I love Sleater-Kinney as much as anyone, and have ended up seeing them on pretty much every tour since discovering them at Dig Me Out (possibly due to my friends -- the broadest range of fans I know (though mostly ladies) -- wanting to go, as well as how the band are tour dogs and make sure they hit all the venues, especially L.A.), but I hadn’t dug enough into The Center Won’t Hold, assuming that No Cities To Love would be as far as they could go after getting back together, which could have been a too-tenuous reunion (easy to fall apart when it's only a few people). But I entered to win tickets, since I would take them if I got them, and won (though I don't remember where I got it from). That would have been great if the wife could go, since she’s an even bigger fan than me, but they came the night before the show and she couldn’t avoid work. I put the call out for folks to take the other ticket and got Chris, then we met up with other L.A. friends, particularly Matt, at the show, showing that it would have been a group anyway. Also my first go at the Observatory (though had been close at The Constellation Room on a night too much of a mess to have done anything but get in and out of there). I only realized later the value of The Center, maybe even more than Cities, then retroactively had to put my appreciation into the show for tunes I didn’t fully know at the time, especially “Reach Out,” which hit me hard and deep not long after that, one of my favorite tracks and choruses of modern times, then cursed myself for not knowing to enjoy it when I was there hearing it but not realizing what it was and would be to me later on. This show also had the curse of missing Janet, who had left shortly after the recording of the album, and didn’t get to the tour, though, following along with why she quit, wasn’t needed anyway (so they said). For as great as the music was that they made, and for being produced by St. Vincent, it was also in the direction away from the earlier work that made them, which was rough and raw enough to touch nerves in those adventurous enough to get past the caustic, conflicting beauty of post-punk riot-grrrls, exchanging polyrhythmic drums for synths that smoothed the edges, more palatable with a different range if that's what they were going for though risking that sharp delicacy that worked so well before, so then a shame they had to lose a force in the band powerful enough to stand up to the guitar fury in a sound known for it, but of the ties that bind between the three, she would have to be the one to lose. It could be argued to have been better if they had broken up again and pursued those sounds outside of the band they'd established, but it’s up to their own artistic wanderings, and at least they came up with something compelling from it, almost as good, but different. Janet’s mastery of varying rhythms -- as not just one of the best female drummers, but one of the best drummers around, full stop -- would have made it a different thing, and possibly wouldn’t have worked as well, but it was definitely a sound that was missing, and playing their older stuff without her would have suffered if the songs didn’t have such a solid foundation, with or without those playing on it. It all translated fine to the concert, and those who were just discovering them -- as there were plenty of young people there -- wouldn’t have missed what once was. As it was it had to be the transition show between the old sound and what they had ahead of them -- which was certainly a wish for as much as they could do and for as long as they would stay together (though being down to basically just the two of them didn’t leave much if they were or weren’t going to), on a good album, as pretty much they all were, but twisting from one thing to another, not the old form and not yet what it would be, but still solid, and with the familiar jaggedness now for the uncertainty of where they stood, like the old days but updated for still being indie darlings, as was the magic they’ve had in songs if not musicianship, and have been loved and admired for, whatever form they take. Apparently Kaina opened but we didn't notice and weren't even there that early.
I don’t like to include in these posts what happens in the future, since I’d rather them have the perspective of being written close to where I was when the show happened, but I have to note, not knowing at the time, that this would be the last show I'd (and by extension we'd) see for over two more years, during which we and the rest of the world, notably the music-performing and touring world, went into lock-down for the pandemic. We had shows again eventually, but at the time we had no idea knowing how long it would be (if ever) or that this would be the last show we’d have so too long. But (also going into the future) it worked out.
Sleater-Kinney’s set-list:
“The Center Won't Hold“
“Hurry On Home“
“Price Tag“
“The Future Is Here“
“Jumpers“
“Reach Out“
“Bury Our Friends“
“RUINS“
“What's Mine Is Yours“
“All Hands on the Bad One“
“Bad Dance“
“One More Hour“
“Restless“
“Oh!“
“The Fox“
“LOVE“
“Get Up“
“Can I Go On“
“A New Wave“
“Animal“
“The Dog/The Body“
“Entertain“
“Broken“
“Words and Guitar“
“Modern Girl“
“Dig Me Out“
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