Luna - Bowery Ballroom, 2.27.05



It was Oscar night, so it was fitting that multiple cameras rolled as Luna took the Bowery stage yesterday evening. On hand to film the final shows of the band's career, the cameras were a frequent subject of jokes both from the band and the audience. Catcalls for casting ideas abounded, ranging from the odd (Morgan Freeman) to the oddly on-the-money (Crispin Glover as Dean Wareham).

Humor, in fact, overwhelmed any sense of sadness or loss that either the performers or their appreciating fans may have felt about the end of this band. If it weren't for the cries of "we'll miss you" or "four more years" from the crowd, you might have easily forgotten that tonight Luna will play their last show and then disband.

With the pressure of promoting a new album or planning future moves removed from their shoulders, Luna languidly perfomed a summation of their 14-year history, choosing favorite songs from each of their seven albums. They graciously took and performed requests, hilariously turned some down (hasn't yelling "Freebird" gotten old yet?) and dropped in a down-tempo cover of "Sweet Child O' Mine" in the first encore. There were no speeches, no tears and no farewells. Surely this is not the last we'll hear from these musicians.

The first I heard from Luna was back in the winter of 2000. I was drawn solely on pedigree: any band that descended from Galaxie 500 was worth investigating in my mind. Despite knowing none of their songs, I came away from my first show completely hooked: hooked by Dean Wareham's weird and witty drawl; hooked by Sean Eden's curlicue guitar licks and spastic facial tics; and finally, mesmerized by bassist Britta Phillips and her dazed, almost too-stoned demeanor.

But of course, it was songs like "23 Minutes in Brussels", "Bewitched", "Bonnie and Clyde", and the Galaxie classic "Fourth of July" that instantly converted me. These songs were all performed again last night, reminding me why I love this band and will miss their presence, even if they seemed relieved to have it over with.



Set List (Courtesy of A Head Full of Wishes) :

Superfreaky Memories / Rhythm King / Slash Your Tires / Cindy Tastes of Barbecue / Lovedust / Speedbumps / Black Postcards / 1995 / Bobby Peru / Four Thousand Days / Moon Palace / Bonnie and Clyde / Bewitched / Freakin' and Peakin'

ENCORE 1: Sweet Child O' Mine / Fourth of July
ENCORE 2: 23 Minutes in Brussels