Lou Reed at Tennessee Theatre 4/30/08

Talking with concertgoers after Lou Reed wrapped up his 90 minute set, opinions were mixed. Few people were blown away, most seemed to enjoy it, some were underwhelmed and a lot of us felt lucky to have had the opportunity to see him at all. As with most things, age played something of a factor in how one reacted to Reed and his band’s performance, with the 40 + crowd having a much more favorable opinion of the set, if casual conversation and posts on Knoxblab are any indication. My own peer group, the early to mid 30 set, were more skeptical and nonplussed, thinking it was a bit too clean and tasteful. Part of this, I think, has to do with their admission that they weren’t familiar with much of his solo work, and are most familiar with VU-era Reed or Rock and Roll Animal, so they weren’t exactly sure what to expect.

I myself am of mixed minds about it; I certainly get the too tasteful criticism. The band could have stood to loosen up a bit, and more rock songs could have been in the mix. At the same time, while some of the more mellow songs were so staid and boring he could have had any group of musicians up there to perform them, songs such as the opening number (which I was unfamiliar with), “I’m Set Free” and “Ecstasy” allowed for a great melding of superb musicianship (esp. from guitarist Steve Hunter and drummer Tony Smith) and inspired interplay and guitar solos. Lou’s own guitar solos, delivered on this bizarre, what looked to be custom-made metal guitar, were for me the best part of the whole show. He took several extended ones, and the fact that this guy was so obviously not on the level of the other guys in the band made it all the more exciting. He’s a more intuitive, exploratory player, and the tone he uses is very distinct. The solo in “Magic and Loss” was incredible. Setting his kind of idiot savant playing in the middle of this fine-tuned machine added the biggest thrills of the evening, but also called attention to just how typically tasteful middle-aged rock some of the performances were.

That’s where he’s at now, though, and blanket criticism of this sound reminds me of people who have gone to see Dylan in the past few years and walked away disappointed after finding him fronting a tight, controlled band with a deep well of American music history, rather than the raging speed-freak demigod of the mid-60s fronting the proto-punks that were the Hawks. That was 40 years ago, and a 65 year old Lou Reed doing “I Heard Her Call My Name” would probably end up more of a let down than you might think. Sure there are some old dudes who can still summon that youthful abandon – feedback-worshiper Neil Young comes to mind, and Thurston Moore is getting deeper and deeper into the noise scene as he approaches his 50th birthday — but Lou Reed’s approach seems more common and, in its way, sensible.

As for the songs, I’ll admit I found some of them tepid, but a complete dismissal of any slow number is misguided. I mentioned to someone who wasn’t there that in addition to several mellow songs, he seemed to be in a good mood, cracked a few smirks and was gracious to the audience. “That’s not what you want from Lou Reed, ” was this person’s reply. Well, maybe not, but wanting him to come out and be a confrontational asshole reduces him to sort of a one-dimensional caricature of himself. And songs like “Halloween Parade” and “Magic and Loss” — which he played last night — dealing with the deaths of actual friends as he ages, are a lot tougher and more honest than the easy young adult nihilism of “Heroin” or “White Light/White Heat.”  I’m not going to pretend his later songs mean as much to me as the VU material, which I think is as good as rock music gets, but I appreciate that he continues to reach and grow in his writing and performing, and isn’t just a living greatest hits jukebox.

With all that in mind, the “real time electronics” guy was woefully unnecessary, and three guitarist seemed excessive. The keyboards worked every now and then, but made things a bit cheesy here and there. And the encore should have most definitely been a rocker, and not the nice but bland “Perfect Day,” even if it did read as a Valentine to the audience.

A few nice moments: Lou walking over to Hunter after a lengthy, fun take on “Ecstasy” and saying “That was great.” Tony Smith’s drum sticks breaking repeatedly, the tips flying off behind him dozens of times. The very young-looking sound guy sitting to the side of the stage, tapping his foot and singing along to “I’m Sticking with You.” Lou flirting, through music and eye contact, with a woman in the front row. Those guitar solos.