| A DOORS KEEPER
By DAN AQUILANTE
WITHOUT a doubt, the same morbid curiosity that draws people to car races to see a colossal smashup was what sold out The Doors reunion concert at the Roseland Ballroom. Playing the part of cult rocker Jim Morrison was ex-Cult rocker Ian Astbury, backed by Doors organist Ray Manzarek and axman Robbie Krieger. (Original drummer John Densmore opted not to participate.) After watching Thursday's performance, when reality and illusion pounded each other in a steel-cage death match for two hours, it wasn't clear which won. Was The Doors show karaoke, or was it rock 'n' roll? You could argue either way, but, ultimately, it was entertaining. Still, the sacrilege of waking Jim from the big sleep troubled some in the male-dominated audience. At one point, Mr. Astbury crouched low at the lip of the stage and flipped the double-bird in retort to a heckler's comment; later in the show, another rudester tossed a container of beer at him, to which the singer said, "It's all theater." Astbury may be the bravest performer in music. He endured the slings and arrows of narrow-minded purists and was still able to give a terrific concert that brought The Doors back to life. It isn't that Astbury's vocals are a perfect replica of Morrison's — the two singers only sound alike because they are baritones. The magic lies in Astbury's phrasing. During "Peace Frog," when Astbury sang, "Blood in the streets of the town of New Haven," his staccato delivery, with each syllable laid out on the beat, was Jim-like. While the success of the night rode heavily on the shoulders of Astbury (who actually looks more like Eddie Vedder than the Lizard King), the instrumental backup was even more vital. After 30 years, Manzarek's swirling fun-house organ and Krieger's fleet fretwork are unbroken. They displayed their best stuff on an extended version of "Light My Fire" that put the original three-minute radio version of the tune to shame. "When the Music's Over," a springboard for the band's instrumental turns, ended the night. The Doors have been mythologized and mocked, but if this show was telling, the time has not yet come for them to put out the lights.
(thanks: Beverly, Neal, Rizzo, Sandra) |
