Motorhead in Kansas City - September 24, 2009

I learned something very valuable after attending my first Motorhead concert.

I don’t like Motorhead.

I already suspected as much.  A few years back I bought a used copy of Overkill - one of the albums considered a classic by their fans - and it didn’t do anything for me.  It’s one of those things that just doesn’t click.  As a metal fan there’s no reason I shouldn’t like them, but it doesn’t work for me.

Anyway, the main reason I went to the concert was to see the other two acts on the lineup - Reverend Horton Heat and Nashville Pussy.  I figured the addition of Motorhead was a bonus.  I thought maybe they were like a lot of bands where you have to see them live to appreciate them.  But I don’t.

The show was advertised to start at 8:00.  I showed up around 7:45, right as Nashville Pussy took the stage.  That’s right, the show started early.  Maybe it was advertised for 7:30 somewhere else, but starting a show early really sucks. 

I’ve seen Nashville Pussy a few times before and while they usually put on a good show, their performance was letdown.  First off, the vocals were buried way into the mix, a problem that continued into Reverend Horton Heat’s set.  The other thing is that the band seemed off and the overall performance wasn’t as good as usual.  Maybe it had something to do with the limited amount of time they had for their set.

Frontman Blaine  Cartwright can always be counted on to say something great during their shows and that night was no exception.  One of the DJs from local station KQRC introduced the band, and about midway through their set Cartwright asked the crowd if the radio station played any of their music.  After the crowd screamed that they didn’t, he asked if they played any Motorhead and got a similar answer.  The look on his face after that was priceless.

Despite the sound problems, Horton Heat put on a great set, mixing old and new songs.  The only other down side was the set length, but it wasn’t really surprising for an opening act.  The new songs held up next to the classic material and the crowd really got into it.

I stayed for most of Motorhead’s set but left before the first encore.  Their sound was the best of the night and the band was tight.  The crowd was completely into them and the area in front of the stage was absolutely crazy.

Regardless of my personal opinion of them, I completely understand why people like them.  Kind of like my feelings toward Dave Matthews Band or Phish - I don’t like them but I understand why people do.  Now Nickleback is a different story….