nico nuzzaci

Lets go back in time. Back to 1996 and the year that I bought the album ‘About to Choke’, by Vic Chesnutt, from the record shop ‘Rock On’ in Skelleftea. I loved that album from day one, and within a year I owned all Vic’s albums: Is the Actor Happy?, Drunk, West Of Rome and Little. My good friend Marcus Burman and I were totally absorbed and adored Vic and his albums to bits. Even thought they were all good, About to Choke remained the favorite.

Then in 1998 we found out that Vic was playing in Stockholm, and within a few hours, the flight and concert tickets were booked. Moonspell and Therion was also playing that same weekend, so more tickets got booked and another friend, Johan “Jorra” Radstom, decided to come along as well. Even though I really like Moonspell and Therion, the trip was all about Vic.

It was the 3rd of October 1998. As we arrived at the venue a poster said that the special guests for the evening were Calexico and Lambchop, and, to our surprise, that Vic had released a new album called The Salesman and Bernadette.
The initial thought was: F**k – I didn’t know he had released a new album! The initial hopes were: I hope the new album is as brilliant as the rest of them and that he will mostly play songs from About to Choke.
It turned out that Vic did not only play songs from the latest album The Salesman and Bernadette, the album was also far from anything similar to any of his other albums. Instead of a naked acoustic singer songwriter sound, it was an experimental music cooperation with Lambchop and their 21 piece band. I hated it.

Still today – 10 years later – About to Choke is one of my absolute favorite albums. Vic Chesnutt is still one of my favorite musicians and song writers. But my so far only Vic Chesnutt gig is one of my worst and most disappointing concert experiences.

I think we all have had similar experiences, maybe not to that extent, but I bet we all have been to a concert where the band didn’t play ‘That One Song’. That song that is a bit special to you. The song you think is better than the hit song that made the band famous. Your song. That song.
I have many times gone to a concert and wished they would only play songs from ‘That One Album’. You know – you don’t care about the latest album, even if the latest album is ok, you prefer if they could promote it some other time, and not when you have made the effort to attend the show.

It’s a bit of a Catch 22 – you need to know an album and it’s songs to truly enjoy a concert , and once you know the album, the tour to promote the album is over and the next time the band is in town, they are already promoting the next album.

Now let’s go back to 2006 and last sunday when I arrived to the Barbican with Willow, her friend Lucy and Lucy’s boyfriend Scott, to see Tindersticks. This time a flyer said:

Welcome to the second year of Don’t Look Back, the season that invites a diverse range of artists to preform a retrospective of one of their works. In most cases this means seminal or great albums live in their entirety. This is all about records we endorse – not necessarily how many copies they have sold, but more about how they have touched our hearts and minds. In the age of the iPod where many people pick and choose tracks, Don’t Look Back encourages fans to preserve the album as an art form.

Tindersticks, will be preforming Tindersticks II.

I pinched my arm. It can’t be true. It’s to good to be true.

When they all came on stage, the singer, Stuart A Staples, leans towards the mic and says;

I think we all knows what’s gonna happen next.

It was amazing. Breath taking. Blown away. Stupendous. Electrifying. Non stop action. Thrilling. World class. A masterpiece. A triumph. Truly compelling. Superb. This year’s most sumptuously enjoyable gig. Expansive and radiantly generous. A transatlantic epic.

No need really for me to write a review in detail. If you know the album you know what you missed, if you don’t, you don’t. And if you don’t, just try to imagine one of those albums you just totally adore and imagine you seeing that album being preformed live.

What I found out as well, that I didn’t know, and that adds even more value to it, is that the Tindersticks don’t longer exist as a band. The lead singer, Stuart A Staples, have gone solo. The concert was a one-off.

I feel privileged to have experienced this, and I would like to thank Tindersticks, my lovely girlfriend willow for purchasing the tickets, and the organiser ATP for making it happen. The concept of getting an artist to preform an album is just brilliant. Me like it a lot and me will definitely keep me eyes open for the 2007 brochure.
It says on the ATP Don’t Look Back website that they take suggestions on future artist and album… maybe I will get to see Vic Chesnutt performing About to Choke after all. Knock on wood.