Blackie from the Hard-Ons was the support act, and while we relaxed on a sofa with a couple of beers he did his thing - a collection of what laid back tunes, some which may or may not have been Hard-Ons tracks. It was enjoyable, but not especially engaging either.
When he was done, there was the briefest of stage change overs (only about 10 minutes) and Buzz made his way out. He started off with an acoustic version of Boris. I was in heaven. He continued with a set that was about mostly Melvins tracks, with several of his solo album songs as well (and one Alice Cooper cover I didn't recognise). Highlights included Revolve and Evil New War God. His solo stuff came across quite well live - I enjoyed them more than I did on the album.
The sound was great, which should be expected when you only have one guitar and vocals to mix. Buzz roamed the stage, getting right in the face of those lucky enough to be in the front row - quite often playing just centimetres away from the patrons faces. He was vocally quite loud, but also quite dynamic in the way he used his voice. This ain't some kind of sit down on a stool and strum some chords type show - he treated it with the same kind of gusto he would a Melvins gig.
As many of us know, he is quite a humorous man, cracking jokes between songs and interacting with the crowd. As expected, he told a story as part of his set. Tonight we got the Mike Patton/Mr Bungle shitting on the audience story.
Overall, a great night and a memorable unique gig. I don't expect Buzz will be doing many of these tours, so my advice is to check it out if/when it hits your town - you may never get a chance to see him play in a similar intimate setting.
Obligatory shitty phone photo:
