SXSW 2007 Recap
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 8:47 pm
Did anyone make it out to see Satellite Party?
SXSW review: Perry Farrell’s Satellite Party
By V. Marc Fort | Sunday, March 18, 2007, 02:04 AM
Act: Perry Farrell’s Satellite Party
Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.
Venue: La Zona Rosa, 12:30 a.m. (started 12:51 a.m.) Saturday
Pre-show buzz: Non-existant. Only a few people in the audience even knew who was going to perform.
High point: When Farrell took us 30somethings in the audience back to the first Lollapollooza by playing “Stop” and “Mountain Song.” I taught myself how to play bass partially by learning the infectious bass line on “Mountain Song.” The audience erupted with those gifts.
Bonus points: Coming back out for an encore. The “Satellite Party” song was quite beautiful; it’s middle-eight speed metal bridge was nothing short of awesome.
Off-the-scale coolness points: Perry Farrell announced from the stage at the end of the show that he would be available in La Zona Rosa’s patio to discuss ideas about how the 6 billion people on Earth can — and how they should — save the planet. He noted that the “Solutionist Movement” idea came about in the garage while his band was rehearsing. “I want to get to know you,” he said with his patented child-like sincerity.
And true to his word, shortly after 2 a.m., Farrell came out to talk with his fans about solutions.
Funniest bit of between song banter: Farrell spoke about death between songs, multiple times: “I heard that in hell they make you stand on your head in doo-doo.”
Post-show buzz: “The new songs were actually good.”
Afterthoughts: It doesn’t make any sense for one of Austin’s best venues to be virtually empty on a Saturday night during SXSW. If Farrell’s new band was no good — maybe. But they were good. And the Jane’s Addiction/Porno For Pyros/creator of Lollapalooza is actually a living legend in rock ‘n’ roll. It would have made more sense to have his band playing at Stubb’s with the Stooges.