PiL 2009: Manchester & Beyond.
My last PiL gig took place on 5th May 1992 at this very venue. A lot's happened since then. But let's back track to my very first PiL show at Manchester Apollo on 10th November 1983, over twenty-six years ago. Bizarrely, it remains the most vivid of all the PiL shows I've attended over the years – pre 2009. I was a PiL fanatic as a youngster and I make no apologies for that. At the time of PiL's first ever major European tour in 1983 I was a student in Sheffield. I was so desperate to see them I ‘phoned my home in Manchester from a call box to ask my Dad to visit the Apollo on the day the tickets went on sale to ensure I got a good spot. He duly did as I had asked & I bunked off an important couple of study days with a lame excuse in order to travel back to Manchester.
So, all these years later I knew I was going to experience something, but exactly what? Nostalgia, perhaps? Sadness brought on by the passing of youth? I wasn't really sure. I'd also seen PiL deliver an average show in '86 (Sheffield) which was cut short after someone threw a snooker ball at John, and a great show a year later, again in Manchester. By the time the May '92 Academy show came around, PiL's stock was low, with very little interest from the press, declining record sales, and a poor turnout. Was I the only person who still liked them?
So, back it was to the Manchester Academy, 17 years later. The announcement of live PiL shows for 2009 was met with a great amount of cynicism, (doing it for the money, no one will be interested, where's Wobble etc). All predictable. If no one is interested, then how can you be doing it for the money? Tough one that.
For me personally the passing of time has taught me to go along to shows simply to enjoy them, not to carry though the doors a sack of pre-conceived over-theorized baggage. At the end of the day, it's four human beings on a stage. They either put on a good show or they don't. Of course, if you've invested a chuck of your time and money into the artist, you want it to be good, and rightly so.
Reuniting/reforming PiL was first and foremost a brave decision. The numerous Sex Pistols get togethers had, to a certain extent, buried PiL. That's quite an extensive catalogue to throw on the scrap heap. PiL barely even got a mention when the press ran their many features on John “in the jungle” / “selling butter” – he was the singer of the Sex Pistols. PiL? Who?
PiL in 2009 could, if successful, allow John to reclaim his neglected and overlooked post-Pistols legacy. Alternatively, it could go tits up. Or worse, pass by with mild disinterest.
Examining five primary concerns thrown up by this venture one by one, how would it stack up? Firstly, the ticket sales; secondly the 2009 line-up; thirdly the material performed; fourthly John himself; and lastly, are PiL now merely an object in nostalgia?
I will answer based solely on my experience at Manchester Academy, December 19th 2009.
1. The ticket sales. This show was very well attended by an enthusiastic and well informed crowd. There were far more people here tonight than the May '92 show at the same venue. It wasn't a sell-out but it can't have been far short on the night.
2. The 2009 line-up. The musicians were superb. Lu Edmond's vast array of instruments enabled him to recreate the incredibly diverse canvas of PiL sound. I'm sorry, but I doubt Levene could have pulled this off with such aplomb; he certainly couldn't have mastered the post-Flowers of Romance material as expertly. Along with Wobble, Keith's presence may have ironically constrained the performance.
3. The material performed. Following on from my previous point, the 2009 PiL personnel proved to be stunning musicians, able to tackle songs from all eras and styles. PiL do have a rich catalogue from which to draw. Yes, there's a fair amount of below-par material bearing the PiL logo, but none of that was on display here. The material chosen was superb, including some of the less obvious (Tie Me To The Length Of That), and also the late 80's (Disappointed and Warrior). I also enjoyed how songs were generally themed by era, with slight variations pulling the show into different directions.
4. John. Would we get John the Pistol, or John the PiL? Was there any difference? I was surprised at how little of John the Pistol appeared up on stage. Strangely, he seemed more at home than he had during the Pistols reunions. More relaxed. Why? Like it or not, John Lydon is PiL. It's his project, he carries the can, he bends, breaks, and crushes it. The Pistols are four cornerstones each fulfilling their own individual role. All vital. There's therefore more scrutiny, more situations in which to point fingers. Four personalities written into rock and roll folklore. Not so with PiL. Yes, the pressure is there, as I've said, he is PiL, but somehow he's freer to do what he wants with it, it's his to manipulate. Providing of course he doesn't bastardise his legacy.
In Manchester, he revitalised this legacy, threw it above the parapet, climbed up out of the trench behind it and walked headfirst into no man's land. Over two hours later he'd crossed the enemy lines victorious. PiL (not just John, but all four of them) breathed life into songs that had lay dormant for so long they may have been beyond saving. But here tonight were songs which never before sounded as good. I felt as though John realised the stakes were high – if he screwed this up, PiL could be no more. Merely a footnote. It was a challenge he had to rise to. He did.
5. PiL as an object in nostalgia. I witnessed a triumphant return in Manchester. Can John take PiL beyond a revival band? I sincerely hope he's brave enough to get this line-up writing and recording. He's got something special here. If not, he could regroup PiL again in another 17 years – John will be 70. Which option would you prefer?
To conclude: It's hard to recall exactly how I felt in 1983 when I first saw PiL live but I know it was a special evening. Here, 26 years later, was another special evening. John has grasped the nettle again. Now it's time for him to ignore the stinging, and to squeeze every last drop of juice out of that nettle. To merely let it go would be tragic. Over to John.
