Alex Chilton presents "gig that will live in infamy"
Turner Hall, Milwaukee, Wisc., December 7, 2008
Reviewed by Andy Turner
Noting that the date marked the day in 1941 in which the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Alex Chilton began by proclaiming the night's show as the "gig that will live in infamy." Infamy in Milwaukee on cold December Sundays is probably reserved for Packers losses, and Chilton's unassuming set - somewhat short and heavy on covers - entertained but likely didn't register too profound of an impression on a nevertheless appreciative crowd.
Chilton was amiable and quick with a joke throughout as he quickly worked his way through a well-chosen selection of R&B standards and obscurities and a mere three songs from his own back catalog. He was backed by a drummer and bassist, gelling with both better as the show progressed.
Reported missing during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the 57-year-old Chilton maintains a youthful, backseat twang in his voice that has survived time, natural disasters and hard living. The Letter, a number 1 song in 1967 when he recorded it as a 16-year-old with The Box Tops, didn't sound far fetched at all from him 40 years later. In fact, it might have been the best performed of the three songs from Chilton's celebrated past, which also included underwhelming takes on In the Street and When My Baby's Beside Me.
Chilton shined best on his energetic version of the Frederick Knight-penned Claim to Fame, which showcased his non-flashy, accomplished guitar picking and blue-eyed soulfulness. The Memphis native showed a similar fire when tackling Michael Jackson's Rock With You, which he classified as the singer's best song.
An hour or so into the show, Chilton left the stage, returned for an encore rip through Maybellene and promptly bid adieu. All in all, a too quick but interesting evening with the one-of-a-kind Chilton.
Grant Hart, in fine voice, opened for Chilton, performing a solo set heavy on his Husker Du contributions. Hart did a more than adequate job of making up for the absence of a backing band with powerful pounces through the likes of Never Talking to You Again, Books About UFO's and Nova Mob's Puzzles. The Minnesotan also exhibited good humor when an audience member unfamiliar with Hart's oeuvre asked him his name, and he offered, "It was Zimmerman, but I had to change it."
(Photo by Dale Reince)
