The abstract, arty compositions on Sonic Youth's latest album, "NYC Ghosts & Flowers," are a far cry from the more reigned-in songs from "Dirty" and "Goo," the two albums most represented on the t-shirts of those in attendance at Saturday's concert at Chicago's Riviera.
Yet onstage, the veteran foursome -- joined on this tour by Chicago-based producer/musician Jim O'Rourke -- cultivated a performance that logically brought all the periods of their long career together. The more experimental songs sounded tighter than their recorded versions, while more traditional ones were given extra room to breathe and develop.
The set proved that the added freedom found on "Ghosts" and a recent series of self-released improvisational recordings, viewed by many as self-indulgent, has only strengthened the band's sound and vision. While two projectors played scenes from city streets and subway cars behind the stage, Sonic Youth provided a pretty fair retort to the detractors of the difficult new album.
The atmospheric "Free City Rhymes" was highlighted by an uncharacteristically gentle and flowing Thurston Moore lead vocal. Kim Gordon's "Nevermind (What Was Anyway)" shifted from a sleepy, two-note nod to a frantic rasped refrain. "Small Flowers Crack Concrete," with Moore reciting broken urban poetry while picking at a guitar with a drumstick wedged under its strings, flirted with pretentiousness before kickstarting into an almost punky middle section.
The band proved no less fascinating while revisiting older tunes like "Schizophrenia," "Tom Violence," and "Kool Thing." The addition of O'Rourke on bass, guitar, and sampler allowed Sonic Youth to more closely approximate the depth of their recordings, and to add instrumentation as well. Gordon blurted on a trumpet while Lee Ranaldo coaxed strange sounds out of a keyboard on "Lightnin.'" On "Side2Side," Gordon's live vocals harmonized with panning samples of her recorded voice.
Prolific British/French sextet Stereolab performed earlier, delivering a set far surpassing their frequently soporific recordings. With a steady backbeat and a solid guitar sound, the fine harmonies of Mary Hansen and Laetitia Sadier led a danceable, groove-conscious set highlighted by the irresistible basslines of "The Free Design" and "Metronomic Underground." Judging by the reactions of the crowd, there were nearly as many people there to see Stereolab as Sonic Youth. Neither contingent left disappointed.
Yet onstage, the veteran foursome -- joined on this tour by Chicago-based producer/musician Jim O'Rourke -- cultivated a performance that logically brought all the periods of their long career together. The more experimental songs sounded tighter than their recorded versions, while more traditional ones were given extra room to breathe and develop.
The set proved that the added freedom found on "Ghosts" and a recent series of self-released improvisational recordings, viewed by many as self-indulgent, has only strengthened the band's sound and vision. While two projectors played scenes from city streets and subway cars behind the stage, Sonic Youth provided a pretty fair retort to the detractors of the difficult new album.
The atmospheric "Free City Rhymes" was highlighted by an uncharacteristically gentle and flowing Thurston Moore lead vocal. Kim Gordon's "Nevermind (What Was Anyway)" shifted from a sleepy, two-note nod to a frantic rasped refrain. "Small Flowers Crack Concrete," with Moore reciting broken urban poetry while picking at a guitar with a drumstick wedged under its strings, flirted with pretentiousness before kickstarting into an almost punky middle section.
The band proved no less fascinating while revisiting older tunes like "Schizophrenia," "Tom Violence," and "Kool Thing." The addition of O'Rourke on bass, guitar, and sampler allowed Sonic Youth to more closely approximate the depth of their recordings, and to add instrumentation as well. Gordon blurted on a trumpet while Lee Ranaldo coaxed strange sounds out of a keyboard on "Lightnin.'" On "Side2Side," Gordon's live vocals harmonized with panning samples of her recorded voice.
Prolific British/French sextet Stereolab performed earlier, delivering a set far surpassing their frequently soporific recordings. With a steady backbeat and a solid guitar sound, the fine harmonies of Mary Hansen and Laetitia Sadier led a danceable, groove-conscious set highlighted by the irresistible basslines of "The Free Design" and "Metronomic Underground." Judging by the reactions of the crowd, there were nearly as many people there to see Stereolab as Sonic Youth. Neither contingent left disappointed.
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