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This review is part of a ZIO blog series about Shane MacGowan and The Pogues. 
 

The Pogues @ Roseland Ballroom NYC 03/13 & 03/14 2009

Introduction

Even though I only really got into The Pogues rather recently, they’ve popped unexpectedly at every stage of my life. From growing up in a home where Irish music was played (though usually of a more traditional variety) to studying at the University of Limerick to seeing Shane MacGowan perform with Peter Doherty together at Ally Pally to long evenings in London pubs with traces of Shane’s presence (Filthys, Boogaloo, even The Hopeless Wanker) to filming some of The Popes while making a documentary about live music in London, I’ve had several intersections with this band and their music over the years.

So when a friend sent me a Pogues mix, I was excited to dig in, but I didn’t yet realize that life had been preparing me for this moment for quite some time. Yes, it was already set in the stars that I would fall for this band, and sure enough, I fell hard.

The Show

“I’ve been waiting fifteen years to hear this song played live.”

- Said aloud (to nobody in particular) by the guy standing next to me at the Friday show, just as “A Pair of Brown Eyes” was beginning

The Pogues are comprised of superb musicianship through and through. If you go see them play live these days, you’ll be treated to original members Shane MacGowan on lead vocals, “Spider” Stacy singing and playing tin whistle, accordion player James Fearnley, and Jem Finer on banjo. Filling out the line-up are the other stalwarts: drummer Andrew Ranken, guitarist Phil Chevron, Terry Woods on mandolin and cittern, and bass player Darryl Hunt. They also had the band Marseille Figs play horns on several songs.

As I mentioned in the previous blog, this was my first time seeing The Pogues live. Fortunately, I was able to attend both New York shows at Roseland Ballroom, so I soaked up as much of the experience as possible (and maybe a Jameson or two along the way for good measure). For the Friday night show, I watched from the back of the venue. I was immediately struck by how strong and emotive Shane’s voice sounded. I suppose I'd prepared myself that the songs might sound a bit disappointing live after all these years. I needn't have worried.

The unfortunate combination of a packed venue and my regrettable lack of height meant that I couldn’t see much of the show that first night. It turned out to be a good thing though as I could listen to the tunes more intently while observing the range of people who attend a Pogues concert. Every time a song began, this crowd of young, old, and those in-between went mental, turning to look at each other, smiling and jumping and cheering and hugging, arms wrapped round the strangers next to them, singing along to every word. I guess I've become used to smaller shows with newer bands, so this connection running through 3500 different people in one place isn't what I'm used to these days. The energy was incredible.

On Saturday I was determined to get close to the show no matter what, so my friend and I claimed our down center spots early. This night was much more dramatic for me, so I'm glad I had the first night under my belt before all hell broke loose. From the moment "Streams of Whiskey" began, something like a mosh pit started all around us. It was somewhere between slam dancing and pogoing, probably closer to pogoing, but more intense than any underground shows I've attended in recent memory. Despite some brief almost-scrapes breaking out nearby, those of us near the stage experienced a solidarity as we danced, sang, got separated, then celebrated after finding each other, only to get pulled apart again. For those couple of hours, we were all friends sharing one common experience.

Shane was in top form, playing with the crowd, grinning from ear to ear, and sounding at various times powerful, wistful, or cheeky. He had a permanent cigarette between his fingers, and a small bar near his mic stand so that the wine bottles were within easy reach. When the band played a song he wasn't singing, he wandered to the back or side of the stage to watch, and he stayed engaged the entire show.

At one point, my friend was downstairs when she saw a girl by herself in the corner, apparently taking a little nap from too much, er, jigging, during the show. She brought the girl some water and sat with her when suddenly there was a roar of cheers from the stage above. The nearly unconscious girl suddenly jumped wide awake listening, and then said in a lovely, albeit frantic Irish accent, "They're playing 'The Irish Rover'! Thank you for the water, but I have to go RIGHT NOW!!" And like that, she was gone.

The set was two full hours of classics including "The Body of an American", "If I Should Fall From Grace with God", "A Rainy Night in Soho", and "The Sick Bed of Cuchlainn". Near the end of the show, a girl near us threw flowers onto the stage in Shane's direction. He clocked them, and immediately picked up a rose which he then placed between his teeth (much to the crowd's delight), then behind his ear, and finally into one of the wine bottles. The band concluded their full set with "Fiesta", which saw Shane and Spider bashing beer trays against their heads to the beat.

When the house lights came up, everyone looked into each other's eyes - sweaty, smiling, and satisfied. We left the Roseland Ballroom and wandered our separate ways until next March.

Check out the other installments of ZIO's Shane MacGowan & Pogues blog series:

It's a Long Way to Go… to Tipperary, for a Pocketful of Mumbles & a Fucked Liver (Part 1)

It's a Long Way to Go… to Tipperary, for a Pocketful of Mumbles & a Fucked Liver (Part 2)

Irish Soul: Experiencing Shane MacGowan & The Pogues

For more on The Pogues, visit Pogues.com and Shane MacGowan.com.

Photographer Jenny Hardcore discusses her photo shoot with Shane here on Zoom In Music.

Watch The Pogues perform If I Should Fall from Grace with God and The Broad Majestic Shannon.

Check out The Village Voice's review of Saturday's Roseland show, including an encounter with David Simon, creator of The Wire.

Special Thanks to Bryan Kremkau for use of his photos. Check out his website Read Junk and his photography on SkaPunkPhotos.

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