The Replacements getting back together was one of the great reunions among a lot of good reunions since the Pixies finally gave in and showed how any group could get back together, even after swearing for years they never would, granted most of the recognizable members and the front-person are still alive. The 'Mats never had a never a reason for it not to happen anyway. Westerberg had been crotchety even at their peak and he could keep being ornery but eventually even he would have to give in to everyone asking him, and he probably needed to a turn a buck if his solo stuff wasn’t working out anymore. It was probably just a matter of time for them to get back together, but it sure seemed longer than it needed to be. Stinson already had his Guns N’ Roses gig and that was just enough to be able to take the name with any credibility. But whatever had happened to keep them apart, finally events aligned to get them back together, and of course it would have to be at Coachella (surely an event that valued such a reunion, even if the rest of the world didn’t care much more about them than when they were still a working entity). It would be little surprise if that Coachella appearance was the high-point, just like it wouldn’t be a surprise that they extended it into a tour. One of our justifications for not going to Coachella anymore was that we could see most of the bands that were out there at their own separate show, and probably better than at a festival. Even the most special appearances by bands at the festival usually led to more, largely negating the necessity of needing to see them there in the first place (like how we couldn’t get rid of Pixies after they got back together there). If we’d known that the Replacements would do a full-blown tour after Coachella we might have hesitated to go to the festival that year (or not, since the rest of the line-up was impressive even without them), but there was no question that we would be in for their own show when it came up that they would stop at the Palladium (still a venue I don't mind). This was my third show in four consecutive nights, and the third that Carla couldn’t make. This was before I had tried re-selling tickets online, and it was just a few days before that she said she couldn't do it so I might not have had much opportunity to sell my extra before then anyway, and I might have balked at having to get a fraction of face-value for it so I figured I’d try my luck at selling it the night of the show, knowing I wouldn’t get back my full $70 but maybe half that or so. After drinks with Andrew, Heather, and their crew, all of which already had tickets, I went to the venue, hoping to find someone still willing to pay to get in, but finding people throwing away tickets, it was clear there was a staunch lack of demand. Since no one else was bothering to try to sell theirs, I had a clear path to those actually wanting to buy, even if there was only one and that only got me $5 (if I’m not maximizing it in my memory). On top of an over-priced ticket, and one I barely would have had to pay for if I'd known, it was an expensive show, but a good one. By this time they had been on the road for a while so they had a groove, which was a good run through the songs but nothing threatening a drunken melt-down like in some of their funnest but most calamitous concert moments. The Coachella show was a mess (at least ours on the second weekend) but also a blast and unforgettable, the best elements of their best shows. It was held together just barely with luck and orneriness (working for us instead of against us), just like the greatest ‘Mats shows; the one at the Palladium was just another show by a band with good songs, with the only threat or danger being that they might leave from boredom. Even though it was a full set, the abbreviated one at Coachella packed more punch. Still all good songs (leaning heavily toward their early stuff, but that's not entirely a bad thing), played as they were meant to be played (though far too sober), but without the possibility of falling apart like the best rock n’ roll so often is. It’s not something you can control or plan for, but neither were the Replacements at their most transcendent moments. The set was also bogged-down with too many unfamiliar songs, not to say there’s anything wrong with playing anything besides the old stuff, but these were novelties, as if Westerberg wasn’t going to give up anything new that was good to the ‘Mats name, assuming he’s even interested in giving effort to something so traditional and even-keeled as a rock song anymore anyway. (And his T-shirt and whatever cryptic message he was spelling out over the nights of the tour.) Still, they had honed a set-list that worked, with a band that worked maybe too well, and maybe L.A. just didn’t need a ramshackle performance by them, especially at their age. They played then they left. Maybe they had better things to do. The John Doe Band opened, which would probably have been great, but I was coming from work and there were drinks elsewhere.
"Seen Your Video"
"Takin' a Ride"
"Favorite Thing"
"I'm in Trouble"
"Kissin' in Action" (with "Iron Man" snippet)
"Kiss Me on the Bus"
"Nobody"
"Androgynous"
"I Will Dare"
"I'll Be You"
"20th Century Boy"/"Bang a Gong (Get It On)"/"All Shook Down"
"Anywhere's Better Than Here"
"Waitress in the Sky"
"Valentine"
"White and Lazy"
"Whole Foods Blues"
"Can't Hardly Wait"
"Bastards of Young"
"My Boy Lollipop" (Barbie Gaye cover)
"I Don't Know"
"Buck Hill"
"Within Your Reach"
"Left of the Dial"
"Alex Chilton"
"Never Mind"
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