The Jesus Lizard/Cohort B @ Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn, NY 12/11/24

 

Bill: The Jesus Lizard/Cohort B

Venue: Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn, NY

Date: 12/11/24

Door: unsure, friend James gave me his extra ticket (advance ga's were $45 plus fees)

9pm The Jesus Lizard

Active: 1987 (Chicago, IL via Austin TX)

Latest Release: Rack (Ipecac, 2024), Cost of Living (Ipecac, 2024)

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8pm Cohort B

Active: 2020 (Queens, NY)

Latest Release: SNAFU (Cohort B, 2024)

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I had a little longer than expected break of being the "NYC Show Obsessive."  First I was up in MA around Thanksgiving, then I got a bit of an upper respiratory wipeout.  My friend James had sent me this ticket right before that happened and fortunately, I recovered enough to trod through rain hither and yon for the show.  Let's just say I was never more enthused about the option for a $5 coat check.

I started the day out going to the Big Apple Film Festival at  to see The Road To Ruane, a documentary about my old friend Billy playing at the Look Dine In Theatre.  This was a one-off 3pm on a Wednesday showing with a bunch of shorts that I found about by Mark Erdody just a scant few hours before after Billy's sister put out notice.  She was speaking and watching that movie was weird because I had stayed at his place many times, had friends in the film, was at many of the events in the films videotaped footage from the 90's.  This included the Jesus Lizard concert footage that popped up.  

Anyway that theatre was half a mile from the subway, so walking each way, going to Brooklyn Steel via the 1 instead of the A/C due to a city power outage.  Of course there was more rain when I got off L at Graham to make yet another half mile or so walk to the show.  After I shed the coat and caught up with James, Cohort B went on.  I thought they were the kind of band that shouldn't be on a Jesus Lizard bill, more of a corporate venue selection.  I guess after seeing that movie and the kind of freewheeling roots the Jesus Lizard came from, watching a band that seemed like they were weened on Mars Volta and System of a Down as influences was a little much.  That wasn't to say their drummer wasn't excellent, but they do a melodic nu-(now old) metal thing that really isn't my bag.  They were happy they played to their biggest crowd ever, so congrats to them.  Jesus Lizard were never really a corporate aspiring band but they evolved into those venues by default due to time and scarcity.  They are past 60 now and sound as good as ever.

Denison/Sims/McNeilly are all there and in lock step.  David Yow still throws his body around.  The "tight n' shiny" ball exposure was the only trick left to the past as crowd surfing was constant throughout the show for Dave (Yow not me ha).  I was thinking of the CBGB's show where David Yow got knocked out by Jerry Price hauling him into the crowd.  400 capacity was enough in the 90's.  Brooklyn Steel is 1,800 and the bottom part was packed out as far as the eye could see.  There is no point pissing and moaning about too many people in too big a room when you got there early and were close to the front like I was.   Times change and the band is much grayer now.  Still there is a new album Rack and even newer digital single "Cost of Living" to work, so it's good to see the band active and sounding just as good as ever.  The epic show had 3 multisong encores.  As of this writing the setlist isn't up, but it was pretty much what they did in Pittsburgh except no "Blockbuster." (!)

They head to Boston tonight.