Stooges review, Vancouver, 1973

Vancouver fanzine review of Stooges gig in August of 1973
Iggy: Pooping the Pender

By Marsac

We had arrived at the Pender Auditorium somewhat disoriented after a daring, high speed run across town in a cab.
Once inside we took up a suitable vantage point from which to view Iggy and shortly thereafter began to feel the effects of the climate inside.
Heat and humidity were reaching sub-tropical. It could have been an auditorium located in downtown Singapore, of not for the presence of the Pender's huge wall mural which is a distinct case of 'art-Vancouver'
When the Stooges hit the stage, the temperature went up a few more degrees as they built up the crunching introduction to Raw Power. Iggy came on with a bump and a leer and there was little doubt that this was not an auditorium on downtown Singapore - unless one could see it as a small piece of the action on Bugis Street at peak trading hours.
Already Iggy was down on his hands and knees, leaning out over the front few rows whilst he hurls lyrics into the microphone.
The visual and the vocal are beginning to synch.
Iggy was bare-chested, with black, leather-knee boots and a ragged, sparkling g-string. His stage performance hits at different levels but there can be no denying the sexual impact. Just why do you think Iggy spends so much time cavorting with his back to the audience...
It doesn't matter which sex you fantasize about: Iggy can pass for either ... especially back-on.
Saturday night at the Pender the audience were a mixture of curious rock and roll devotees, Iggy Pop fans and a fair number of couples out for a night's clubbing.
The reception to the first bracket of songs was respectable, but later the applause would dwindle and half of the audience would appear to be more than a mite confused - if not suffering from a mild traumatic experience.
The Stooges' current line-up - James Williamson (lead guitar), Ron Asheton (bass), Scott Asheton (drums) and a devastating pianist whose name I didn't catch - is the same as the line-up as on the latest albu, with the exception of the pianist who was not credited on the album. Their collective musical ability is far greater than that of some of the bands backing various Iggy contemporaries/ imitators and their driving, metallic rock has an energy and near fury like that of Beefheart's Magic Band. Beyond the similarity ends.
During the second bracket of songs came one of the classic Iggy numbers off the new album 'Search and Destroy.' It was during this song that Iggy chose to unleash his piece de resistance.
Two large steps and he is plunging off stage into the front rows of the audience.
Actually there are at least two, if not more, 'handlers' carefully positioned in the front rows, centre stage. One with a pink top-hat, possibly used as a sight during pre-lunge calculations. For the remainder of the song Iggy will rise and fall amongst the crowd in the area, before being flung upright during the final bars by the handlers. To make this really effective Iggy should just disappear into the crowd and re-appear at different points around the hall... total recklessness, especially done without 'handlers' nearyby.
By the time this took place on Saturday night I was already becoming somewhat bored with the performance. There's only so much one central character can accomplish and his band weren't doing much beyond delivering endless, crunching rock. Had the music been more interesting Iggy would have taken his time with the stage routine and made it more effective over a longer period.
There was the gas cylinder sequence...but what was in there? What was being delivered through the plastic mouth/nose piece? Oxygen? If it was nitrous-oxide the guys must have an incredible tolerance. Either that or the tap was only on for a split second. A good three-minute blast of nitrous-oxide should be enough to sever the cerebral chords of the hardiest human. Leave them jabbering in falsetto in between burst of maniacal laughter.
By the time the show ended it took the audience some 10 minutes to muster the kind of applause that Iggy and the Stooges considered worthy of an encore. But after one last song it was over.
Earlier in the evening there had been a marathon boogie set by a local group put together recently by Danny Tripper. Quite entertaining and good to get out the shake with but ' will we ever get out of these blues alive?'
From there it was into another cab and off on another lurching trip across town, that came close to being terminal on at least three seperate occasions. On reflection it would be probably fair to say that Iggy appeared to be very tired...perhaps a little bored even.

What a fascinating review. Thanks very much for posting it.

Interesting that even in 1973 it appears that certain parts of the Stooges show were carefully choreographed and pre-planned.

And what was all that about a gas cannister?

Cheers,

Richard

wow funhousesideway...a postponed review: LOVE IT!!!!

although i don't understand 30% what y'r saying
esp. the juicy pieces..tooo much slang for a foreigner
what the hell means

'Iggy: Pooping the Pender'
'Iggy chose to unleash his piece de resistance'
and
'Iggy can pass for either ... especially back-on.'
for example?

Probably it was Bob Sheff on piano.

Iggy was bare-chested, with black, leather-knee boots and a ragged, sparkling g-string. His stage performance hits at different levels but there can be no denying the sexual impact. Just why do you think Iggy spends so much time cavorting with his back to the audience...
It doesn't matter which sex you fantasize about: Iggy can pass for either ... especially back-on.

Zin I'm guessing the author thinks Iggy has sex appeal to both girls and boys and from the back looks quite feminine

wow..thanx TED!
dzjeez..complicated way to say something..
must be fun in yr own language i guess!

During the second bracket of songs came one of the classic Iggy numbers off the new album 'Search and Destroy.' It was during this song that Iggy chose to unleash his piece de resistance.

Two large steps and he is plunging off stage into the front rows of the audience.

Author saying about his stage diving here

hmm..i hoped the meaning of this sentence was...undoing from his 'piece de resistance': sparkling G-string!
sorry

HaaHaa that would have been much more fun

And Jim Morisson got arrested for showing his dick! Christ.
Iggy doesn't need jeans, just a string is enough. Although during the concert in Rotterdam, I thought he gained some weight

Zin,

Pooping the Pender was the headline to the story. Probably just playing off the word Pop. Add an O and you get poop or crap or, well toilet material. As for his piece de resistence it's french for the main item in an event or series. He was jumping into the crowd.
Sexuallity back-on means he could pass for a boy or a girl and the crowd was still turned on by it.
Hope this helps

This is a very good review. Thanks to Legs Mcneill for bringing it up.