September 3rd, 2002 - on this date, New York City rockers Interpol last played Bowery Ballroom, following the release of their stellar 2002 debut, Turn on the Bright Lights. There was a gaggle of eager fans queued for hours around the block, paying up to $75 a ticket (a mere 500% markup).
Fast-forward almost five years to Wednesday, May 30th, 2007. It started like any normal weekday, when out of the blue at 12:00 pm sharp, tickets for an Interpol show at Bowery Ballroom for the following week pop up on Ticketweb.com, with every NYC hipster’s favorite music blog Brooklynvegan breaking the news (and providing the password). Tickets sold out quick, prompting a Wonka-esque scramble for scalped tickets, with prices soaring to $250 a ticket (a measly 1000% markup).
When I arrived at the Bowery Ballroom at 8:30 pm, there was a line of fans queued around the block hoping (in vain) that more tickets would be released at the door. Apparently, the most dedicated fans had been waiting in line since 1:00 pm, or 9 hours before Interpol was scheduled to take the stage. My heart went out to the line of disheartened fans but in all honesty, I felt cool as fuck that I had gained access to such an intimate, in-demand gig. I grabbed a couple of beers, glanced at the overpriced merch, and set up shop stage left. The stage looked just like the cover to Turn on the Bright Lights - bathed in red, with a collection of light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. The privileged crowd of Ebayers, Craigslisters, and industry folk were buzzing as the clock struck 10 and the dark, brooding quartet took the stage.
They blazed through a tight, 14-song set consisting of mostly tried and true material, with three newbie’s thrown in, including the upbeat (albeit slightly disappointing) first single “The Heinrich Maneuver” off upcoming LP Our Love to Admire which hits the shelves July 10th. The band seemed genuinely enthused to be home, despite lead singer Paul Banks’ best efforts to obscure his wide grin beneath a veil of blonde locks. The guys even took time to wave at the crowd in between their moody, morose diatribes on love, loss, and regret. “Evil,” “Obstacle 1,” and personal favorite, the epic “Take You On A Cruise” garnered the biggest cheers, while new ditties “The Heinrich Maneuver,” “Pioneer to the Falls,” and “Mammoth” meshed well with the oldies. Bassist Carlos D has apparently pulled a page from Brandon Flowers’ “how to look like a rock star” manual, sporting a thick moustache, western garb, and smoking like a chimney.
In spite of their lyrics and “borrowed” sound, I’ve always liked Interpol, with their Peter Hook basslines, shoegaze-era guitars, and a lead singer who’s a dead ringer for Ian Curtis. In this respect they remind me of another New York City band I love - The Strokes (see: The Velvet Underground). While The Strokes get away with it on style, Interpol get by on atmosphere - with their jagged, minor-chord guitar melodies and huge emotional swells tugging at your heartstrings. As the band closed with “PDA,” everyone knew that they had just witnessed something special. Granted, it would’ve been nice to hear fan favorites “Specialist” or “NYC” but hey, nobody’s perfect. And I’m not sure if it was worth 250 bucks either, but it was pretty fucking fantastic nonetheless. Welcome home boys.
Set List:
Pioneer to the Falls
Obstacle 1
Narc
Say Hello To Angels
Take You On A Cruise
Mammoth
Slow Hands
Leif Erikson
The Heinrich Maneuver
Evil
Not Even Jail
Length of Love
Stella Was A Diver and She Was Always Down
PDA
--Marlow Stern
Photo: Marlow Stern
