Sonic Youth w/ Awesome Color at First Ave. 7/21/09

The Sonic Youth…I really am not sure how to approach this, as I haven’t reviewed any artists with a “legendary” status tag attached.  The energy…the stage presence…the…noise, the Sonic Youth tore up First Ave. on Tuesday, and my ringing ears have not let me forget it.  Playing mostly new music (as expected), they moved through their set so quickly, it seemed to be over sooner than I was ready.  Even with the double encore, ringing ears, and some over-sized drunk chicks spilling their beer on me, I still couldn’t/can’t get enough.  Now that all the praise is done, I did have one beef…NO “TEEN AGE RIOT”!  I know as a “so-called” music critic, I’m supposed to choose the most obscure song they have and find some way to make it my own, but 1.) I refuse to do that just for the sake of doing it, and 2.) “Teen Age Riot” is far too good of a song to not be tops…for me.  (By the way, sorry for the delay on this post)

Awesome Color was somewhat new to me, and I came away without anything really jumping out from the performance.  They are like a less important, less famous, and slightly heavier version of the Stooges (and no I am not saying they are the next Stooges, in any way).  With that said, their garage/noise/(somewhat) psych sound was refreshingly different from the shows I’ve been attending all year.  At the end of the day, I would definitely go see them again, but wouldn’t expect it to be sold out.