Courtney Love’s “I’m Still Alive” Tour
By Seth M
Yes, you read that right: “Courtney Love.” I know ~ it’s been awhile since anyone has heard that name, right? Well, since she’s back on her “I’m Still Alive” tour, Courtney apparently gets the joke, too.
Although I have seen Courtney a couple of times over the years with Hole, I was never a huge fan of all the insanity that was part of the package in general. However, I will say that her past shows were always…entertaining. Well, wait, I take that back, the last time I saw her (if memory serves, it was about 3 years ago at Terminal 5) I wondered who that person on stage was; she wasn’t angry, she wasn’t full of gritty rebellion, she wasn’t much of anything ~ it seemed like the energy and interest in performing had been sucked from her body.
Fortunately, it wasn’t the same Courtney that I saw on Saturday night at The Paramount in Huntington, NY. Hole now a thing of the past, Courtney, although more subdued than when I first saw her with them, had regained her trademark spark, her trademark edginess. Her backing band looked to be about half her age, but they were great ~ and overall, Ms. Love sounded pretty damn good as well.
The Paramount wasn’t as crowded as it is for some of the other shows that come through, but there was a sizeable core fan base in attendance, happily singing along with Courtney who, after finishing “Miss World,” mentioned that she noticed the less-than-full house but appreciated how great everyone sounded. Once they had her approval, the crowd seemed almost to grow in size ~ Courtney’s rapport with her audience is undeniable.
During a recent local radio station, the singer talked about how she didn’t want to deliver a greatest hits tour but understands what people want to hear ~ and she proved that by giving us just about everything we could want, even throwing in some newer material along with her classics.
Covering the majority of the Hole library, she hit songs like “Skinny Little Bitch,” “For Once in Your Life,” and an awesome back to back of “Malibu” and “Violet.” She broke periodically to light a new cigarette, banter with the band as well as the folks up in the front, and change her outfits as she worked her way through the set, closing out with “Celebrity Skin.” Of course she came back for a few encores and ended the night for real with “Doll Parts,” a choice which surprised me because in that same radio interview she’d mentioned that she doesn’t always play that song because she hates it. I guess The Paramount crowd impressed her enough to get over the hatred.
Say what you will about Courtney, her crazy past, and probably her crazy future, but she is STILL ALIVE and still putting on quite a show.
Check out her website and catch her on one of the tour stops ~ more US dates were just added.