Type O Negative – the Palladium – Worcester, MA – March 31, 2007
Posted by Jesse Coy on 04.06.2007
Black-haired Nordic giants of mythology return to spread good cheer and lots of green. Love’em or hate’em, they do put on a great show (and if you hate’em, they’ll even cue you as far as when to Boo them goes).
PRELUDE:
So it’s new venues for new live shows. Part of the concert experience becomes acclimating yourself to the venue. And I’ve had a nice sampling of venues… from Philadelphia to Seattle to Tucson, and now it’s Boston. Hold your horses, though… we’re talking Type O Negative in Worcester.
Shirleen was excited over the concert, because she’d never seen them before. I saw the band once back in ’95, right around Halloween time. I took piss poor concert notes in my journal back then, so I didn’t write too much on that one (my main memory from back then being that Peter Steele was even larger in real life than in photos… like some black-haired Nordic giant of mythology). They’d only had two studio albums out back then, so this current show would be interesting, since the band has four more albums under their belt.
Ninety minutes to Worcester from Haverhill, as we were told? I think not.I’d gotten a nice buzz while doing a bit of work. Oh…I was burning a Type O Negative CD mix. I hadn’t looked the Palladium up on the net because the address was Main Street. Come on… it shouldn’t be too hard to find Main Street in a town, right? It’d be funny if it was (but it wasn’t). Worcester, too, by the way, is Massachusetts’ second largest city.
(Peter would like this one... it's green)
So anyway, we arrived, and there was pay parking right across from the venue. We got there very early, which I liked. No stress over rushing. Went across the street, and god bless the press list. Got two tickets no problem (no, Mr. Scalper… I don’t want your offer, because I’m covering the band). Since the first of the two opening bands hadn’t started yet, we were going to have dinner in Worcester. There was an Irish pub next door to the parking lot. Went in there to use the restroom, but I wasn’t keen on burgers and fried food. It was too loud, too, and there was even a band setting up.
So we set off to roam. I had a little downtown map. It seemed that most of the restaurants were on the outskirts of the city, and not much happening in the downtown. Bought earplugs at a mini-mart, and the guy was clueless. On the map, there was a place to eat at not too far away at Union Station. Very close, actually. We looked all around. It’s got to be close by. Uh, duh… can it be that big structure that looks like a railroad depot, with trains going by? Could be. On the way there, I found a little black girl thumb doll on the sidewalk, which I picked up. She’s in my jean jacket pocket even still, as I write.
(it didn't look exactly like this... but look, she's dressed for a Type O concert!)
So we arrived, and security instantly came over to us, because I was in my jeans and a jean jacket, train conductor cap with skull on my head, and Shirleen was done up proletariat punk style. As for the inside Union Station, it looked like some friggin’ banquet, people all dressed up. Well, the restaurant was off to the side, and we did eat there. Here, the city was having a charity auction. Oh… that’s why that girl is wearing a tiara and a gown. That’s why a councilman is there (they auctioned him off). It was a funny scene to watch from behind the glass doors of the restaurant. She got a fish dish, and I got shrimp ravioli. We split a bottle of wine, skimming the South Pacific book for our upcoming Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa trip. This made my chuckle. I said, “I bet there’s no one else here doing this, and ready to go to a Type O Negative show right after.”
CONCERT:
Then, back to the Palladium we walked. The timing was perfect. We had about ten minutes before the band started. Ah, yes… the German “Chicken Dance” song. That was played right before they started, which was a nice touch. First thing in comparison to venues in Tucson? This place was jam packed. Mostly in Tucson, I’d be way up front for the shows. It’s not an “I’m getting older” age thing. I just hate being squished in against people. Like Philadelphia’s Rialto, the Palladium had a balcony, but this one didn’t seem open (too bad). We settled for an area by the support band’s merchandise stand. The view was good, or maybe that’s also because the band is so tall.
Shirleen thought that they’d all be done up gothic style, but that was never really their look as far as I know. They started the whole thing off with “The Magical Mystery Tour” (yep, the Beatles tune), and also threw in “Dear Prudence” later on at the end of “World Coming Down.” Even though the band has six studio albums to their credit, Type O Negative albums always give you your money’s worth, with nearly every one of them clocking in at over seventy minutes (all save their 58-minute debut). By normal recording standards, that’s almost an album and a half per album. Point is, they have a fair amount of material to choose from. They actually did a bit off every album, without favoring one much over another (well, maybe Bloody Kisses a bit). They played “Profit of Doom,” “Halloween in Heaven” (yes, quite catchy, and dedicated to Dimebag), and I think a major portion of “An Ode to Locksmiths,” all off their newest release.
Fans of their most popular Bloody Kisses release weren’t disappointed. Not only were “Christian Woman” and “Black No. 1” performed, but so was “We Hate Everyone,” which was their opener proper (after the Beatles cover) (and which incidentally was removed from the Bloody Kisses reissue, along with “Kill All the White People” and the tasty moaning intro before “Christian Woman”) (I have the original version, so I can’t say anything against the replacement track… I can only say what they deleted was great). The set was rounded out by Life Is Killing Me’s “Anesthesia” (not quite a favorite of mine), October Rust’s “Love You to Death,” and their debut’s “Kill You Tonight,” although that was done Origin of Feces style (their CLASSIC hoax live album), with “Hey, Pete” as a middle insert.
And that about does it. The benefit of a band whose songs average about eight minutes? Less tunes to remember.
(Rasputin in his bluer days... before a green Type O makeover)
Okay, other observations?
Evidence of the band still possessing its fine sense of humor? If you go to see them live, please note that the You Suck, Applause, Boo, and Laughter signs/prompters were all used throughout the concert, and were a hoot. I’m annoyed that Celtic Frost isn’t joining them on tour until late April, because I’d really like to see them live, but that’s not Type O Negative’s fault. There were songs I would’ve liked to hear, especially the shorter, punchier ones, like “I Don’t Wanna Be Me,” “Dead Again,” and “I Like Goils.” “My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend” and “We Electrocute” were also absent. A medley of some of these shorter ones would’ve been nice. My guy feeling, though, is that their set lists differ a lot from night to night. If you see, or saw, them live on this tour, I’d love to know if this is the case.
Shirleen thought the crowd was quite a mix. She said that she saw several midgets. I missed that.
Last recommendation? If you’ve never seen or heard Type O Negative before, and they’re coming to your town… and if you really like the color green... go see them. They are a one of a kind band, who put on a great live show, love’em or hate’em. And if you hate’em, they’ll even cue you as far as when to Boo them goes.
The 411: Great to see Type O Negative live again. As I mentioned in the review, it'd be interesting to see if they greatly mix up the set list on this tour. There were a few personal favorites I was slightly sad not to have seen them perform, but that's just me. The execution, energy, and good humor were all top notch.
