To some out of towners it might look like Halloween in NYC everyday. But, as we know, Halloween in NYC (and every other holiday) exceeds expectations every year! The audience at last night’s Halloween show by The Tubes at The Iridium (51st and Broadway) ensured the holiday was adequately represented as they dressed up for a great time and to celebrate one of their favorite bands.
The best places to see shows in NYC are always underground (literally) and The Iridium is one of the city’s finest. The acoustics and volume are curiously perfect, the crowd is tight and the food is not to be missed. All in all the perfect combination for an out of the box Halloween!
For the Tubes special Halloween show at The Iridium, the band was revisiting their classic 1981 album The Completion Backwards Principal which included three big hits for them. I Don’t Want to Wait Anymore was the Power Ballad the label requested, per leader Fee Waybill’s intro to the song, and it hit the Top 20…their first . The album also included the classic Talk To Ya Later.
All of the songs on the album were performed and the band proved they still had what it takes to pull off a great rock show. Their delivery was both energetic and entertaining. The intimacy of The Iridium made the band larger than life and they seemed close enough to touch at all times. Most members of the crowd could be seen singing along to their favorite songs.
As he’s well known for doing, Waybill was changing costumes constantly throughout the show to fit whatever mood or song was up next and it kept the show interesting for the audience and for the band as well. Of course, no Tubes performance is complete without an appearance from his alter ego, Quay Lude.
Once the band made it thought the complete album, they included several Tubes classics including I Want It All, What Do You Want From Life, Out Of The Business and She’s A Beauty.
Waybill’s, Quay Lude finally made his appearance near the end of the performance to sing White Punks On Dope and this one was a classic! This has always been a crowd favorite but the intimacy of the Iridium certainly added to the performance and made us all feel a part of it. Quay added a cover of David Bowie’s Suffragette City for good measure too!
The Tubes were far ahead of their time in the late 70’s and mid 80’s but seemed as current as ever last night. No Rock and Roll fan’s career is complete until you’ve seen the Tubes (and the notorious Quay Lude) at least once! And in a small venue like the Iridium, it was especially memorable.
