April 2010, 40 Watt Club, Athens, Ga.
It was a different view from the stage than Alex Turner is used to seeing. Earlier in 2010, Turner and his band Arctic Monkeys stood atop the Wembley Arena stage in front of thousands and thousands. But on this day the band took the 40 Watt stage in front of hundreds. A crazy, festive, hundreds, but there is a certain stigma of huge bands from the UK trying to break America, it seems a difficult task.
I remember seeing Oasis in a 3,000 seat auditorium in South Florida, thinking “These guys played a show in Britain in front of 500,000 people, and here I sit eight rows away.” I got the sense that night Oasis wanted nothing to do with America, a thought realized when Liam threw the mic up in disgust and walked off stage four songs into the show. Noel did his best the save the day, but I was certain the band would eschew the States in the future because it didn’t live up to their grand vision of themselves.
I was hoping the Monkeys wouldn’t act in such a way. They didn’t, in fact Turner seemed genuinely appreciative of the crowd of 600 or so, a crowd which spent the better part of the hour and a half set pulsating back and forth. Turner said he hoped to bring the band back again — which may or may not happen — but this night was good enough to leave a lasting image for all involved.
The Monkeys did rollicking versions of “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor,” “Crying Lightning,” “Brainstorm” and “The View from the Afternoon,” adding nice touches such as “Cornerstone,” “Still Take You Home” and the Nick Cave cover “Red Right Hand”. All the while the crowd upfront was a mass of movement, jumping and flailing like few shows I’ve seen at the Watt. There was even a fair share of stage divers, including one guy who grabbed the mic and started to bellow in it as he was brought down by the 40 Watt staff.
After the set was over, the crowd was as loud as I’ve heard in the Watt, cheering for an encore. A couple of minutes later, the guys returned to for a nice take on “Fluorescent Adolescent”.
I’m still amazed the 40 Watt was able to get the Arctic Monkeys to play, but it shows the hold and lure of the place.
So Monkeys, thanks for coming. Come back anytime.
