I should have never doubted Adam Ant.
The man who built a career on at least equal parts music and attitude still brings a fresh and fun energy to the stage at 58. At The Complex Tuesday, one of the first nights of a lengthy North American tour, Ant and his band–guitar, bass, two drummers and no keyboards in sight–delivered a flashy, strong set of nearly 30 songs.
What was surprising to me, seeing my first Adam Ant show, was how rawk it was; even songs that in their ’80s recorded forms were slathered in poppy production and synthesizers came through as straightforward guitar-rock in their modern iterations. At different points, I had one friend remark how “old-school punk” the show was, and later another said, “You know, that guitar player is a rocker!”
Playing in the 2,500-capacity Rockwell room at The Complex, Ant drew a bigger crowd than I expected–again, never should have doubted him–and that crowd was treated to a canny mix of songs from his new album, Adam Ant is the Blueback Hussar in Marrying the Gunner’s Daughter, and old favorites that proved obvious highlights judging by the crowd’s reaction to songs like “Beat My Guest” and “Stand and Deliver.”
Not being too familiar with the new material, save a couple spins online, only a couple of Ant’s new songs stood out to me. “Vince Taylor,” “Cool Zombie” and “Marrying the Gunner’s Daughter” all fit nicely alongside ’80s-era classics. Naturally, those old ones, the songs that became hits thanks to Ant’s knack for making stimulating videos and writing hook-filled New Wave nuggets, made for the best parts of the show.
“Kings of the Wild Frontier,” “Desperate But Not Serious” and “Antmusic” all were excellent, as were “Zerox” and “Cartrouble.” His monster pop hits like “Goody Two Shoes” and “Strip” were better live than I expected, and songs from his underappreciated late ’80s/early ’90s albums–“Wonderful,” “Always Room at the Top” and “Vive Le Rock”–also took on a different, better energy in the live setting.
Ant wasn’t much for between-song banter, only pausing to greet the audience after playing a solid 10 songs first, but he was damn fun to watch bounce around the stage in his ornate costume–now complete with glasses and what looks to be a hat from the Cap’n Crunch collection. His band’s muscular takes on songs old and new worked great, and the sound from where I was standing was decent considering the challenges of playing in a big box-y warehouse space.
Chatting with some of my fellow ’80s refugees before the show, we debated whether this was Ant’s first-ever stop in Salt Lake City. It was as far as I know, and it was worth the wait through Ant’s lost decade-plus between albums and tours. Here’s hoping his current run leads to a few more stops in the near future. I won’t underestimate the man’s skills next time around.
DWIGHT YOAKAM, RED BUTTE GARDEN, Thursday, July 25, 7 p.m., $47
Considering the morass of sterile, hit-driven crap that’s passed for far too much of modern “country” music for the past 25-plus years, the success of Dwight Yoakam is enough to make you hold out hope that all is not lost. A traditionalist with some genuine rock ‘n’ roll edge from the very beginning of his career, Yoakam has managed to forge an incredibly successful career without ever seeming to take the easy route or go for an easy buck. The man has sold more than 25 million albums since the release of his now-legendary 1986 debut, Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc., and released consistently strong records right from the start. His latest, 3 Pears, holds up great alongside older favorites, once again incorporating American pop and rock along with his retro-fied country. Don’t be late to this show either–locals the Hollering Pines are an ideal appetizer for the roots-music hero headlining.
FLAMING LIPS, PIONEER PARK, Thursday, July 25, 7 p.m., $5
For anyone who has ever seen the Flaming Lips, there’s no selling necessary in recommending their upcoming show in Salt Lake City. Whether playing intimate venues like the old Speedway Cafe or Zephyr Club, or larger spaces like Kingsbury Hall or the Coachella music fest, the long-running Oklahoma-based crew led by Wayne Coyne has always been a brilliant live act. Not only are they able to capture the intricate sonic excursions from their albums, but they add a serious dose of theatrics that only enhances the experience–they’re not covering up for a lack of chops through their lights, human-sized gerbil balls, blood and/or puppets. Simply put, Flaming Lips shows are some of the best shows I’ve ever seen, and albums like The Soft Bulletin and Clouds Taste Metallic have been in heavy rotation in my life for a couple of decades. Expect a career-spanning set with a heavy nod toward the band’s new one, The Terror, when they headline the Twilight Concert Series show Thursday night. CSS opens the show.
ADAM ANT, THE COMPLEX, Tuesday, July 23, 7 p.m., $25
Chances are that if I had seen Adam Ant back in his ’80s heyday, I wouldn’t be nearly as excited about his arrival for a show in Utah on Pioneer Day Eve. But here I am, some 30 years or so past the man’s prime, totally geeked to see him for the first time. His early MTV hits with Adam and the Ants and then as a solo artist made Ant one of the most recognizable faces on the music-video channel, and the distinct sound of songs like “Prince Charming,” “Stand and Deliver” and “Ant Music” made him stand out from the New Romantic crowd of British pop stars invading the U.S. in droves at the time. His biggest hits, “Goody Two Shoes” and “Strip,” are a couple of my least favorites, but I still spin his effort at incorporating rockabilly-style guitar on his Vive Le Rock album–I think you can fit all the people who bought that one in a phone booth. After disappearing for much of the ’90s and ’00s, Ant re-entered the music biz with a slew of U.K. shows and, earlier this year, the release of a new album, Adam Ant is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner’s Daughter. Sounds appropriately over the top, same as Ant ever was. Prima Donna open the show.
By the time the sun dropped behind the downtown skyscrapers to the west of Gallivan Center, and the near-full moon rose over the mountains to the east, Saturday night was well on its way to becoming one of those perfect Utah evenings. And the charming, unpredictable Justin Townes Earle proved a fine choice to provide the soundtrack.
Earle was far from perfect, as he admitted during his between-song banter describing a couple of false starts on songs. But he’s the kind of artist whose occasional mistakes only make his performances more engaging. And when he locks in, playing intricate, finger-picked guitar and delivering heartbreaking examples of some of the best roots-based songwriting around, Earle is something to see, and hear.
Playing sans band and sporting a summery short-sleeved polo, Earle was the closer of the day-long folk and bluegrass festival thrown by the Intermountain Acoustic Music Association. You could tell much of the crowd wasn’t familiar with Earle’s music–even his introduction to the stage consisted of a guy reading what sounded like a Wikipedia entry–but there was also a slew of familiar faces from his past visits gathered and standing at attention when he kicked off his set with a song dedicated to his grandpa, “They Killed John Henry.”
“Memphis in the Rain” led into the first of his many mini-rants and speeches between songs–oratory that is always an adventure at every Earle show. Seeming to take a shot at his introduction’s focus on his famous father, Steve Earle, the son dedicated “Mama’s Eyes” by calling it “a song I wrote for my mother, because she’s the only one who’s always been there for me.”
He talked of his love for Hank Williams after playing “Ain’t Glad I’m Leaving,” from his debut 2008 album The Good Life, and after “You Always Look the Other Way,” he spun out one of his best lines of the night in introducing “Ain’t Waitin’.”
“If you can’t write a song with just the image of fried chicken and a beautiful woman in your head, you have a problem,” Earle stated with a grin. That was just one valuable lesson about life as a musician that Earle taught Saturday, along with the importance of Louis Armstrong in making American music swing, and the fact that country drummers are “the whitest people on Earth.”
It’s hard to list highlights because the show was a non-stop string of pretty great performances, many of them based in places he’s lived during his life, from “One More Night in Brooklyn” to “Halfway to Jackson” to “Harlem River Blues.” A cover of Lightnin’ Hopkins “The Automobile Blues” was a killer, as was “Maria” and “Your Biscuits Are Big Enough For Me.”
Covers of Buck Owens’ “Close Up the Honky Tonks” and The Replacements’ “Can’t Hardly Wait” helped bring the show to a beautiful conclusion, along with his own “Midnight at the Movies” and an encore of “Slippin’ and Slidin’.”
Would you call Earle’s music simply “folk” or “bluegrass”? Probably not. But considering his skills as one of America’s premiere young songwriters, he’s definitely worthy of the headlining slot he held Saturday night.
JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE, GALLIVAN CENTER, Saturday, July 20, 8:15 p.m., free
For years, the music-loving good people of the Intermountain Acoustic Music Association have thrown a summertime Folk & Bluegrass Festival that is always one of the season’s highlights, even as the event has bounced through different locations and set up different sorts of lineups. What never changes is the quality showcase of local, regional and national acts the IAMA puts on, and this year’s festival looks to be one of the best yet. Topping the bill is Justin Townes Earle, the brilliant offspring of roots musician Steve Earle who has put together a string of excellent albums over the past five years, including 2012’s Nothing’s Going to Change the Way You Feel About Me Now and 2010’s Harlem River Blues. Before Earle, though, there is a solid set of performers well worth your time–I’m particularly a fan of Amy Speace. Get there early and you can watch the contenders for the Susanne Millsaps Performing Songwriter Showcase, an excellent forum for catching local talent. Here is the complete music lineup:
- 11:00 AM – 01:00 PM Susanne Millsaps Performing Songwriter Showcase (Hosted by Marv Hamilton)
- 01:00 PM – 01:45 PM Melody & Tyler
- 01:45 PM – 02:00 PM Announcement of 2013 Susanne Millsaps Showcase Winner
- 02:00 PM – 02:45 PM Jeremiah Maxey
- 03:00 PM – 03:45 PM 2013 Susanne Millsaps Showcase Winner
- 04:00 PM – 04:45 PM Better Off With the Blues
- 05:00 PM – 05:00 PM Steve Seskin
- 06:00 PM – 06:45 PM Amy Speace
- 07:00 PM – 08:00 PM The Growling Old Men
- 08:15 PM – ONWARD Justin Townes Earle
Daniel Nailen 