Come Together

Forgot the camera, thanks to Elliot for the sketch.

After a ten year hiatus, Brothers William and Jim Reid resurrected their band, Jesus and Mary Chain, last night at the Glasshouse. This wasn't exactly yer typical reunion (to be fair, former drummer and now Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie wasn't in attendance, not that his involvement would've been anything other than nostalgic at best) - to no one's surprise, Jim and William Reid barely spoke a word to each other onstage. Nevertheless, I was ecstatic to witness the rehashing of JAMC classics, like "Head On," "Blues From A Gun," "Some Candy Talking," and "Happy When It Rains." Also worthy of mention - Jim invited opener Giant Drag onstage to guest on "Just Like Honey," not that you could hear Annie's vocals.

Midway into the set, I realized that the band's return wasn't necessarily a reunion, but a rebirth. I'd recently heard rumors that Jesus and Mary Chain are planning a tour (they've signed with the Agency Group) in support of a new album. The validity of the rumors were somewhat confirmed by Jim Reid himself during the show, when he introduced a new song. Truthfully, that song, nameless to me at this point, was the harshest toke of the night - it was an up-tempo song, with seemingly little inspiration (the lyrics were dissapointing) and minimal effort (strikingly, William played his riff with no enthusiasm.) Please, don't feel obligated to take my word for it. I'm not sure what song the person in front of me was listening to at the time, but he commented to his companion that it was "an instant classic!"

Maybe it was the Reid brothers' perceived disinterest during their performance (only reinforced by William Reid's reluctance to sing or speak at all), but I couldn't shake the feeling that the return of Jesus and Mary Chain was encouraged by money, not that I was deterred by the realization. In all fairness, I'd expected that, given William Reid's well documented no show (an obvious snub towards Jim) at the MOJO Awards last year. I think I subconsciously hoped the Reid brothers would tell Goldenvoice off, like Morrissey, if they weren't excited to bring back some of what Jesus and Mary Chain left behind, let alone create new music.

Above all, my excitement laid in the simple fact that the Jesus and Mary Chain, a band I have a lot of admiration for, were performing before my eyes, a prospect I wouldn't have believed possible only a year ago. I heard songs I'd only dreamed of hearing live and that was fulfilling enough for me.

I encourage those of you who were in attendence (or anyone else for that matter) to post yer thoughts.