Iggy and the Stooges' frantic headlining set was the perfect way to punctuate the success of the inaugural C2SV Festival this past weekend and, if overall vibe at St. James Park was any indication, the festival is in for a very long and successful run.
Opening their set with "Raw Power," Iggy and the Stooges put on a frenzied set full of punk rock classics that showed the two thousand plus fans in attendance just why they are one of the most influential bands of all time. That Iggy and The Stooges were able to deliver such a set might not be considered impressive (Ground Control has reviewed the band's live shows before, and been astounded by them), but perhaps the most surprising part of this particular show is that they did it with almost zero production. For their set at St. James Park, the whole show was just a band on stage with the amps cranked to eleven. As it should be.
Guitarist James Williamson (who delivered the keynote music address at the conference earlier in the day) provided the guitar riffs, while drummer Tony Dammit [who has been filling in while Stooges drummer Scott Asheton has been out sick -ed] and bassist Mike Watt made the rhythms punch and made "Search and Destroy," "Funhouse" and "1970" sound as heavy as they did when the songs first appeared in the band's setlist over forty years ago. Likewise, the songs from the band's newest album, Ready To Die (represented in this set by "Gun," "Ready To Die" and "Sex and Money"), injected a fairly tremendous amount of fresh power into the already energized crowd.
Frontman Iggy Pop, who has somehow managed to not only stop the hands of time but found a way to reel them back, was his usual animated self. He commanded the stage while dancing, kicking and jumping his way over every inch of it. As he has throughout his career, Iggy had the entire crowd in the palm of his hand and, as he belted out "I Wanna Be Your Dog," "No Fun," and "Passenger," those lucky enough to be in attendance at this unique show were given more than their money's worth.
All in all, Iggy and The Stooges' show was a great way to start what will hopefully be a long-running festival. The band definitely set the bar high for anything that follows them; I am already looking forward to seeing what the festival comes up with for next year.
Photos:
Iggy and The Stooges – C2SV Music and Technology Conference – San Jose, Ca – 09/28/2013 – [Photos]
Further Reading:
Ground Control Magazine – "The Portrait Of Creative Convergence" – [Feature Article]
Artist:
www.iggyandthestoogesmusic.com/
www.myspace.com/iggyandthestooges
www.facebook.com/iggyandthestooges
www.twitter.com/Iggy_Stooges
