Lounge Acts 2009 concert draws record crowd

The third annual Lounge Acts concert, a fundraiser for the Kurt Cobain Memorial Foundation, proved to be the most successful to date, with a crowd said to number 1200, and well over $20,000 raised.
 

The show was held at the refurbished D&R Theatre in downtown Aberdeen, Washington, the first concert at the venue in nearly 25 years. “Refurbished” didn’t quite mean “finished” however; the steady influx was too much for the building’s plumbing, and all restrooms (including those backstage) had to be shut down. Attendees were directed to use facilities at local businesses instead.

 The street in front of the D&R had been closed to traffic, and lines snaked down the block before the doors opened. The action was thick and heavy in the small lobbies downstairs and upstairs, where merchandise for the bands and the Foundation sold at a brisk pace. Due to a rule that forbade any drink or food in the theater itself, people constantly moved in and out to get a snack or a soda, so it never felt too crowded or got too hot (indeed, in the balcony, the last several rows were empty). The crowd was a mix of locals and out-of-towners, and ranged in age from 10 year old rock fans to Kurt Cobain’s own grandfather, Leland.

First up was Audrey’s On Fire, who opened with Nirvana’s “Aneurysm” (a favorite opening song at Nirvana’s shows as well). The four piece churned out a bluesy-flavored garage rock, the lead singer even emulating a Jim Morrison growl on occasion. The energetic band was also knocking drums over from their first number. God Fed Static was more traditionally “grunge,” though, unusually the five piece band had a keyboard player, too often buried under the barrage of noise. They headbanged, they struck all the right poses, and they performed Nirvana’s “Negative Creep.”

Chad Channing (Gillian G. Gaar)

Then came Before Cars, former Nirvana drummer Chad Channing’s band. “Twenty years later, I end up here!” Chad joked about his first appearance in Aberdeen, right before the 20th anniversary reissue of Nirvana’s Bleach. He then warned the crowd the band would “Turn it down a couple of notches,” with a set that was definitely on the quieter side, with all the musicians (except the violinist) sitting down. The band’s folk-pop provided a welcome respite (the violin adding a poignant touch), and the band members themselves were in relaxed spirits, joking with the audience and each other, guitar Paul Burback suggesting that Chad throw himself into the drums the way Kurt used to throw himself into Chad’s drums.

And it was clear by the shouts of “Can-dle-box!” during the break who the crowd was primed to see. Shrieks filled the house as the band strode out on the small stage, with the band members quick to interact with the audience, frequently going to the edge of the stage to shake hands with the crowd bunched down front. The set list was full of the band’s trademark alterna-pop hits, plus new material, and, of course, a tribute song. “I don’t know if Nirvana listened to Candlebox but we sure listened to Nirvana!” lead singer Kevin Martin said at one point, and during their encore the band played “Breed” to wild response.

Commemorative t-shirt (Gillian G. Gaar)

Truly, the bar was set high for future Lounge Acts shows, which makes it exciting to contemplate just what the Foundation might have in store for us next year.

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