A night full of 90s flashbacks, vulnerable music and an overhauled venue, makes for a great Saturday night out. This was my first trip to the Venue, since it was reworked under its old name, The Plaza Club. It is now a Los Angeles/New York hybird style showcase, which makes for a great location to see any band. The people at this show were 90s enthusiasts; lots of plaid and Velcro shoes. Daniel Johnston was amazing, he was vulnerable and sweet and put everything into each lyric that escaped his lips. Overall the experience was magical and brought me back to the reason why I truly love music; self expression.
Nothing has been changed to the exterior of Venue, it still reads Plaza in big bold letters. Everything on the inside on the other hand is drastically different. The layout is more open, the decorating is dark but has a slight feminine touch. Large metal supports hang from the roof, bringing a New York warehouse style venue feel to the establishment. The lighting inside the location on the other hand has a Los Angeles club feel, with its rich vibrant colors. The stage has been raised from 1 foot to 3 feet, since the switch to the new name. This creates greater visibility for the entire crowd. The most noticeable addition though, is the large grid lighting behind the stage. This massive lighting piece sits about 8 by 20 and allows for some amazing effects, accentuating the artist.
The crowd was eager to see the main act. A line up about 200 deep waited outside the show, before doors opened. Obviously this group of music lovers were also fans of the 90s fashion trend. A sea of plaid shirts, and bad haircuts flowed into the venue. A smaller sub-crowd were the music aficionados; easily spotted by their solitary entrance. The energy of the mass was a flutter with excitement. They had come to see the infamous Daniel and see what devils he had to cast out tonight.
The lights around the stage illuminated and Daniel Johnston marched forth from the shadows. The years have been hard on him; as shown by his grey locks and silver stubble. The individuals before him cheered with excitement. To start the show off, it was just Daniel and a guitar. The beauty of watching Mr.Johnston play, is the purity of it all. He powers through songs with pure emotional drive. The first few songs were dark and sad, and had the crowd aweing after every verse. Noticeably the artists shook during his performance, a sign of his mental condition. This somehow made it more real, more vulnerable. He was truly putting himself out there, for the world to see. With no real cares about people judging him.
After about 5 songs, Daniel was joined by an acoustic guitar player. The feeling of the music changed. Now the guitar was refined and perfect; the artist poured his efforts into his singing. The emotion in the performance intensified, Mr.Johnston grasped the mic with both hands and bellowed out his lyrics. The show had gone from vulnerable and sad to show pain and anger. The lyrics were screamed into the mic with passion. The conglomerate of music fans before him, smiled with pleasure. This is what they had come to see, the multifaced world of Daniel Johnston. Out of no where he told the crowd he would be right back and with his guitarist they left the stage.
Upon his return, he was now accompanied by an entire backing band. Again the mood of the show morphed into a rock show. Daniel got up and started powering out his well known pieces. An unexpected cover of You’ve Got To Hide You Love Away, sent the room into pure bliss. The crowd even helped out on the chorus, singing along as support for their inspirational leader. The last few songs of the night were a little over done. The support band, obviously hired guns, went a little overboard on the presentation and it drowned out the lead vocals. Many in the crowd didnt seem to mind, but this really got to me. Daniel Johnston to me isnt someone who needs the gimmicks, his music is about the purity. During the last song, as soon as the vocals were dont, Daniel shouted “Goodnight” into the mic and exited the stage. Obviously he to did not like the over production of the band.
The entire night was amazing, barring the eagerness of the band at the end, it was perfect. Mr.Johnston is the reason I love music, he is the purist form of music. If more people put truth into their songs like he did, the world would be a better place. Its hard not to listen to his songs and not feel. Emotion radiates from every aspect of the song. The guitar playing is a little rough, and the singing is a little off, but thats okay. He is an inspirational musician who brings his soul to the surface for the world to see. I recommend seeing him the next time he is in town.
All in all the night was great. The newly revamped Venue was acoustically beautiful and visually stunning. The artist was raw and real and made me feel something intense and beautiful. The crowd was everything they needed to be, present and respectful to the artist. Get out there and see this new music hot spot. You will be glad you did. Next time you here of Daniel Johnston playing; get out there and be the first in line.
Happy Concerting
Jamie Taylor
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Jamie Taylor – who has contributed 3308 posts for Concert Addicts.
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