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| Photo Credit: Holly O'Connor |
STS9’s triumphant return to the North East after more than a year away due to the cancelation of spring tour was something fans had been waiting a long time for. After bassist David Murphy’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent winning battle, the band – and Murph especially – seemed energized after the long hiatus.
The Boston show at the ornate House of Blues opened with fan-favorite “Shock Doctrine,” with Murph adorning a not-so-subtle “Fuck Cancer” T-shirt. After typical first set songs that were executed well in “Be Nice” and “One A Day,” a particularly titillating version of “Inspire Strikes Back” got the crowd into a groove. Guitarist Hunter Brown’s tone was perfect and pronounced as he led the band through the popular tune.
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| Photo Credit: Holly O'Connor |
The set closed with what has quickly become the quintessential (and oft played, but more on that later) STS9 jam in “When The Dust Settles” – the title track off their recent EP. The crowd roared with approval as the ominous vocal sample rang out.
[FIND news, tour dates and downloads on STS9's official website.]
The second set opened with a spooky “Rent > Evasive Maneuvers” segment that got things off to a fast and smoky start. The latter had a drawn out outro that helped people regain their flow after a long set break.
A raging “Atlas” that crashed down on the crowd appropriately punctuated the set. From the balcony, fans were reveling in the deep, harsh tones of the "chorus" and pressure-packed new jam segment that builds up energy before the epic expulsion.
The set ended with “Moonsocket” where Brown’s mastery of distortion was on full display. The song is a conceptual masterpiece that weaves in and out of itself without feeling too muddled. Another song off their most recent EP, “Scheme” closed the show as the encore.
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10.20.2011 – House of Blues – Boston, MA
Set I: Shock Doctrine > Be Nice, One A Day, Inspire Strikes Back, We’ll Meet In Our Dreams, Beyond Right Now, The Unquestionable Supremacy of Nature, When The Dust Settles
Set II: Rent > Evasive Maneuvers, Atlas, Metameme > What Is Love?, Arigato, Moonsocket
Encore: Scheme
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| Photo Credit: Holly O'Connor |
Night two brought us to the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. The venue is polarizing among fans, but its wide-open layout and 21+ drinking area means you can usually find some space to dance no matter what your interests are. The place filled up quickly after yet another rousing opening performance by The Polish Ambassador. His funky beats are a perfect way to open a show. One of the best openers STS9 has had in recent memory. His stage presence is undeniable and he's just plain fun.
The first set was the best of the run in terms of playing and the opener “Tooth” sounded as if it was already the encore. Each note and beat was as crisp as I’ve ever heard – a testament to both STS9’s impassioned playing and the sound at the E-Factory.
The dark “Tooth” was well placed and featured keyboardist David Phipps adding a few new flourishes. This would become a theme throughout the night. Though STS9 usually plays it pretty close to the chest when it comes to improvisation, Phipps, it seems, has the green light to dance around the keys at will.
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| Photo Credit: Holly O'Connor |
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“Really Wut?” was the perfect groove to settle things down after a rowdy and fast-paced beginning. Brown was on fire acting as the musical voice of the band, pulling the song along as it went. This segment was complete sensory overload once the second half got underway. Between Saxton Waller’s breathtaking and all-too-appropriate lights and the band’s incredibly clear tightness, it was like they flipped a switch into an all out rager.
STS9 isn’t the ethereal jam machine of old, but they can still bring it musically and create amazing electronic-sounding music using real instruments.
The “Kamuy > Monkey Music” segue was a dash of creativity and highlighted the percussion section of Zach Velmer and Jeffree Lerner nicely. For the most part, this segment provided fans with a brief respite after yet again being amped up with some awesome peaks, but that didn’t last long.
The end of “Monkey Music” saw drummer Velmer going from zero to 60 in a matter of moments. Reports of his demise are greatly exaggerated – he can still play like he has four arms.
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| Photo Credit: Holly O'Connor |
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Before exiting for set break, the band paused on stage a few extra seconds, soaking in the love from the crowd after a set that left the entire house sweaty and weary.
“EHM” started the second set and was a great way to reenergize the tired crowd. The highlight was a new song/old song segue of “Golden Gate > Frequency 3.”
“Golden Gate” is a heavy bass track that repels all aspects of being abrasive. It’s subtly powerful and beautiful like the STS9 of old. “Freq 3” is a funky breakdown that fits in well with their newer catalog.
The set did feature two repeats from the night before in – you guessed it – “Scheme” and “When The Dust Settles.”
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10.21.2011 – Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA
Set I: Tycho Intro, Tooth, Lo Swaga, Really Wut?, Kamuy > Monkey Music, Hi-Key, The Rabble, Aimlessly
Set II: EHM, Oil and Water, Lion, Golden Gate > Frequency 3, Simulator, Scheme, When The Dust Settles
Encore: Instantly
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| Photo Credit: Holly O'Connor |
The last night of my run took me back home to New York City and the gorgeously modern Best Buy Theater in the middle of Times Square.
The first set was filled with solid playing and clear sound. A teased out “Rent” and “Abcees” showcased STS9’s ability to manipulate light and dark at the same time. Their songs evoke so many complex emotions and feelings without a trace of lyrics beyond a few well placed vocal samples.
A familiar “Inspire Strikes Back” saw Velmer jump from his chair and implore the crowd to get moving during the elongated pauses in percussion. The playing was patient and methodical during the first set.
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| Photo Credit: Holly O'Connor |
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Songs like “Squares and Cubes,” “What Is Love?” and the second set’s “Ramone and Emiglio” garnered some of the best reactions of the night from fans who probably couldn’t name any of the three.
Saxton shined especially during the “What Is Love?,” mixing it up beautifully between the LED screens, bright sweeping colors and faint cones of white. The normally reserved Brown even played to the crowd. You could tell he, the band and especially the people in the pit were feeling it.
The second set saw yet another “When The Dust Settles” but the crowd ate it up. The formulaic electro of “EHM” was highlighted by Velmer’s syncopated madness.
A beautiful “Circus” came for the encore and the crowd swayed softly taking it all in. It had been a long
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10.22.2011 – Best Buy Theater – New York City, NY
Set I: Nine Inch Nails Intro > Scheme > Rent, Abcees, Inspire Strikes Back, Arigato, Squares and Cubes, Shock Doctrine, What Is Love?
Set II: Hidden Hand, Hidden Fist, When The Dust Settles, 20-12, Evasive Maneuvers, Ramone and Emiglio, EHM, The Unquestionable Supremacy of Nature
Encore: Circus
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| Photo Credit: Holly O'Connor |
Overall, the playing was as tight as ever and the lights were on point as always. Maybe because Saxton gets a lot of practice with these repeated songs.
Normally I don’t inject a lot of personal opinion in my reviews besides some subjective, “I love this song,” or “best version I’ve seen” but the repeats were too prominent not to address.
There are two sides on this issue. One side is the jam band purists who would say it’s inexcusable given the type of band STS9 is. Their fans go on multi-night runs and the band's catalog is vast enough to switch things up often. The other understands that not only have they not been in this city in a year, but the fans are going crazy for this newer music.
After seeing “Scheme” every night along with a few bust-outs, I can see why they continue to play it so often. But I do think they might be selling themselves short.
[DISCUSS STS9 on our message boards.]People eat up STS9’s music because it’s incredibly unique. Fans stood up and danced as much if not more for “Ramone” as they did for “EHM.” Their music is just too complex to be pigeonholed into just one or two categories. Fans go more wild for those newer songs because the band does an excellent job promoting and the crowd is familiar with them. But the breadth of their catalog should not be ignored.
I hope the band brings things full circle and opens up their catalog. Those songs they played back in the day are still great and I hope Murph and the boys were watching as all their fans – new and old – appreciated each and every bust-out.
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STS9 continues their fall tour Thursday, October 27 at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD before heading to Norfolk, VA and Asheville, North Carolina’s Moogfest.
For a complete list of dates or ticketing information, check out their official website.
What do you think of STS9’s fall tour so far? Too many repeats? Understandable considering the circumstances? Let us know in the comments below.
