Venue: Cvetličarna Mediapark, Ljubljana
Concert date: 17.03.2009
Attendance: 750
Ticket price: €17 in advance
Who would have thought that the “doves of shit metal,” as the legendary Axl Rose dubbed them back in 2006 when they were warming up the stage for him, would one day become the “eagles of death metal”? That the guys would take his words as a joke and even get them tattooed? And that they’d take their three albums so far around the world? Only a few people didn’t believe in the Eagles, and plenty are still following them today. Their talons are sharper than ever. And their songs… Eh, still one big goof! On Wednesday, March 18, Ljubljana’s Cvetličarna Mediapark saw and heard everything that earns them their reputation as a “modern rock`n`roll installation”!
Haunts were first to break the ground. The young Londoners, who weave new wave, dance, prog rock, indie and Britpop together in their own style called “noirists“, all spiced up with touches of punk, split the crowd into two camps. Some were blown away, so much so that after the show they declared them even better than Eagles of Death Metal, while others stayed as cold as a freezing winter wind. According to the bright sparks among the utopian-minded punters, Haunts’ music, with its hard and aggressive bass attack, isn’t a fit for warming up for two so-called “genre-different” bands. But is it even fair to second-guess Jesse Hughes and the gang on who they bring along on tour? Not in the slightest.
Just as there’s no doubting whether EoDM can repeat the first-rate show from two years ago. The time that had passed in between was wiped away with one light stroke across a sandcastle picture in the sands of time, the moment Jesse “Boots Electric” Hughes (vocals, guitar), Dave “Davey Jo” Catching (guitar), Brian “B.O.C.” O`Connor (bass) and Joey “Sexy-Mexy” Castillo (drums) appeared on stage. They took up their strategic positions and with the very first song, “I Only Want You” from the debut album “Peace, Love, Death Metal” (2004), got the crowd jumping. They kept it going at that tempo through “Don`t Speak (I Came to Make a Bang!)” (from the album “Death by Sexy”, 2006) and another track off the “firstborn”, “Bad Dream Mama”. Jesse, the orange-haired heart and soul of EoDM, flirted with the crowd successfully and effortlessly with his cheerful presence and mischievous grin. Even though Josh Homme once again failed to join the band on this European tour and was replaced by the gentleman “Sexy-Mexy”, the Eagles worked as one. They pushed the flock below the stage onward with “Heart On” and “Secret Plans”, tracks from their latest, third album “Heart On” (2008), which some accuse of sounding too “therollingstonesy“. But the guys don’t sweat it. What’s more, they proudly admit that the Stones are one of the bands that shaped their music the most. The cover of their second studio album gives it away too. Compare “Death by Sexy” (2006) with The Rolling Stones classic “Sticky Fingers” from 1971.
The crowd, starving for tasty rock`n`roll rhythms, satisfied its hunger with “Now I`m a Fool”, “I Gotta Feelin (Just Nineteen)” and “Prissy Prancin”. Eagles of Death Metal served up tracks from one record, then another, then the third. A little something for everyone, and the right measure of everything, just no “shit metal.” What the hell was Axl thinking when he said those silly words? Was he “stoned,” like Jesse, who kept his little eyes dutifully hidden behind sunglasses until, mid-show, he announced loud and clear that he hadn’t smoked weed as good as what he’d smoked “today” in Slovenia in a long time?
Intoxicating substances or not, the Eagles carried on the night just as you’d expect from garage rock stars. “Anything `Cept the Truth”, “Whorehoppin` (Shit, Goddamn)”, “I Want You So Hard (Boy`s Bad News)” and “Midnight Creeper” wrapped up the first part of the set. EoDM bolted from the stage for a good three minutes. Just long enough for Jesse to swap his tight red V-neck tee, which showed off his “love rug,” for a shirt reading “Eagles of Death Metal”. Coincidence or…?
Jesse and the gang kicked off the final part of the show with “Brown Sugar” by rock`n`roll grandpas The Rolling Stones. That was followed by “Cherry Cola” and “Wannabe in L.A.”. The Eagles ended the pleasant get-together with “Speaking in Tongues” and promised they’d definitely be back. Now, what’s the catch?
Photos: Barbara Milharčič
Setlist
Eagles of Death Metal: 1. I Only Want You 2. Don`t Speak (I Came to Make a Bang!) 3. Bad Dream Mama 4. Heart On 5. Secret Plans 6. Already Died 7. Now I`m a Fool 8. I Gotta Feelin (Just Nineteen) 9. Prissy Prancin 10. Anything `Cept the Truth 11. Whorehoppin` (Shit, Goddamn) 12. I Want You So Hard (Boy`s Bad News) 13. Midnight Creeper 14. Brown Sugar 15. Cherry Cola 16. Wannabe in L.A. 17. Speaking in Tongues
Photo Gallery
