On Monday night September 9th, England’s Squeeze headlined a sold-out show at Seattle’s Showbox. X was the supporting act. It doesn’t get much better than that. I actually didn’t know til day of the show that X were opening, so I was really excited.
The only time I ever saw Squeeze was over 30 years ago. That was during the teen dance “prohibition” in Seattle and two friends of mine got in trouble for leaving their reserved seats at Seattle’s Paramount to dance in the aisle. The dance prohibition no longer stands, but this audience was a bit old to be doing much dancing. That’s not to say they didn’t enjoy the show, though. Judging by the raucous cheers, everyone in the audience enjoyed hearing those Squeeze songs as much as I did. Squeeze has withstood the test of time.
Early on they played Pulling Mussels from A Shell, the first song I heard by them back in 80 or 81, and the song that catapulted me into a full-fledged Squeeze fan. When they played Hour Glass I noticed several bodies bobbing up and down on the dance floor. Everyone sang along to Tempted. The sound was impeccable. I could hear each instrument including the tapping on a glass bottle performed by drummer Simon Hanson. This was a stage full of stellar musicians. Most the lead vocals were performed by Glenn Tilbrook. He and his songwriting partner Chris Difford have been dubbed the Lennon & McCartney of the New Wave era and that comparison is not far-fetched. Their whimsical melodies and somewhat quirky lyrics are made of catchy riffs and earworm melodies.
For the encore they ended with Black Coffee in Bed. I would have been surprised if they hadn’t done that song. After introducing the band members, Glenn got the audience to repeat his croons of Black Coffee in Bed before calling it a night. The only thing I didn’t like about this show was that it ended. I could have watched and listened to the all night. The composition of Squeeze is as follows: Glenn Tilbrook, Lead Vocals, Guitar, Chris Difford, Vocals, Guitar, Yolanda Charles, Bass, Stephen Large, Keys,Simon Hanson, Drums, Steven Smith, Percussion and Melvin Duffy, Lap Steel, Slide, Electric, Acoustic, Mandolin.
As mentioned, X opened the show. They opened with one of my favorites, The New World (Don’t forget to vote for what’s his name). When they played Los Angeles, the floor was a sea of bobbing souls. For a couple songs drummer DJ Bonebreak played a large xylophone and for a few songs guitarist Billy Zoom played saxophone. But the harmonies between singers Exene Cervenka and John Doe are what really make this band stand out. The way their harmonies come together with the stellar musicianship and songs that X puts out, make them a lasting force in the punk world. As far as I know they are the only punk band left from the onset of punk that still has all its original members. The highlight of their set had to be when Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder came on stage and joined Exene in harmonies on Devil Doll. The two sang, danced and looked like they were having a grand time. After their set was over, I heard many in the audience talking of how thrilling it was to have the infamous Eddie Vedder join them on stage.
This was a night to remember, and as I said, the only negative was that it ended. This is a show which will go down as one of Seattle’s greatest concerts.
– Photos property of Holly Homan, all rights reserved.
Squeeze
X
