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MEAT PUPPETS IN CONCERT:
Meat Puppets have married chicken pickin’ country licks to fuzz-driven power chords for more than 30 rip-roaring years. Father and son Curt and Elmo Kirkwood command the six string duties in concert, delivering epics like “Oh, Me” with the instrumental interplay of The Allman Brothers, and thrashy throwdowns including “Lake of Fire” and “Backwater” with the furious punch of The Stooges. Curt's little brother Cris underpins the family guitar insanity with the thunderous, low-end rumble of his signature barreling basslines. And behind the kit, Shandon Sahm pounds out the shuffling rhythms and booming fills that help define the group’s brilliant blend of classic rock, punk, and country. Ticket buyers looking for a good time are advised not to miss these psychobilly superstars whenever they take their punk rock hootenanny on tour.
BACKGROUND SNAPSHOT:
Original drummer Derrick Bostrom and bassist Cris Kirkwood played in several Phoenix, AZ bands before recruiting Cris' older brother Curt to form Meat Puppets in 1980. After raiding Bostrom’s punk singles for inspiration, the group released their 1982 self-titled debut. The trio soon began to chafe at the confines of pure hardcore, however, preferring to experiment with country and psychedelic rock sounds on 1984’s Meat Puppets II. The album proved extremely influential on ‘90s alternative rock outfits as diverse as Nirvana, Pavement, and Dinosaur Jr., and helped the Meat Puppets land a major label deal near the dawn of the decade. The band scored their first radio hit in 1994 with “Backwater”, although by 1996 fatigue would force them to take an extended hiatus. A decade later the brothers Kirkwood reunited with new drummer Shandon Sahm and haven’t looked back. The band remains as active as ever in recent years releasing albums like Lollipop (2011) and Rat Farm (2013), while they continue to thrill fans live in concert with their unbridled energy and genre-straddling sound.
They played 2 hours ( no breaks) and were high energy the whole time. Guitar playing was solid and the drummer was out of control. also great value for the money considering what other shows cost
The Meat Puppets never fail to impress! what an amazing show! Though the Mercury Lounge could have balanced the gear a bit better the setlist was plenty awesome to make up for it!
I've been to some great shows, but this tops it! great atmopshere, GREAT setlist, GREAT opening act, MP was even better than I expected - as if my standards weren't high
I only went to this show for my son because of the Nirvana connection, but I left with a real appreciation for this great band. I've always felt like the Meat Puppets guitar work was brilliant, but that the vocals, which are often pushed beyond safe ranges, were a little lacking. I realized after seeing them that this is the way it should be. How many musicians play it safe these days? The Meat Puppets don't seem to believe in that. They push it, which is a refreshing change in this age of clean and sanitary digital-music-American-Idol-perfection. The first thing that impressed me was the fact that they really seemed to enjoy playing together. After 30 years of being a band, and being brothers, they were still having fun at it. Added to that, there is a familiarity there that gave the performance a little extra magic. Their rough edges became their charm as the night progressed. Little amps, a small drum kit, and mostly run-down looking equipment that didn't appear to be as good as my high school garage band used to use, only served to highlight the real musicianship, power and skill of this band as they put on a show that rivaled that of bands with speaker stacks for their speaker stacks. Having never really been a top draw band, the Meat Puppets deliver an organic musical experience that most modern bands can't give. There are no techs on the side supplying freshly tuned guitars and clean towels between songs. The Puppets tune up as they go, and Curt has to go looking for the pick or slide that he dropped between songs. He bends down to make adjustments on his own effects pedals, all without breaking the shows momentum, making the effects themselves an instrument. This he does effortlessly as only a man who has made music for living for many years would do. They would move through expertly chicken-picked country rock songs, to bone-crunching heavy riffs, taking the crowd with them every step of the way. The night was over way too soon, even though they played a long set. The entire experience was an unforgettable look at the way music really should be played. I was thankful for Kurt Cobain's recommendation.
i booked tickets because i was excited to see earl greyhound perform as one of the openers. unfortunately they cancelled which was really disappointing, and the two openers were a big disappointment. the sound wasn't so good for kirkwood dellinger (second opener), you could barely make out the lyrics because the balance was off.
The Puppets are back and better than ever. Although the song lineup was not geared towards true fans (best songs were off of "Up on the Sun"), it was still amazing. If you've seen them before, you know what I mean. If you haven't you should. The venue pretty well sucked, but it was worth it to see the Puppets.
High energy and amazing guitar riffs. The Meat Puppets have definitely still got it!!
I purchased Meat Puppets II after hearing the Nirvana unplugged covers and have been hooked ever since. I've wanted to see them live since then and was thrilled when we saw they were going to be in LA. We travelled from Vegas for the show with barely enough money to get home and were blown away. Curt is one of the best guitarists I have ever seen and I have seen many of the greats. The interaction between Cris and Curt was incredible and to finally have been able to see these guys live and get so much more than I expected was great. It amazes me that musicians as fine as these guys have not become more popular. Just goes to show how screwed up the music industry is. Thanks Curt & Cris for keeping it going and keeping it real. See you soon!
It's great to see the Meat Puppets playing with all the same energy and intensity that they've always had. The Brothers Kirkwood are so talented and under appreciated. Most bands wish they could play half as well as they.
Compared to many other Meat Puppets shows from the 90's and early 2000's this show was not very good. Curt looked very tired and his singing showed it. Not having a 2nd guitar player for live shows is not justice for the fans. Would not see them again as the three man band. Real dissappointed being that I use to hang with Curt in Austin during the 90's.
At Mercury Lounge, next to the oldest deli ive ever seen, they didnt go on stage until like 11:30 pm but it was soo worth the wait- they played until almost 1 in the morning.
Meatpuppets were great but since they didn't start till 11:30 we had to leave early. The opening band was mindblowing, too. Loved them!
I'm a very big Nirvana fan so i was curious about the Meat Puppets and they were simply at their best. They played a hand full of master pieces and didn't let down the fans. Grunge is still alive!
The Meatpuppets put on a solid late-night show. Amazing that three people can make so much sound. Retribution Gospel Choir was also great. Overall, one of the most fun shows I've been to in a while. Loved the intimate venue.
Having been a fan since the early 90's this was my first time seeing them. The venue suited them well and they played with all the charisma and attitude I had hoped for and then some. I can only hope to get another chance to see them again.
I went to the 7th St. Entry show last night and really enjoyed it, but the sound was distorted. I think the venue is to blame, as they sounded just great live at Electric Fetus in Minneapolis and bantered a lot more. These guys are classic, must see, underground rockers. Undoubtedly one of my favorite bands.
