Last Night: Titus Andronicus at Slim's
Categories: Last Night
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| Joseph Schell |
Titus Andronicus
Slim's
March 28, 2010
Better Than: group therapy.
Wielding a keyboard enshrouded in an enormous American flag and sampling American classics like "Glory, Glory Hallelujah!", New Jersey-based Titus Andronicus stripped bare and showed last night's Slim's crowd what it really means to be a proud American. Barely two songs into the set, scruffy-bearded frontman Patrick Stickles tore off his sweatshirt, shot a few sprays of throat coat into his mouth, and chased it with a long pull on his Corona. "The sweatshirt was a bad choice," he said, before plunging into another song on his duct-taped guitar.
Stickles stripped emotionally almost as quickly as he threw off his clothes. Just a few songs later, he asked for the house lights to be turned up so he could have a real heart-to-heart with his fans. He was concerned, he explained, because he had been "actin' a fool" at sound-check and was worried that the drama and its aftermath might be affecting the fun factor of the show. Sickles offered a lengthy apology to both concertgoers and the staff of Slim's. When the audience responded with loud cheers, the singer visibly loosened up, and even managed to crack a smile. "The truth is," he said, "I'm a really sensitive guy."
Wielding a keyboard enshrouded in an enormous American flag and sampling American classics like "Glory, Glory Hallelujah!", New Jersey-based Titus Andronicus stripped bare and showed last night's Slim's crowd what it really means to be a proud American. Barely two songs into the set, scruffy-bearded frontman Patrick Stickles tore off his sweatshirt, shot a few sprays of throat coat into his mouth, and chased it with a long pull on his Corona. "The sweatshirt was a bad choice," he said, before plunging into another song on his duct-taped guitar.
Stickles stripped emotionally almost as quickly as he threw off his clothes. Just a few songs later, he asked for the house lights to be turned up so he could have a real heart-to-heart with his fans. He was concerned, he explained, because he had been "actin' a fool" at sound-check and was worried that the drama and its aftermath might be affecting the fun factor of the show. Sickles offered a lengthy apology to both concertgoers and the staff of Slim's. When the audience responded with loud cheers, the singer visibly loosened up, and even managed to crack a smile. "The truth is," he said, "I'm a really sensitive guy."
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| Joseph Schell |
The rawness of Stickles' confession amplified the pain expressed in the following song, "No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future," which Stickles said is about his relationship with anti-depressants. But the subject matter of the song was evident without the preface, as it's laced with pleas like, "All I want for Christmas are no feelings now," and "Everything makes me feel nervous and nothing feels good for no reason." The self-doubt peaks when the entire band shouts "You will always be a loser!" into their mics in unison. Still, the outlook isn't altogether grim, as the last line following the long string of self-doubt proclaims that yes, "You will always be a loser, and that's ok."
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