I forgot this was a Nylon sponsored show. This means: up and coming music, young kids, fashion that must be so bad it’s good to someone, and, at this particular show, some of the most beautiful androgynous people I’ve ever seen.
Living Things, from St. Louis, hit the stage shortly after my arrival. The lead singer’s white leather ensemble, long hair, and lithe physique are very Jagger-esque, the bassist and guitarist flanking him look like ultra-mods. It’s an interesting aesthetic.
They play pretty straightforward rock with a few synths thrown in. The lyrics are a bit bland and poppy for my taste, but their stage presence keeps me intrigued.
Early on, the singer burns what I’m pretty sure was a dollar bill on stage. There was some Prop 8/Prop Hate chanting. Towards the end, the bassist pulled an enthusiastic girl on stage, and she was shortly joined by more bouncing girls to finish out the set.
I think if their music matured a bit, this band could be good.
There is an excruciatingly long wait for Patrick Wolf. When he finally comes out, the crowd lights up. The young, tall, and bleached blonde Wolf takes the stage in his make up and fancy clothes. He launches into his first song, and the crowd swoons. It takes a while for me to get into the set, just because I’m not very familiar with his music, it’s so different from what I’ve been seeing lately, and his delivery is almost shy at first.
But as he works through different instruments for each song, and comments about Appalachian poetry, he opens up. He begins his own Prop 8 tirade, and it becomes apparent that a Patrick Wolf show is not just about the music- this guy is an entertainer. I almost find more value in his stories and crowd interaction than the music.
His style is very arty- avant garde folk rock with a beautiful violinist at his side. His passion for life and what he does is visible from the stage. I find his presence very strong, and towards the end when he pulls people on stage, I realize that he must be really tall.
His fans are IN LOVE with him. I know that look. And I can see how he must be a real inspiration for people who feel like they don’t fit in. Patrick Wolf embraces and encourages everyone to live life and be themselves through his words.
Patrick Wolf loves San Francisco- it seemed that he did not want to leave the stage, and invited everyone to join him at the Eagle Tavern to dance afterward. He even seemed to allude to moving here in the near future.
UPDATE: Ummmm…maybe not. Yikes!
Great videos from dkeirsteadisback
OVERALL: 7.5/10
Patrick Wolf performance: 8.5/10
Living Things performance: 7/10
venue (Slim’s): 8/10
crowd/scene: 8.5/10
value ($16.00/ticket): 9/10
memorable: 7.5/10
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