As I’m walking towards La Tulipe on this cold and windy November night, I see PIL on the marquee and the anticipation starts to build. In a very short time, I will see a legend of the music I grew up with. I was 10 years old when Public Image: First Issue came out, but I was introduced to them with the classic “This Is Not A Love Song” which I would soon hear live.
The show was scheduled to start at 7:30 PM, the early bird special. Doors opened a half hour earlier so as to search all bags, by the request of the band. Considering the events that unfolded in Paris during The Eagles of Death Metal show, a smart move. It was a little surreal going to a show so soon after the events that shocked the world just one day ago.
The crowd was mature and very respectful, well except for that one guy that would start yelling at odd times before the show. I take it he spent all his allowance at the bar before the show started. I was easily able to make my way to the front and at no time during the whole show did anyone bump into me, everyone had a little pocket of space between them.
John Lydon may have aged, but you can still see the spark in his eye and he can belt out the snarls like no one other. Occasionally between songs, Johnny would take a swig of what looked like a bottle of Cognac or Brandy, gargle then spit it out into a garbage can. With his binder of lyrics before him, one might be dismissive of such methods, but at 59, you have to respect the man. At more then 10 years his junior, I too would need to be reminded of songs lyrics.
The show starts with “Double Trouble”, the first track from the latest album “What The World Needs Now”, an upbeat opener to get us started, centred around an argument that he and his wife had over a broken toilet. Johnny may claim to be overrated in the lyrics, but he commands the stage and brings an energy that many younger singers would be unable to follow.
“Know Now” continues the energized set and the classic “This Is Not A Love Song” followed, which brought back memories of a distant past. The rhythm section was phenomenal tonight (Scott Firth on Bass & Bruce Smith on Drums), laying a bassline that was solid and creating a groove that you couldn’t help but move to.
After “Betty Page”, “Deeper Water” from “This is PIL” (2012) was played.
“Corporate” was next played with its eerie talk of World War III “because all humans seem to hate humanity”. “Can we make the next century?”, John asks? Let’s hope so.
John declares that their heart goes out to Paris so they perform “Death Disco” with a hypnotic bassline. John Lydon may be a legend, but the only flaw I can find tonight is the awkward dancing. I think I might have seen the “sprinkler” at one point. I can totally relate, having been a DJ for 30 years, I simply can’t dance. John may not be a dancing queen, but he is the king of punk ethos, a crown that cannot be taken away from him. This song was actually written for John’s mother who was dying of cancer and after also losing his father, John finds this song is particularly hard to play live.
“And now on a lighter note”, John declares: “The One” is performed, followed by “Disappointed”. The crowd is definitely not disappointed by the performance tonight. I look back and although no one is singing along to the newer songs, they are respectful of the performance and soaking it all in.
“The Body” from Happy? (1987) is next. Lu Edmonds on guitar was sporting the President Lincoln look, and can play a mean guitar. His playing created this ethereal atmosphere and certain riffs reminded me of some good old Billy Idol guitar, which this song featured.
“Warrior” was next, with it’s disco beat resounding that “I will never surrender”. Although John sang about Anarchy in the UK in the past, he admits it was simply a novelty at the time. This disarming dance song with a strong message made more real with events happening around us at this time.
As the crowd shows their love for John between songs, he blows a kiss and begins “Religion”, a song from 1978. This is a relevant denunciation of religion “falling to bits, gloriously”. John who claims to hate all religion denounces the hypocrisy in many of today’s leading religions.
Middle eastern chanting begins the next song “Open Up” as John exposes the hollow shell of Tinseltown and merges into “Shoom” from the latest album. “Success is bollocks” shows the hollow trappings of success. 40 years after his first band gained success, John accepts success on his own terms. The message is bigger then the messenger and the music is the important thing and tonight he gave us a full on concert with energy many young ones could not match. John keeps the music alive, keeps showing us that taking a stance on a subject is important and you don’t have to follow the crowd. Even if “Shoom” is filled with irony, the truth is told that quite a many things are “bollocks”.
As the band leaves the stage, the crowd chants “PIL” to get a proper encore. When John returns and starts to say: “Hello…hello” I look back to Kieron, the photographer for the evening, thinking we are about to hear a classic song from the Pistols. Not disappointed, I realize quickly that “Public Image” is being played, with all the energy of a punk classic.
The last song of the evening is “Rise” chanting, “anger is an energy”. Although the show was peaceful and respectful, one cannot deny that anger is present en masse in our current world. The energy that anger holds on our society is evident with acts as those in Paris. The road ahead is unknown, but energy can be used for good or for bad. “No Future” was made famous by the Pistols, but Punk culture questions the status quo. Now, an older John allows for an intelligent questioning of the current state of affairs. John Lydon tonight showed us that one could still question authority yet in a more mature way. Age has not diminished the disruption that he can create, but I think that he now has a much more level headed view of the world.
We enjoyed a night of legendary music and lyrics that left us questioning the world around us. May we wake up and notice the events around us, appreciate the life we have and make sure of the most important things; those who we surround ourselves with.
Après Concert Hijinks
I don’t normally turn into a concert groupie, but I had this insatiable need to meet the legendary John Lydon. Along with a group of 11, we huddled by the tour bus, sharing a shivering experience. Stories were shared, as we waited anxiously in the freezing cold to connect with someone who influenced our youth. The youngest of our group was a mere 17 years old, born 20 years after the first album. We all shared a love for a genre that allowed us to question the world around us. As we shivered and discussed the opportunity to meet the legendary John Lydon, the bus leaves our presence, much to our dismay.
Our small band of dedicated fans decide that our frozen stand-off would not end, so we made our way back to the theatre. Our hopes are low, we are cold, but we are determined to see this through. Do we stay in the front, or the back? I eventually made my way to the back, and eventually, John leaves the back of the building for the tour bus that has circled back and is now parked in front of the venue. Promising to take time to greet us after dropping off his stuff on the bus, the group respectfully lines up in anticipation. John is very gracious and signs various albums, books and toys from those gathered at the front of the bus. I have the setlist signed and get a picture with John. One from our group is annoyed that his picture with John was not captured and makes a scene, as well as someone with a bootleg vinyl whom John’s handler calls out as a bootleg and states that John will not sign it. Fair enough, but they persist, even if they received signatures already. An individual who clearly has maxed out any reasonable alcohol consumption limits and wishes to slur some incomprehensive praise soon interrupts us. As he struggles to stand up straight, he clearly doesn’t recognize the respectful line that has formed in front of the bus. John is a gentlemen and spends time with us, but eventually has to retreat to the warmth of the bus. Those few who didn’t get to meet him were allowed to send in stuff to get signed, which was returned to us shortly thereafter. Frozen by the cold wind, we finally head out into the night. We have experienced a show by a legend of the scene many of us grew up with. We met the man that in some ways changed the face of music and inspired so many bands we love to this day. We shared a camaraderie with those who respect John’s music and stood in the cold for quite some time before meeting him. We left feeling that we were in the presence of a piece of musical history.
Review – Randal Wark is a Professional Speaker and Business coach with a passion for live music. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Photos – Kieron Yates
Share this :
