The Man Who Came to Stay For Awhile (Cross our fingers)

So, it was another two shambolic nights with Pete and the gang of gin....

The Garage on Monday was a quiet, intimate little affair but with a element of speed dating involved....

The evening started out with the following support acts General Khaki, The Cazals and Alan Wass. All played quite good but rushed sets in order to ensure that Pete finished in time to meet his curfew of 10 pm.

Pete showed up tonight to the venue with a slightly different entourage than usual. Instead of the hangeron harpies, assorted drug dealers and groupies, it was his mom, manager and court appointed security guards. Pete looked good but as good as some one in the throes of getting over an addiction X 2... He cheeks seemed flushed and his eyes were unglazed... (It has been awhile since I have seen him this alive and aware looking.)

At one point in the show, he flashed us his implants (makes you think at first when I said that that he had a little silicone action done.. man breastages like in Fight Club!) His implants are part his rehab treatment and will help him get over his addiction to heroin.

Overall it was pretty good show, not their most energetic, but I think it is a little hard for them focus when all this other stuff is going on and with the paparazzi and the critics watching every move.

Moreover Pete has to contend with so much going on physically and emotionally, I think he must be so overwhelmed, confused and exhausted by the last few weeks, oh hell the last year....

One interesting thing I noticed was when Pete made a gesture that he was going to stage dive into the crowd and you should have seen how fast the hired muscle moved to intervene. I guess one of the conditions of his bail is that he is not allowed to leave the stage who he does a show. I think Pete was pretty frustrated by this because he could not interact with the crowd on his terms. His relationship with the crowd and his fans is a real important component to his success with both the Libertines and Babyshambles. He seems to feed off their energy and adoration...

I tried to get a some good photos of Pete but he seem to pogo in and out of my photos and then my battery went dead (of course!) But I do have a nice shot of Alan Wass who you may have also read in tabloids as Pete's partner in crime. He played a nice bluesy set between the always enjoyable Cazals and Babyshambles:

Alan Wass: Peter's Lefthand man, originally uploaded by rojacaliente.

Brixton, on the other hand, was more of a circus...

As soon as I arrived, I saw Mick Jones saunter by and I knew it was going to be one of the shows. Flash, dash and bells and whistle.....

Usually, it is the presence of Kate Moss at a show that heralds this response but considering the events of the last few weeks, I don't think she will be making an appearance anytime soon. Plus, she probably has heard the Bravery are playing in few days and needs to tart herself up for the newest "hot thing with guitar strings."

This was my first time at the Brixton Academy. I tend to avoid bigger venues unless they are festivals. But Brixton was not bad at all, it reminds me of Roseland in New York. Most of the people I talked to in the crowd had never seen Babyshambles or the Libertines, so, I guess all the hype introduced Babyshambles to a new fan base.

The line up consisted of the Paddingtons who have a Sex Pistol ethos about them, the Cazal who are really solid, interesting band, Alan Wass who has a real strong bluesy voice and Babyshambles...

Tonight, the show did not feel as rushed as the night before but people seemed pretty anxious for Babyshambles to play but considering their past track record no one ever feels truly assured that the gig will go on until Pete is actually on stage with mike in hand. Even sometimes that is not a guarantee.

Mick Jones came on stage and introduced Babyshambles while in the wings stood one of those Gallagher brothers (I was living deep in the jungle in an indigenous village in Central America as Peace Corp volunteer when they became huge and never really learned how to distinguish the two because by the time I reemerged into the Western world their time had passed.)

When Pete entered on stage looking more and more like the rock legend that he could become, the crowd surged forward screaming his name and reaching out for him. It always surprises me how much Pete can incite such devotion and raw emotional outburst from the crowd. I have seen girls cry by his mere presence and always the boys jump on stage in hopes for a hug or handshake. There is something about him that is very charismatic.

About a song into their set, the crowd became a little unruly and overexcited and a portion behind me (I was in the front) fell to the ground. Many of those trapped seem to be very young girls who could not pick themselves out of the pile while the crowds from behind were pushing forward thinking this open space was theirs for the taking. People were really getting trampled and no one seem to be helping them. Pete had to stop the set and tell people to move back so those who had fallen could get up. (What has happened to crowd/pit ethics where everyone is responsible to ensure that the person next to them stays safe* I say as I think about the good ole days of yesteryear when I used to slamdance, not mosh!)

Then a few songs later Pete seem to have a scuffle with Pat. All I saw out of the corner of my eye was Pete lunge at Pat and pop him in the face. Then, I had someone stagediving land on my head so I did see what happened after the initial spar. When the person finally was pulled of me, the stage had been emptied. I am not sure what went on but I have seen Pete and Pat wrestle with each other before on stage... They kinda act like brothers... I also think Pete is still very on edge and still little hostile about situation. I think he is having a hard time coming to terms with all that is happened and expressing his anger in a productive way.... Reality can be quite a bummer!

But who cares really, the beauty of a Babyshambles show is that you never know what is going to happen on stage. Never a dull moment...

I guess they had a time out backstage because they came back all happy and buddies again. They played a few more songs without incident. The highlights of the evening were a very passionate version of 'Fuck Forever' and the reemergence of 'Gang Of Gin', 'Black Boy Lane', and 'Albion' to the set list.

Overall, it was not their greatest show but it is nice to see Pete play without having to worry if this will be last show ever.