I hadn't cried out (or 'sing' out loud if you prefer ..) since the concert of the Clash in Greece in 1985... I went to the concert of ROKY ERICKSON right after the radio show, but I never imagined it would be one of ten to fifteen best concerts I've ever seen!
The man plays for himself ... That is he's coming from a 'time' that exudes authenticity, other way of life and other 'colors' ... So simple. You were watching him, you were feeling him on stage and suddenly you were not in Athens at Gagarin, but somewhere in the U.S. in the second half of the sixties. A figure from another, distant world, where innocence and immediacy are in charge, without nothing inserted between.
Enchanting original from the first note of the concert to the last. This important night began with the 'Cold Night For Aligators' and everything was clear. He would blow our minds off in the air for more than a half hour. Indeed ... 'Bloody Hammer', 'Two Headed Dog', 'Stand For The Fire Demon', 'I Walked With A Zombie'. I write the titles of songs and I refuse to make review for this concert ... It makes no sense. Those who have not lived it, can only imagine. It was the first visit of Roky Erickson in our country and believe it, his voice is literally unchanged (!!!), as if not one day has gone by! There was quite no matter, believe me, if we were in 2010, this man just showed us very clearly that he is of no time and age ...
Nikos Triantafyllidis was right. It was really the time for GAGARIN to experience the appearance of the incredible and awesome Roky Erickson. With simple and modest (but strong) attitude on stage, no show, nothing that resembles the minimum pretense or anything else he came and told us 'come and I'll take you on a trip to the country of your childhood, where memory bursts only from future memories and the past does not exist yet ... Do you want to? "And of course we did...
The world has not stopped for a minute celebrating with him (of course the club was full of people - perfectly reasonable) and singing: 'Night Of The Vampire', 'Creature With The Atom Brain', 'The Beast', 'Don't Slander Me', 'Starry Eyes', 'Don't Shake Me Lucifer', I almost completely lost my mind listening (surprisingly) to one of the most R I S K Y songs in the history of Rock & Roll: 'I kill people all day long .. 'cause i am John Lawman ..' The most fanatic of TIIRTEEN FLOOR ELEVATORS had the chance to enjoy a pure 'Roller Coaster' from the very old, in a superb execution, and the 'Reverberation', which was also one of the highlights of the evening.
All around me commented on ' the grandpa' being unbelievable and that this could not be happening. Roky was smiling between the songs, no need to say words to communicate with the audience. There is connection in just every note in every song. So, like any good mystic, moreover, sees the encore so as to vanish any hidden shadow 'wonder' about what we are experiencing, throwing at us (!) a prototype code that does not fit interpretations and so on. He is going out on stage and he is putting his head on fire smiling and singing: 'You're gonna miss me ..!!!" A happy crowd is pouring in the streets .. taxi drivers wondering. Are they ordinary customers? No. A celebration just ended and some people still carry it with them. So simple. And this you know you can tell ... Till next year!!
The man plays for himself ... That is he's coming from a 'time' that exudes authenticity, other way of life and other 'colors' ... So simple. You were watching him, you were feeling him on stage and suddenly you were not in Athens at Gagarin, but somewhere in the U.S. in the second half of the sixties. A figure from another, distant world, where innocence and immediacy are in charge, without nothing inserted between.
Enchanting original from the first note of the concert to the last. This important night began with the 'Cold Night For Aligators' and everything was clear. He would blow our minds off in the air for more than a half hour. Indeed ... 'Bloody Hammer', 'Two Headed Dog', 'Stand For The Fire Demon', 'I Walked With A Zombie'. I write the titles of songs and I refuse to make review for this concert ... It makes no sense. Those who have not lived it, can only imagine. It was the first visit of Roky Erickson in our country and believe it, his voice is literally unchanged (!!!), as if not one day has gone by! There was quite no matter, believe me, if we were in 2010, this man just showed us very clearly that he is of no time and age ...
Nikos Triantafyllidis was right. It was really the time for GAGARIN to experience the appearance of the incredible and awesome Roky Erickson. With simple and modest (but strong) attitude on stage, no show, nothing that resembles the minimum pretense or anything else he came and told us 'come and I'll take you on a trip to the country of your childhood, where memory bursts only from future memories and the past does not exist yet ... Do you want to? "And of course we did... The world has not stopped for a minute celebrating with him (of course the club was full of people - perfectly reasonable) and singing: 'Night Of The Vampire', 'Creature With The Atom Brain', 'The Beast', 'Don't Slander Me', 'Starry Eyes', 'Don't Shake Me Lucifer', I almost completely lost my mind listening (surprisingly) to one of the most R I S K Y songs in the history of Rock & Roll: 'I kill people all day long .. 'cause i am John Lawman ..' The most fanatic of TIIRTEEN FLOOR ELEVATORS had the chance to enjoy a pure 'Roller Coaster' from the very old, in a superb execution, and the 'Reverberation', which was also one of the highlights of the evening.
All around me commented on ' the grandpa' being unbelievable and that this could not be happening. Roky was smiling between the songs, no need to say words to communicate with the audience. There is connection in just every note in every song. So, like any good mystic, moreover, sees the encore so as to vanish any hidden shadow 'wonder' about what we are experiencing, throwing at us (!) a prototype code that does not fit interpretations and so on. He is going out on stage and he is putting his head on fire smiling and singing: 'You're gonna miss me ..!!!" A happy crowd is pouring in the streets .. taxi drivers wondering. Are they ordinary customers? No. A celebration just ended and some people still carry it with them. So simple. And this you know you can tell ... Till next year!!