Live Review: Violent Femmes Convey a Sense of Hope at The Strand

Led by Gordon Gano on lead vocals, guitar, violin and banjo along with multi-instrumentalist Brian Ritchie, John Sparrow on drums and percussion and Blaise Garza on saxophone, percussion and keyboards, Violent Femmes are one of the true transcendent bands in music today. This is due to having well-known songs in their repertoire that attract casual fans as well as an assortment of deep cuts that devoted followers recognize. They’re also excellent live, and anyone who was at The Strand Ballroom & Theatre on 79 Washington Street in Providence on October 10 would surely agree. The show was part the band’s tour titled “Grasp and Reach for a Leg of Hope”, and they brought that feeling in spades. With this being said, there were some issues on the technical end of things that didn’t go overlooked.

Right when the performance was about to begin, it was an absolutely packed house. One thing that was noticeable at this time was that the audience had to wait well after the start time at 8pm. A few friends and I thought there was going to be an opening act, and it seemed like they were teasing everyone by dimming the lights at one point, only to turn them back on. Then a loud storm siren blared, a drumbeat echoed through the back of the room, and Violent Femmes ventured through the crowd. After a long-haired Gordon Gano told a scientific story behind the song, the band proceeded to kick things off with “Olinguito”.

The sound was a bit off during the first half of the set, but that could have been due to a bunch of people talking over the music. That changed immediately with “Prove My Love” having the audience singing every word while Richie played a bass that looked like a humpback whale. “Promise” followed that up to maintain the energy at a high level, and the same can be said for the performance of “Memory”. Featuring local legend Alvin Lipsett, the Horns of Dilemma added a vibrantly chaotic dose to the bluesy “Confessions”, and it wasn’t their only appearance of the evening. “Blister in the Sun” had everyone once again singing in unison with Gano at one point having the crowd taking the role of lead vocals.

“Kiss Off” continued this trend, and by the time “Gimme the Car” hit, the sound quality was on point. “Black Girls” had the horns making a welcome return. Then the double dose of “Gone Daddy Gone”, with a different person taking over bass duties, and “Add It Up” got people going crazy afterwards. During a brief intermission, the crowd was craving for more, and Violent Femmes delivered. With “Betrayal” being part of the encore followed by a performance of the triumphant “American Music”, the crowd-band interaction concluded in a proper manner.

Overall, it was an awesome night, even though I’m a bit puzzled by why it started later than scheduled and the sound wasn’t up to snuff during the first handful of songs. I won’t fault the band for this, for all I know it could have been a miscommunication with the people managing the show, a mishap with the equipment on stage, or both. I do know that anyone who has the opportunity to do so should catch Violent Femmes live at least once. I had a fantastic experience and I’m looking forward to the next time Gano and the gang perform in the area.

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