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From The Desk Of The Yawpers: My Favorite Concert

Working-class rock—and that’s the bell the Yawpers ring again and again on American Man (Bloodshot)—has gone through a lot of permutations through the decades. This music is all over the map, stylistically; “Doing It Right” skews to amped-up speedway boogie, while the title cut and “Beale Street” bring more country trappings, though it’s a revved up country that would be totally alien to CMT. And there are left-field moments like “Kiss It” that go full-on dirty blooze hard rock. For all that variety, the music works well on its own merits. The Yawpers—singer/guitarist Nate Cook, guitarist Jesse Parmet and drummer Noah Shomberg—will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week.

NickCave

Parmet: I’d never heard their music, nor did I have a ticket to the sold-out show. On a whim, I drove down to Denver (from Boulder) to attend a Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds concert. I had a hunch it would be worthwhile. Plus, I probably had nothing better to do that night.

I stood on the corner down the block from the venue looking for tickets. It didn’t seem too promising. They were selling for about three times their face value. As show time neared, and scalpers became more anxious to get rid of tickets, the prices dropped a little. Fortunately, I ran into two acquaintances also looking for tickets. Together we were able to negotiate a reasonable price ($80 or $90) for three tickets, which wasn’t too much more than their face value.

Once inside, we made our way toward the stage. We managed to squeeze into a choice spot front and center. The band consisted of two drummers, a bassist (who was nestled in between them), multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis (stage left), guitarist Mick Harvey (stage right) and a keyboard in the back. An additional keyboard was set up at the front of the stage.

The show began with a slow, hypnotic drum groove played in unison. A dark, unsettling guitar drone joined in. This continued for a couple minutes, tension building. Then Nick Cave made his entrance. He sprung to the front of the stage in a perfectly tailored suit, ready for business. There was a devilish confidence in his movements. He went into the first verse/refrain, “Get ready to shield yourself.” The tension continued to build. Finally, the bass came in, which I hadn’t even been aware was missing. It hit me hard in the chest and guts. I was now completely under the spell. The groove was in full swing. The sound was massive. That’s how you start a show, I thought. The rest of the concert is a blur of fuzzed-out, frenzied guitar, violin and mando-caster. Nick Cave tirelessly worked the crowd. He made his way across the front of the stage, reaching out, connecting with people one by one.

Video after the jump.