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“motherfucker” on an album, and for a spotty kid hearing that for the first time, it truly was the beginning of a revolution. The other fleeting memory I have of MC5 was Wayne Kramer’s famous guitar, and holy shit there he is right in front of me, wielding it like Excalibur! “Brothers and sisters, the time has come for each and every one of you to decide, whether you are gonna be the problem, or whether you are gonna be the solution”. With the famous J.C. Crawford intro blaring out of the PA, Kramer bursts onto the stage and covers more space in the opening seconds than the average shoe-gazer does in a 90 minute gig. One by one, MC50 troop onto the stage and soak up the applause as Crawford is asking the crowd if they are ready to testify. It’s straight into ‘Ramblin’ Rose’, and it’s hard to take your eyes away from Kramer as he flashes past you while peeling off some incredible guitar licks. You know what’s coming next don’t you….”Right now it’s time to… it’s time to… kick out the jams, motherfuckers!” and the pints are flying. Marcus Durant takes over on lead vocals, Gould is headbanging away at the back, Canty is incredible to watch and then there is Kim Thayil. The MC50 tour is a timely reminder of the aura surrounding Thayil, and it’s heart-warming to see him on stage again, smiling. The timely ‘Motor City Is Burning’ is incredible to hear, and on ‘Rocket Reducer No.62’ Kramer shows that he’s not lost any of his prowess on a track that seamlessly mashes up soul and punk. ‘I Want You Right Now’ has the same fuzzy intro that launched a thousand copies, and what can be said about ‘Starship’, apart from what the hell were you guys on when you wrote this one? Eight minutes or so of improvisation that is so out of there that it’s back in. Absolutely gonzo! Once the run through of ‘Kick Out The Jams’ is finished, it’s time to revisit moments from other MC5 albums. ‘Shakin’ Street’ and ‘Call Me Animal’ are amazing, as is the cover of Them’s ‘I Can Only Give You Everything’. How about ‘Sister Anne’ and ‘Looking At You’ with Michael Monroe on sax? A powerful way to end a fitting tribute to the powder keg legacy of a mightily important band. Listen to the guitar solos on ‘Looking At You’. I believe the phrase is “ahead of their time”? Review: Dave S Images: Dave J [gallery type='flickr' user_id='132278830@N06' view='photosets' photoset_id='72157701940025991' media='photos' columns='3' tag_mode='any' sort='date-posted-desc' per_page='52' layout='square' caption='title' thumb_size='s' main_size='z' ] ]]>
