REVIEWS
PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED - Providence, RI
 
John Lydon is a textbook example of how one can age well but not necessarily gracefully. The 56-year old frontman still acts and dresses the same way he did 35 years ago during his days fronting the Sex Pistols, complete with the gravity-defying hairstyle. Touring with the recently reunited Public Image Limited, Lydon brought his energy and crudeness to Lupo's for an intimate and dynamic show. Without an opening act, PiL kicked off their set as fans were still pouring into the mostly empty club. It's a strange thing to witness nowadays when one-hit wonders can sell out arenas but groups such as PiL who have made quite an impact on not just the rock culture but music as a whole have difficulty drawing a crowd, and on a reunion tour at that. Having not released any new material in eighteen years, PiL performed a weighted setlist of fan favorites including the show opener "(This Is Not) A Love Song", one of the band's more successful tracks. After strutting back and forth and taking many swigs from his bottle of Hennessy, Lydon demanded that the already dim house lights be brought down to a level that made it a bit of struggle just to see the band. The change in lighting added somewhat of a small pub-like feel to the show. As the their iconic logo draped on the banner behind them, PiL powered through the songs sounding surprisingly strong for having relatively recently just getting back together. Lydon's goofball stage presence reflected on the crowd who danced along with him throughout the show. Making funny faces, flailing around, and cursing like a sailor were all crucial parts of his shtick for the night. The rest of the band members, guitarist/keyboardist Lu Edmonds, bassist Scott Firth, and drummer Bruce Smith, though sounding great didn't display anywhere near as much emotion as their frontman. The band continued to bust out memorable tracks such as "Albatross", "Flowers of Romance", and their first single "Public Image", from 1978. During the encore, PiL performed the song "Rise" which featured the sole bit of crowd participation offered by the band as the fans chanted back the line "Anger is an energy". After the show ended, there seemed to be a mutual fondness for this moment of the set throughout the group of fans exiting the venue. Say what you will about John Lydon but the man can still put on a far better live show than most acts half his age. Between the solid sound of the band's live show and Lydon's character on stage, it comes off as a bit of a stretch to not have fun at a Public Image Limited concert.
 
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