3 July 2006
Empire $25
Sacramento, CA
On the eve of Independence Day, about a thousand spectators packed into the Empire in downtown Sacramento for one of the most hyped events of the summer. Indie darlings Sonic Youth played before a packed house on their most recent tour stop promoting their latest album, Rather Ripped. The crowd for the Sonic Youth show was one of the most diverse crowds I have ever seen as 12 year olds and parents who have grown up listening to Sonic Youth gather along the front of the stage.
Playing against a backdrop of patterned lights and cool colors, Sonic Youth began their electrifying set with their new single Incinerate. They played mostly tracks from their new album, but played a few oldies. The band knows how to entertain a crowd with Kim Gordon’s subtle, yet hypnotic dancing and Thurston Moore’s wildness. The climax of the show came early as Moore slid his guitar against his amp and speakers then jumped into the crowd only to find himself having trouble returning to the stage. They had not one, but two encores, which was more than enough while playing a good two hours. Rats has amazing beats, but wearing ear plugs is necessary when standing in close proximity to the amps and speakers. The crowd was entertained throughout their set, but what I found pessimistic was that most of the crowd was stiff.
Awesome Color was the opening band and they were pretty good, but of course Sonic Youth blew everyone away. There were some misunderstandings unfortunately at the beginning of the show that I experienced, but overall it ended up to be a fantastic show and well worth it!
Sonic Youth's Set List:
Incinerate
Reena
Catholic Block
Pattern
Rapture?
What A Waste
Eric’s Trip
Turquoise Boy
Sunday
Rats
100%
Pink Steam
Or
-
Lights Out
Jams
-
schiz
Shaking Hell
