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40 Watt Club / Atlanta GA - USA / October 18th 2001
Followers of Athens, Georgia music (REM, B-52's etc) and music lovers from other parts are familiar with the 40 Watt Club. It is what could be called "a venerable institution". And though it has inhabited several spaces over the years (some would argue its first shoe-box size incarnation was the best), it is still preceded by its history and reputation. So no surprise that Iggy sold out the 200 or so tickets that there were. And not a bad spot in the house, let me say. Standing at the bar, standing in the back, wedged up front with Iggy-in-your-face, every single person had plenty of Iggy moments and stories. And what a cool crowd of people. Lots of leather, denim, fur and retro-chic. Music lovers, every one of them. If this weren't such an age for cynicism, I would dare call the concert a "gathering". Thankfully, a pretty shitty opening act did nothing to dampen anyone's spirits, despite them playing way too loud. In fact, it was at this juncture that I knew that my ears were in for the treatment. They rang for two days, no kidding. Iggy came on and blasted thru the set. A lot of new material was covered, which I personally love. The crowd was somewhat lukewarm to a couple of the new songs, but that provided an opportunity for me to push in a little closer, as all the usual Iggy concert pushing and shoving had momentarily subsided. "Death Is For Certain" and "Sterility" (the "hidden" track) were standouts as was the surprise (for me) performance of "Death Trip". Not much talking from Iggy. I saw Iggy in '84 in Athens, Georgia (a college town if ever there was one) and he really let the "frat boys" have it. Not so this time. Times change, huh. After the concert we went for drinks with several new found friends. Funny to note that the t-shirt vendors were selling these tight fitting glam rock "body-wear" shirts meant probably (and I say "probably) for the female fans. That did not discourage several skinny dudes from buying them and parading around proclaiming "Iggy is the best, man". No friggin' shit. Later my girlfriend and I were stumbling back to our hotel and ran across the tour bus all fired up. I peered in and saw what appeared to be a topless "waitress" taking drink orders from passengers. Oh boy! Lucky for us, Iggy was in the bus and we managed to get an autograph (I had my "Beat 'Em Up" cover and pen handy), though he wouldn't come out and meet us. Still, it was a great rock n roll night, made better by the intimacy of the small venue and the small city of Athens, for that matter.Michael Thomas Roe