Sonic Youth proves it’s not too old to make noise
When they formed Sonic Youth in the early 1980s, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, and Kim Gordon probably didn't consider the ramifications of selecting a band name that seemed to preclude aging gracefully. They're stuck with it now, though, despite lasting long enough to be considered elder statesmen of avant-garde noise rock. Having released its first record in 1983, Sonic Youth will be eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in four years.
Sonic Youth may have matured, but the band hasn't grown complacent, as evidenced by the chaotic noise on display during its nearly two-hour set at Avalon on Saturday. Standing in front of six light boxes that switched between simple colors, album artwork, and pictures of guitars and flowers, the band performed a little over half of its new "Sonic Nurse" while skimming its back catalog. Except for "Sugar Kane" and the skittering blast of "White Cross," there were few obvious crowd-pleasers throughout the evening, which was heavy on dirge-like drones such as "Disconnection Notice" and "Unmade Bed."
In many ways, Sonic Youth gave strong indications of being nothing more than a different breed of jam band, one that grooves on squealing sheets of noise rather than notes and rhythm. Moore and Ranaldo played their guitars at stun volume, crammed drumsticks under their strings, and hit notes simply to let them decay into nothingness. Moore looked for sounds anywhere he could find them, at one point climbing the speakers on the side of the stage and rubbing his guitar against the ledge above him.
That sonic exploration occasionally confounded the audiences instincts. During the closing "Expressway To Yr Skull," the crowd cheered as the concluding feedback began, but they quieted down as Sonic Youth kept pushing it further. A few people tried to start a mosh pit during the cacophony, but it didn't last long. For seven minutes, feedback swelled, rippled, crossed and uncrossed as the audience, like the band itself, stood transfixed by pure sound.
Opening acts Magik Markers and White Magik seemed committed to similar aesthetics.
