On Wednesday night Ariel Pink brought his Pom Pom tour to New York for a show at Terminal 5. It seemed like a strange booking when it was announced, as the space seemed a little bit too big and wrong for the weirdo-pop of Pink. As it turns out, my skepticism was right as the show was slightly undersold, with only the main floor available to attendees (balconies were VIP only). I think a show at Webster Hall would have been a better fit.
Jack Name, the project of L.A. resident John Adams (a touring member of White Fence) opened the show. Name just released his new album Weird Moons last month via Castle Face Records (John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees’ label). He and his two bandmates played their set huddled together in a triangle shaped huddle, delightfully performing his blend of 80’s midnight acid-synth rock. His sound is dark and moody, ideal for a late night B-movie.
After missing Pink’s recent shows when he was touring with Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, I was excited to finally get to see him play live. Unfortunately Pink started the show looking tired and giving the crowd an honest warning that he wasn’t feeling well. “Bear with me I just came down with something yesterday, so..forgive me in advance for the energy.” From there he kicked things off with a pretty energetic performance of “White Freckles,” and things were looking good. Before performing “Jell-o” Pink had a burger (Shake Shack?) handed to him and ate it throughout the song. It was amusing, as well as sort of head-scratching, considering 5-minutes prior he said he was feeling sick. It may just be me, but going on to eat a burger when your sick doesn’t seem like the best move. But hey, it made for some cool photos.
Considering he was sick, Pink did power through for a while and delivered a mostly enjoyable set, all with a colorful spinning wheel illuminated behind the stage. Most of the night featured Pom Pom highlights such as “One Summer Night,” “Lipstick,” and “Black Ballerina.” He made room for some Haunted Graffiti tracks such as “Life In L.A.” and “Kinski Assassin.” About an hour into his set, Pink told us he was unable to power through any longer, admitting that he “felt dead.” He finished things off with the appropriately titled “Picture Me Gone,” which he dedicated to the late Kim Fowley (who co-wrote it) and played in the dark.
The crowd stuck around and cheered in hopes of an encore, but drummer Don Bolles had to come out to tell us Pink really wasn’t up to it, and thanked us for our efforts. There was a mixed feeling of disappointment and understanding in the air, as there’s nothing you can do if your sick. But a 14-song set was underwhelming (other shows got upwards of 20), and the idea of him feeling sick didn’t go over too well considering he wolfed down a burger on stage.
It wasn’t quite how I pictured my first Ariel Pink live experience, yet somehow it made sense.
Ariel Pink Setlist:
1. White Freckles
2. Jell-o
3. Kinski Assassin (Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti)
4. Four Shadows
5. Lipstick
6. Not Enough Violence
7. One Summer Night
8. Goth Bomb
9. Black Ballerina
10. Menopause Man (Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti)
11. Life In L.A. (Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti)
12. Dayzed Inn Daydreams
13. Put Your Number In My Phone
14. Picture Me Gone
Jack Name:
Ariel Pink:
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