into it" they still are. They played that small room like it was a giant arena, with Stuart jumping about, Bruce going into his usual poses, Tony leaping around the stage, Mark smashing the drums (not literally, of course). It was just so reaffirming, and I wish everyone could've been there. What made it even better was how accessible the band was after the show, talking to us and so many other fans till the wee hours of the morning. One thing is clear - they DESPERATELY want to tour America. In fact, Bruce said, “We have to tour America this time. If we don’t, there’s really no point in continuing.” So, let’s hope an American deal can be secured soon. People have GOT to see this band live. They made so many converts in that small room. I can only imagine how many they would make if they had the opportunity to go out and tour properly. Really, this was one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen, from the best live band I’ve ever seen. Everyone should be really excited about the new album - there are some CLASSIC BC tunes on the way. Thanks to all who made the show possible, and I sure hope we can do it again soon. To view some photos of the show, check out the following link: http://www.mindspring.com/~dissident/nashville.html |
