Amidst a controversial change in backing bands Roky Erickson, legend and father of psychedelic rock and roll took to the stage at the Corner Hotel in Richmond on Tuesday night.
Roky was amazing. His voice was in fine form and it was a privilege and joy to see him for a once in a lifetime show at the Corner in Melbourne. Kicking off the set, Roky's band which included his son Jegar Erickson welcomed Roky to the stage with "Hey Bo Diddly" before launching into a brilliant version of "Cold Night for Alligators". For someone that has been exposed to stints in institutions for the criminally insane where he received shock therapy and thorazine treatments you can't help but salute this man and the fact that he was able to perform at all. Perhaps the most poignant moment of the show was when Roky performed " Good Bye Sweet Dreams" from his last album recorded with Okkervill River. Some at the gig, would have preferred Okkervill River to have been backing Roky this evening. The backing band on this occasion was a group of Texas musicians that had been put together by Jegar Erickson. The resounding commentary from punters was "where was the rhythm section". The band will need a little more time to perfect the art of backing Roky Erickson. Enough said.
The set continued with all the rock n roll goodness fans have loved for decades, Bloody Hammer, Bermuda, Two Headed Dog, John Lawman, Don't Slander Me and more. Personally I was enthralled just to see Roky perform them, thereby discounting the bands performance.
Following the performance I grabbed a few vox pops from the crowd that include far reaching opinions from the punters when asked about what they thought of the gig. I've used the punters initials in order to protect their privacy.
LM- Although he's over 60 and clearly unable to play the rhythmic riffs of yesteryear, Roky walked in with a charismatic aura that kept the crowd fixated at every move. The crowd was respectful...As for a highlight. Bermuda, a paranoid opus to the Bermuda triangle, influence of his own mental demons and his own incredible talent for word rhyme songs was fully evident. I think the crowd was just happy to see Roky on stage, everyone was blown away with his incredibly battered but still authoritative voice. In the end the rumors of Roky's decline were a great exaggeration. His son Jegar and the band was supportive in backup, but was in no way a match for the awesome guitar onslaught of The Aliens.
DN- " We, Me"
DH- "Rock n roll from start to finish"
AK- "Roky Great ! Band needs work"
SK - "All the forces of evil were in full swing."
KG - " He finished with You're Gonna Miss Me...we sure are"
LB- " Jegar, lurked on the side of the stage like a serial killer, only slightly detracting from Roky.
PM - " I was searching for the Grail and Roky was Roky and I'm happy about that. The other sons and daughters of Roky were out there and they knew the lyrics and that was out there."
KM -"Thank you Roky Erickson for coming to Australia. We had a good time. If anyone wanted more than they got, they're greedy."
