GAMH San Francisco 27 December 2008

[cheeseburger]

well i've really been missing S.F. lately, and now after reading posts and watching the vids in this thread...........fuck .
ugg well....i guess i'm gonna go crawl into a little ball and cry for awhile.

[Smellis]

I remember Metal Church being huge on the Harbor back in the day.  I used to see sings in Roseviers ( an Aberdeen music store) for them a  lot.

Yeah here is the poster from the MELVINS show at the Aberdeen D&R Theater in 1985! And Grim, I Know Buzz was talking about VanDerhoof in those liner notes.

[FartLips]

I remember Metal Church being huge on the Harbor back in the day.  I used to see sings in Roseviers ( an Aberdeen music store) for them a  lot.

Do you know the Metal Church rant Buzz made? He called someone in Metal Church gay? I think it was in Neither Here Nor There.

i had friends back in the early nineties from seattle and they had mentioned to me their friends in metal church and how kurt and rob halford were buttbuddies.

[gesundheit]

Finally getting around to writing this review and posting a few of the pictures I took. I still have some more to post as these ones are just from a little digital. First thing I want to say is that every experience I have ever had at the Great American Music Hall has been no less than EPIC. Seeing Jello a few years back on Halloween and again with Jello and Melvins 1983 this year. And now this show...maybe it was because I expected it to be just another Melvins show just like the others that they had been playing this year on their tour for NWB. I wasn't expecting anything crazy and different and maybe that helped with being so pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed. An awesome experience.

It begun with Dale coming out and introducing The Lewd. Surprisingly they are from my hometown Cupertino, CA. So that totally threw me off since I hadn't really heard much about them and only knew that they were a punk band that has been around for a long time. I really dug their songs and riffs. The second song they played really seemed familiar and I liked all of the rest of the songs. I was so excited for the Melvins that I was just in a state of jubilance so nothing could really dampen my mood. The pit got going started by some tiny little punk girl with a pink beanie. Great set from a band I had hardly heard of. There drummer was fucking awesome too. And yea, their singer was this gnarled looking dude with high water jeans and some intense hunch action going on with his back.

On to the Melvins. As soon as The Lewd finished the floor got PACKED. I was up on the balcony since I got dinner tickets. I think I was sitting next to that guy honkster? with the drum head. Hope I didn't annoy him and his date since I was constantly leaning over to look at Jared and take pictures and shit. Dale and Coady came out together huddled back in the darkness of the stage and just started with the drumming intro while Jared (toting a glass of white wine) and Buzz joined them. Biggest applause for when Buzz walked out. Big shot of adrenaline right there and they hadn't even started yet. I had no idea what I was about to hear. I was prepared for Nude With Boots or whatever they were opening with during the tour. I got a song that sat me back in my seat and totally destroyed the idea that I would be getting "just another great Melvins show". Zodiac. From that point it just got better and better. The feeling of the new songs were much different that night too. I still consider Civilized Worm a new song and this time hearing it was the absolute best. The sound at this show was top notch compared to Canes and Slims. The Troubadour sound was as good as this show though. The way I was positioned was perfect I thought. Jared was below me and to the left. I could feel his bass rumbling my seat and the floor below me while Buzz's guitar cut through the drums that were coming from out of the darkness already pummeling the music hall. The best sounding mix I have gotten to experience at any Melvin's show. At some point between the new songs and the other stuff I was just floored and in a state never experienced before. Not being able to fully process what I was getting to hear and witness. I was so goddamn happy to be there. Was it a dream? I wasn't the only one happy though. I saw Buzz smiling nearly the whole time and it seemed like the rest of the band was stoked as well. The whole crowd seemed very pleased with the show as well. And how could they not be? I felt like I was watching all those old bootlegs that recently got posted on YouTube but wait, I was actually there and witnessing it. I was at the show. I hope that this show got a decent recording and a possible video bootleg because getting to experience just the setlist again would be wonderful. Not to mention just knowing EXACTLY what it was they played and the order would be sweet. I turned to my girlfriend (her third Melvins show) during Shevil and told her that this has been BY FAR the best I have yet seen them. She agreed. We were very, VERY happy with the show.

By the time they finished and left the stage I was so damn satisfied that I had already decided that this was the best show ever. To my surprise though, since I hadn't been on the forum, I hadn't heard or read that Trevor Dunn would be in attendence and "sitting in" on a song or two. I had wondered why there was a second bass amp setup on stage but by the time The Lewd started I had totally forgotten about it since I couldn't really see it from where I was sitting. As soon as I saw him come out I put it together and realized this night was definitely a while from being over. With him playing the Night Goat riff and seeing Jared walk back onto the stage I was in a state of utter bliss. Buzz comes back out. And slowly Coady and Dale join them again and they begin and finish the song. When hearing the guitar intro to The Bit I became a mess. I felt like crying. This is one of my favorite songs right now and them playing it and me witnessing it for the first time at this show was very emotional for me. It was the perfect ending. The power of the riffs and the duel basses rumbling the ground beneath me exceeded what I ever thought this song would be like seeing it live. I felt truly alive at this point and the ending outro of bass feedback making everybody plug their ears capped off the evening in a perfect way. I embraced it and am now convinced that the Melvins are as strong as ever. I mean I haven't seen them THAT much at all but the way they made me feel was absolutely extraordinary.

After all was said and done I got the poster from that night (my first Melvins poster btw) and it was signed by all four members. A prized possesion that will bring back memories of one of my greatest nights of music ever experienced. I went out the next day and bought Ozma, Stag and the Making Love Demos. I fucking love the Melvins. Best band ever.

The Hall





The Lewd















The Melvins



















The Encore













The End

[bUTTHOLEmAN]

Excellent review and pictures! Thanks

[black stallion]

awesome review and great pics.thanks!

[Beto Brasil]

great !!!
thanks !!!

[norecess]

Sounds like you had an awesome night, gesundheit (it's that time of the year already). I love those Melvins nights when everything falls in its place, as many people as possible should experience that. Great pictures too. In the picture with Trevor Dunn on stage it looks like Dale is exploring the possibilities of different positions to beat up his drumkit from - such an original drummer he is, who else would do that? Buzz's hair looks interesting in the picture of just him, banging his head low and deep.

[gesundheit]

Yea, in that last pic it's almost like you can see past the hair and skull. Into his genious brain...revealed for all.

Thanks guys. It was quite the magical evening.

[cheeseburger]

great review!
i love those emotional moments that the melvins can bring, live and recorded. but especially live...
it was nice to read a review that really captures that feeling of being totally overwhelmed by what you're experiencing.
thanks gesundheit!


btw- gamh is probably the best venue i've ever been to. i love it there, and have lots of fond memories of the shows, friends & and all around good times i've had there.

[honkster]

On to the Melvins. As soon as The Lewd finished the floor got PACKED. I was up on the balcony since I got dinner tickets. I think I was sitting next to that guy honkster? with the drum head. Hope I didn't annoy him and his date since I was constantly leaning over to look at Jared and take pictures and shit. e

yes sir. that was me and my chick. we did have quite the vantage point didn't we?

[lobotor09]

This is a bit late but oh well. This was my 2nd Melvins show(the last show at slims being the first). I'm happy to say that this show was much better and was one of the best shows I have ever been to. I got a spot at the very front right in front of Buzz, getting slamed against those small tables all night was not much fun but it was so worth it. I wasen't expecting anything out of the ordinary from the recent show reviews on this forum, but once Buzz ripped in to Zodiac I knew this was going to be special. They were so tight and the setlist kept getting better. Everything seemed perfect. I had no idea the Trevor Dunn was going to be there and I had no idea who it was until I read it here later. Seeing the Melvins wih five people on stage is something I never thought I would ever see. Nightgoat was so heavy and seeing Dale hitting the cymbals in front of the drumset was great. The bass feedback was a great way to end the show. I regret not getting a poster but it was too risky to give up my spot. I should also mention that there was a kid in the very front next to me who was probably no older then 8 or 9 with his parents and at the end of the show Dale walked right up to him and gave him his drumsticks. That was a cool thing of Dale to do.

[gesundheit]

Yea, I remember seeing that shit for sure!...hopefully he is now no less than a lifetime Melvins fan...just like the rest of us,

I got my poster after the show was all over...thanks swampviking!

[gesundheit]

More pictures from the show...a little on the abstract side

The essential GAMH picture while waiting in line.



















Not sure what happened here. Interesting.







Umm yea..





Dale, disappeared









Trevor Dunn

[norecess]

Cery cool pictures, thanks for posting them.