1999 gig reports

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1999 show reviews:
(If you have information, pictures, flyers, or anything from any shows in 1999, please contact us.)

January 16, 1999 - Los Angeles, CA

Venue: The Viper Room
Title: Last Opera, Time: 90 minutes
Sound: A, Source: Soundboard

Set List:

In The Engine Room / Red Bluff / The Blue Jackets' Manual / Pedro Bound! / The Boilerman / Black Gang Coffee / Topsiders / No One Says Old Man (To The Old Man) / Fireman Hurley / Liberty Calls! / In The Bunkroom/Navy Wife / Rebel Girl / I Have Always Been Here Before / Friction / Little Johnny Jewel / Intense Song For Madonna To Sing / Walking The Cow / One Reporter's Opinion / This Is A Prayer / Drove Up From Pedro / Tuff Gnarl

This is it, folks. The last opera. I don't know what to say. This piece has been a really intense piece to listen to just about every time. Petra Haden plays violin on the last half of the opera, which is cool, at least on Liberty Calls!. It adds a certain melancholy feeling to the piece, which gives a foreshadowing to the downfall of the Minutemen. Unfortunately, there has only been one source tape to surface, straight from the soundboard, but it has some digi-noise on the first couple of tracks, and accidentally cuts out during In The Bunkroom/Navy Wife, and cuts back in for the encores. That of course, it just a bit of a bummer, given that this is the last performance of the opera. Walking The Cow is played a little slower than normal, with a quiet, easy sound, which I think really suits it. Carla Bozulich makes a guest appearance on vocals for Drove Up From Pedro and Tuff Gnarl.
Logistically, this show was a real nightmare on some levels. Originally slated for December of 1998, the Viper Room kept pushing back the date, as they were remodeling their pad. When the show finally came around, more traditional Viper Room problems came to the surface. Stories amongst Watt circles abounded about people having recording/photography equipment confiscated, and in at least once case, damaged. The Viper Room, unlike Watt, does not allow recording, even when the artists give it the go-ahead. As a result, there appears so far, to be the one only source for this concert. Another majore problem were the number of people who were left outside waiting to see the concert. people reported waiting as long as two hours outside The Viper Room to get in, only to be informed (probably around the end of the concert) that the club was filled to capacity. Basically, scores of fans were left lined up outside while Watt played, so that The Viper Room could look like some ultra-cool pad with a waiting line, ruining for many the possibility of enjoying the last performance of this intemse piece. Fuckheads! I've never been there (I live in Canada), but I've heard enough to know that I would never go there, unless it was some concert like this. Hopefully Watt won't play that shithole anymore, though. [Contributed by Erinn Cunningham (EC)]

March 16, 1999 - Los Angeles, CA

Venue: Nyarit
Title: Tape Only, Time: 60 minutes
Sound:, Source: Audience

Set List: n/a (EC)

April 4, 1999 - Los Angeles, CA

Venue: Al's Bar
Title: Tape Only, Time: 55 minutes
Sound: A-, Source: Audience

Set List:

Fear Is A Man's Best Friend / Big Bang Theory / The Red And The Black / I Have Always Been Here Before / One Reporter's Opinion / Big Train / Rebel Girl / Little Johnny Jewel / Friction / This Is A Prayer / Drove Up From Pedro / Tuff Gnarl / 30 Days In The Hole

This show was part of the celebrations for the 20th anniversary of Al's Bar, a place the Minutemen played at least once back in 1984. This show rocks pretty hard. The energy level is pretty high and keeps up throughout the show. Bob and Nels are now higher in the vocal mix than they were normally during the opera tours. The only thing that mars the performance is that the monitors aren't working well, and Watt broke a string, which he didn't have a replacement for, so he ended up using a heavier string which wouldn't stay in tune. As a result, Watt and Nels aren't always playing in tune with one another. If that doesn't bother you though, get this show! This is also the first time the Black Gang performed 30 Days In The Hole, the Humble Pie classic. Whoever thought this is where Frampton would come alive?!? (EC)

May 15, 1999 - Los Angeles, CA

Venue: Columbia Studios
Title: Tape Only, Time: 20 minutes
Sound: , Source: Soundbaord

Set List: n/a (EC)

June 25, 1999 - Los Angeles, CA

Venue: Hollywood Palladium - MAP Benefit
Title: n/a Time: 35 minutes
Sound: B, Source: Audience

Set List:

30 Days In The Hole / I Have Always Been Here Before / The Red And The Black / Fear is a Man's Best Friend / Rebel Girl / Little Johnny Jewel / Forever... One Reporter's Opinion / Tuff Gnarl (with Carla Bozulich) / Against the Seventies (with Eddie Vedder and Carla Bozulich)

Watt, Nels Cline and Bob Lee played a powerful, inspired set at this benefit for MAP, a drug rehab organization. Watt ends by saying "Help your brother and sister out! Don't be fucking selfish!" Fine advice, indeed. (EW)

Artwork for the cd, which is circulating amongst fans along with Eddie Vedder's set from the same evening, is available here

June 30, 1999 - Del Mar, CA

Venue: Rodeo Arena - Warped Tour
Title: Tape Only, Time: 30 minutes
Sound: A, Source: Soundboard

Set List:

30 Days In The Hole / The Red And The Black / Rebel Girl / Little Johnny Jewel / Friction / One Reporter's Opinion

Unfortunately, this is a short set. It may be Watt playing a larger than normal venue, but it doesn't seem to faze him this time around, like it did back in 1995 when he opened for Primus. All the summer Black Gang shows I've heard to date are red hot, and this show is no exception. (EC)

From Bob Lee (via EC):
"This is the gig where 10,000 people walked out during our first three songs. We played last of about 30 bands, the big headliners Pennywise & Blink 182 were both done like an hour before we played, and maybe we could have opened woth something other than 30 Days in the Hole. Oh well, it was nice that about 100 people stayed & gathered right up front to support us."

July 1, 1999 - San Bernardino, CA

Venue: Orange Show Fairgrounds - Warped Tour
Title: Tape Only, Time: 30 minutes
Sound: A, Source: Soundboard

Set List:

30 Days In The Hole / The Red And The Black / Intense Song For Madonna To Sing / Rebel Girl / Little Johnny Jewel / One Reporter's Opinion / This Is A Prayer

A notch beter than last night and a bit tighter. The band played at 2:30, instead of after the headliners, so they had more energy, and more attention from the audience (about 12,000 people!). (EC)

July 4, 1999 - Irvine, CA

Venue: The Oak Canyon Ranch
Title: This Ain't No Picnic Festival, Time: 60 minutes
Sound: , Source: Soundboard

Set List: n/a (EC)

August 21, 1999 - Los Angeles, CA

Venue: Sunset Junction Street Fair
Title: Tape Only, Time: 60 minutes
Sound: A-, Source: Audience

Set List:

This Is A Prayer / Big Bang Theory / Rebel Girl / I Have Always Been Here Before / 30 Days In The Hole / Little Johnny Jewel / One Reporter's Opinion / The Red And The Black / Intense Song For Madonna To Sing / Tuff Gnarl / Drove Up From Pedro / We Are Time

Bob Lee's hometown. This is a great gig! Tuff Gnarl and Intense Song For Madonna To Sing are the highlights of this show, which is probably about when they hit a frenzied level when they play. This is also one of the better This Is A Prayer's that I've heard. The guitar playing is very clear and clean in a lot of spots, so it sounds a little more textured than during the Puttin' The Opera To Bed tour. At least the first half-hour is missing. It is possible that there are alternate source tapes for this show, however, so it may be complete somewhere. This is the last Black Gang gig. (EC)

September 28, 1999 - Portland, OR

Venue: The Crystal Ballroom
Title: Tape Only, Time: 90 minutes
Sound: Audience, Source: Audience

Set List:

Get Gettin' Down Down / Walking The Cow / Big Bang Theory / Ball Buster / The Glory Of Man / I Have Always Been Here Before / Big Train / One Reporter's Opinion / Rebel Girl / Little Johnny Jewel / The Red And The Black / Fear Is A Man's Best Friend / Song For Igor / The Blue Mask / Chinese Firedrill / Formal Introduction / The 15th / The Cliff's Thrown Down / We Are Time / Joe McCarthy's Ghost / Life Stinks / E-Ticket Ride / Fun House / My Favourite Things / Tuff Gnarl

It was interesting to hear this tape when I did. On it's own, it is a little rough sounding, as this is one of the first Pliers shows. There isn't a high a level of confidence as they displayed by the time they hit the Eastern Canadian leg of this tour. Nonetheless, it's pretty enjoyable, and is the only night I know of where they played Tuff Gnarl. (EC)

October 9, 1999 - Chicago, IL

Venue: The Double Door
Title: Tape Only, Time: 90 minutes
Sound: , Source:

Set List: n/a (EC)

October 10, 1999 - Columbus, OH

Venue: Little Brother's
Title: Audio And Video, Time: 90 minutes
Sound: C+, B- (video), Source: Audience

Set List:

An average performance from this tour. There are two source tapes - both audience sources - from this show. I have the lesser of the two. The video is a good shot, but unfortunately, the sound on it keeps phasing in and out. (EC)

October 11, 1999 - Cleveland, OH

Venue: The Grog Shop
Title: Audio And Video, Time: 90 minutes
Sound: B-, Source: Soundboard

Set List:

October 13, 1999 - Hoboken, NJ

Venue: Maxwell's
Title: Tape Only, Time: 90 minutes
Sound: B+, Source: Audience

Set List:

The Pliers start picking up a bit more steam at this stage in the tour. As a band, they're much more confident-sounding and tight than when they first set out. It's also around this point that they seem to be heading into their strongest performances of the tour, culminating at some point during the Eastern Canadian leg of the tour (check out the Toronto show). Therefore, I would recommend this show, and anyone of the shows between here and Pontiac without hesitation. There are two different source tapes of this show that circulate. (EC)

October 14, 1999 - New York, NY

Venue: Mercury Lounge
Title: Tape Only, Time: 90 minutes
Sound: , Source: Audience

Set List:

October 17, 1999 - Philadelphia, PA

Venue: Pontiac Grille
Title: Tape Only, Time: 80 minutes
Sound: A- , Source: Audience

Set List:

This is a pretty good performance. Watt starts the show by telling off someone who yells: "less talk, more playing!", so the show starts with some spunk. Vince's sax work is pretty wild tonight, so that makes this one of the tapes to have. This is also perhaps the best-sounding audience recording I have ever heard, and it was done with an analog recorder (take that DAT!). It's near-flawless, and probably ranks up there as one of those tapes that if the record company owned it, they would just slap on a cd and gouge you for. (EC)

October 22, 1999 - Albany, NY

Venue: Valentine's
Title: Tape Only, Time: 90 minutes
Sound: B, Source: Audience

Set List:

Fire! That's about the best way to describe this show. It just torches through and through. The band is chomping at the bit tonight, like they're hopped up on pills. Actually, it reminds me a little bit of the fire The Clash used to play with in 1977. (EC)

October 25, 1999 - Toronto, ON

Venue: The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
Title: Soundcheck, Time: 20 minutes
Sound: B, Source: Audience

Set List:

Walking The Cow

Soundcheck. Lots of tuning, rambling and some playing. (EC)

October 25, 1999 - Toronto, ON

Venue: The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
Title: Non-Fascist Anti-Hijacking Squad, Time: 90 minutes
Sound: B+, Source: Soundboard

Set List:

Whew! I was at this show (in fact I'm the one who taped this and the soundcheck), and I can't even think of how to sum up this show. However, seeing as this is *my* website, I'll afford myself some space to ramble for a little bit anyways! The whole show was a blast. Watt and Co. came on at about 11:30 that night, after a passable opening act, which didn't do much for me. Well! Watt and his Pair of Pliers definitely made up for that! This show rockes from beginning to end, and doesn't let up for one single second. Watt, Vince and Tom all gave it their best shot, and hit the fences. Watt looked like he was going to blow an artery or something, the way he was wailing on his bass; Vince played like he was Keith Moon trying to save his own life; Tom was throwing down guitar solos which would make any supposed guitar God (this means you Jimmy Page!) would be envious of.
The highlights of this show were hard to pick, since the whole show is so damn consistent. However, I would have to narrow it down to Big Bang Theory (always one of my favourites) was especially energetic tonight, as was One Reporter's Opinion. In fact, it was without a doubt, the best One Reporer's Opinion I've heard Watt do. The second encore (they did three), where Vince played sax, and Tom played drums was the best of all. There was the quadruple shot, starting with Joe McCarthy's Ghost (VInce was leaping about five feet into the air when he sang this!), Life Stinks, E-Ticket Ride and Fun House, followed by the soft landing with My Favourite Things. Tonight, they also played Pissbottle Man, a number that seems to have appeared intermittently on all the tours from 1997-99.
In terms of sound quality, there's a bit of distortion sometimes on the upper end, either due to a hot soundboard, my cheap equipment, or some combination. This is still a great listen though, and I would recommend it as a vital tape to have in your collection. (EC)

October 27, 1999 - Pontiac, MI

Venue: 7th House
Title: Tape Only, Time: 90 minutes
Sound: B+, Source: Soundboard

Set List:

This is a pretty good show, but not as tight as the Toronto show. This is an alright soundboard, except for the low vocals which are boomy, as are the drums. (EC)

October 28, 1999 - Cincinnatti, OH

Venue: Sudsy Malone's
Title: Tape Only, Time: 90 minutes
Sound: , Source: Soundboard

Set List: n/a (EC)

October 30, 1999 - Atlanta, GA

Venue: The Echo Lounge
Title: Tape Only, Time: 75 minutes
Sound: A, Source: Soundboard

Set List:

This is probably the best-sounding tape I've heard from this tour. This was recorded on a minidisc from the soundboard, and is almost flawless, except for a touch of echo on the vocals. This is a great show with a wild Get Gettin' Down Down to start things off. (EC)

October 31, 1999 - Carrboro, NC

Venue: Cat's Cradle
Title: Video Only, Time: 45 minutes
Sound: B+, Source: Audience

Set List:

This is a rather tight shot, which catches Vince most of the time, with only a few shots of Watt and Tom. Unfortunately, the batteries die during this one, so it gets choppy during the last song, and there are minute fragments of the second half of the main set, but nothing too significant. It's a shame, since this is one of the rare videos with good sound. (EC)

November 7, 1999 - New Orleans, LA

Venue: Mermaid Lounge
Title: Tape Only, Time: 80 minutes
Sound: B-, Source: Soundboard

Set List:

Get Gettin' Down Down / Walking The Cow / Big Bang Theory / Ball Buster / The Glory Of Man / I Have Always Been Here Before / Big Train / One Reporter's Opinion / Rebel Girl / Little Johnny Jewel / The Red And The Black / Fear Is A Man's Best Friend / Song For Igor / The Blue Mask / Chinese Firedrill / Formal Introduction / The 15th / The Cliff's Thrown Down / We Are Time / Life Stinks / E-Ticket Ride / Fun House / My Favourite Things / Drove Up From Pedro / Friction

This one was actually recorded on a cheap video cam (according to the taper), but the picture was unwatchable. At least the audio was salvageable. Dig the cymbals on this one. (EC)