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2nd show in a row where the sound at the royale has been downright horrible. how they can get away charging what they charge and deliver vfw hall style sound is beyond me. But Roky was good, a bit out of it and they wheren't the tightest.. but an enjoyable show none the less.
great music, great visuals, but he was kind of out of it this night!
First of all, I really like seeing shows here - I think it's a great venue for a show, and the staff is always friendly (which is a rarity at a club), but I'll concentrate on Roky Erickson's set, since he was the headliner. The pros were that he was smartly backed up by a young, talented band. They pretty much cranked through his catalog of better-known songs, though I wish they would have done an acoustic (or stripped-down) set (maybe with "You Don't Love Me Yet"), though I think the crowd was there to see him sing about aliens and vampires (which kind of made me feel bad, almost like he was being exploited for that purpose, when he's much more than that.) One of the major problems was that, at least near the front of the stage, his vocals were more or less drowned out. From the back of the venue, however, they were much more discernable (though still a bit distored, though that may have been on purpose). Still, people were yelling at the kid manning the sound board (and he did look like a high school intern) to turn up his vocals, though if he was instructed to make things sound that way, then it wasn't his fault. It was great to see a legend though - as strange as it sounds, it was like seeing Brian Wilson nowadays. Both have gone through a lot, and somehow survived.
room was not great acoustically; Band was awesome.
Opening act "BOO FROG" from Portland were unsettling to listen to. Two Fender Twins with the treble cranked. A tinny Fender Mustang and a Tele attack with no bass player. WAY too loud and tinny. Vocal mix was muddy all night.....even when Roky came on. Roky's band was tight though. The Evil One can still crank it. Doors didn't open until nearly 8:30 and the opening act didn't come on until nearly 9:30. Roky Erickson didn't hit the stage until nearly 10:30. Don't advertise the show at 8:00 with no mention of a warm up and then have the headliner start nearly two and a half hours later......C'mon! Wonder Ballroom is a beautiful venue though.
Saw Roky this past Friday at The Wonder Ballroom in Portland, Oregon.. It was Roky Erickson... Amazing... The real man himself on stage performing to the best of his capabilities. He was spot on for the first 5 songs which included Cold Night For The Alligator.. It was inspiring to see him up on stage loving every minute of it.. Definitely worth every cent and more.. Even though he isn't all there; he still is Roky Erickson... I didn't go in there expecting a fantastic show... but the truth of the fact is that it is fantastic that he is out there performing again... Seeing Roky Erickson live in person performing the songs that helped create a genre was absolutely amazing... That alone will always stay with me.
