The Gutter Twins love The Metro (3/7)
Hot off the release of their debut album, Saturnalia, The Gutter Twins came to Chicago in style. It was cold Friday, very cold, and it started flurrying outside, where the line into The Metro went 
down Clark St. and wrapped around a corner. Fans in hoodies, wise ones in pea coats, and adventurers in only long sleeves shivered without spite as they shuffled towards the door for thirty minutes. Is that dedication or what?
Considering it was a late show, openers Great Northern came on just after midnight. From under a hoodie, vocalist Rachel Stolte slid over to her keyboard, looking more like a cast member of Northern Exposure than a successful, touring musician. The remainder of the Los Angeles band soon followed and they played a tight thirty minute set, comprised of songs off their 2007 debut, Trading Twilight for Daylight. Songs “Home” and particularly “Telling Lies” really fired up the crowd, whom were probably unfamiliar with the newfound indie band. That should change in the coming months because these Californians know how to write a clever melody and keep the ball rolling on stage. It was a shame they couldn’t play longer.
But really, everyone was waiting for the Twins…
The Metro’s pretty good at keeping time and tonight they didn’t slip. Within twenty minutes, the backing band for the Twins, which even included Jeff Klein on organ, sauntered out and threw on their respected equipment. It was when Mark Lanegan and the always smoking Greg Dulli came out that the crowd erupted with a claustrophobic applause. Opening track “The Stations” was the first casualty on a long set list of virtually unknown songs ripped off an album released only three days beforehand. I guess the audience singing and cheering must have been a fluke.
Lanegan, standing rigid and stoically at the microphone, seemed intimidated by the crowd. The typical recluse retained an authority over the band, chiming in when he wanted to, but never missing his cue for a chorus or a verse. There’s a sense of maturity in this distance from the audience that keeps him from coming off as an asshole, something that Dan Bejar (Destroyer) fails to do on stage with The New Pornographers. When he and Dulli rode through “All Misery/Flowers”, it was pure harmonic bliss and they brought a song to life.
The real highlight of the night came with the ever bluesy, yet epic (these are the guys behind The Twilight Singers, after all) masterwork of “Seven Stories Underground.” Dulli, behind a seatbelt guitar strap and still puffing out second hand smoke, paraded across the stage, exchanging a few glances with Klein before connecting with the audience for a short little rock out. Lanegan watched, his stare both ominous and self deprecating.
“It’s as hot in here as it’s cold out there,” Dulli shouted. Sweat was pouring out of his black button up and he continued wiping his face or going for water. This is, after all, his stage show as much as it is Lanegan’s, but Dulli seems to enjoy it more. He’s playful, energetic, and never seems to get too winded. In “Down the Line”, the band pummels through an exhilarating cover of the Jose Gonzalez tune. When both Lanegan and Dulli chant, “Don’t let the darkness eat you up”, the crowd followed suit, shortly thereafter.
After a couple more songs were nailed, including a chilling performance of “Front Street” featuring an exasperated Dulli, screaming, “We’re going to have some fun!”, the band said good night and headed off. “Five more,” someone screamed. People waited and for a good five minutes the band disappeared. I think everyone’s teeth glared when Dulli asked, “Okay, now you guys wanna hear some shit you know?”
For a bargain of seven songs, eight if you’re including the shorthand verse of Lanegan covering the Screaming Trees’ “Shadow of the Season, the band exceeded the average length of a typical encore. Some recent Twilight Singers’ material was played (a killer rendition of “I’m Ready”) and some older songs too (an excellent choice to close with “Blackberry Belle”). Two alternative legends came together and with distorted guitars and disheveled voices, carried the Chicago audience into the early, early morning.
It was a nice thing to hear Greg Dulli tell us he’ll be back this summer. Lollapalooza, anyone?
Setlist:
The Stations
God’s Children
All Misery/Flowers
Live With Me
7 Stories Underground
Idle Hands
Circle The Fringes
Bête Noire
Down the Line
I Was in Love With You
Each to Each
Front Street
Encore
I’m Ready
River Rise
Papillion-Shadow of the Season
No Easy Action
King Only
Methamphetamine Blues
Number Nine
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although “blackberry belle” is in the lyric the last song was “number nine”
Thanks, I’ll fix that!
Yeah, it was “Number Nine.” My bad on that one. Hey, I was one of those adventurers in long sleeves! For my money, Meth Blues and Papillion were the highlights. Amazing Grace leading into King Only was a nice touch.
“We’re gonna have some fun, son!” indeed.
later on,
m
‘Thinking About You Baby,’ is actually called ‘Live With Me’ which is a Massive Attack cover. Just saw the show in Minneapolis, same setlist(thanks for posting that by the way, my memory of the show is a little cloudy-you helped fill in some blanks). Good show, great to be in the same room with Lanegan again-that guy has a singular voice that isn’t really matched in modern music. Cheers.
Yes, it’s always good to see Lanegan. But for me, Dulli was the man to watch. I didn’t know it was called “Live With Me”, especially since another set list they had up said, “Thinking About You Babe”. Again, thanks for the heads up!
Was in the crowd at Metro on Saturday morning, and loved every minute of it - once all body parts had thawed and GT hit the stage with a cheery “good morning Metro”.
However: you mention that “Metro’s pretty good at keeping time and tonight they didn’t slip”, chalking up the shivering line down Clark to “dedication”. Dedicated perhaps, or perhaps a group of fans with tickets already purchased, arriving for a show advertised as “doors at 11pm, show at 11:30pm”.
It was damn cold and the line wasn’t “shuffling” toward the doors, it was standing still. But whatcha’ gonna do when you’ve paid the price, driven a distance (Wisconsin, in my case, Indianapolis, in the case of a couple I met later)?
I’d say Metro “slipped” big time. When the temperature’s hovering around +10 and it’s snowing, there’s no excuse for doors opening 45 minutes late.
My commentary on Metro’s timing was the exchange between bands, not the opening of the doors. I’d say the line was shuffling. I was outside, too, in the cold and there was another show before hand. They can’t help it if Bob Mould wanted to rock out longer than usual. Then you’d have fans complaining that the Metro is lame and cutting off concerts fast. In all honesty, you chose to stand out there, as did I. You could have gone to Wrigleyville Dogs or a bar or McDonald’s to wait it out.. hence.. dedication.