Photos: Guided By Voices | Maxwells – Hoboken, NJ | 12/30/10
Posted on January 10th, 2011 by Matthew
Photos by Bill Shouldis
I said before that Guided By Voices at Terminal 5 was my favorite show of 2010. They were so great that night that afterwards, I desperately plotted a way to get into their New Year Eve show at Irving Plaza, which was sold out. Luckily, just a few days before the New Years gig, the band announced a show at the much smaller Maxwell’s in Hoboken, NJ. The tickets were a bit steep but this was a must for any GBV fan.
Never one to disappoint their diehards, the band delivered a nearly 50 song, three hour set. As great as they sounded at Terminal 5, the Maxwell’s show was how a GBV gig should be. It easily topped that show. The band seemed almost as excited (and as drunk) as the crowd. High fives and hugs were exchanged and leader Bob Pollard even shared some of his tequila and beer with the hoard of dudes screaming along to every lyric in the front row.
The “classic era” of GBV is something to behold. Let’s examine the scene:
Who needs oxygen? Clearly not guitarist Mitch Mitchell. Just give him about 5,000 cigarettes and beer and you’re set. Tobin Sprout and drummer Kevin Fennell are the backbone of the band, keeping the madness in check at all times. And what can you say about bassist (and lawyer?) Greg Demos? To understand the man, you just need to look at his outfit. Think Freddy Mercury if he was from Dayton, OH. His pure exuberance and joy while on stage is hard to top. He’s the guy just as excited as you are. And of course, it will never fail to amaze me how Mr. Pollard can be incoherent and nearly falling down between songs but once everything kicks in, he’s a man of precision and perfection, never missing a lyric. What other 53 year old do you know that can high kick and jump like a 20 year old? Shit, Pollard is probably in better shape than me.
GBV at Maxwell’s was the perfect way to send off 2010. I left the show sweaty, without a voice, and yes, pretty drunk.
