IGGY & THE STOOGES (US)
Wednesday
A few years ago, Iggy Pop and The Stooges reunited, and all lovers of rock rejoiced. Their live performances primarily revolved around the first two albums, The Stooges (1969) and Funhouse (1970), and so many missed the highlights from the classic Raw Power (1973) during the band’s first visit to Norway. When guitarist Ron Asheton died one year ago, many were grief-stricken. The guitarist on Raw Power, James Williamson, will now take up the torch. From April this year, the line-up will consist of Iggy Pop (vocals), James Williamson (guitar), Scott Asheton (drums), Steve MacKay (the saxophone player on Funhouse) and Mike Watt from Firehose/Minutemen (bass). Together they will show us all how genuine, raw and primitive rock should be played. In August they’ll be on stage in the Medieval Park during Øya.
The Stooges were formed in Ann Arbour, Michigan, in 1967. Their first two albums contained reckless and intense rock, with an aggression that shocked the flower power generation of the day. The band and their music constituted a starting point for the genres we know today as punk, metal, indie and pedal-to-the-metal rock’n’roll. After a short break in the early 70s, they got to know David Bowie, and were also joined by guitarist James Williamson. The result was the final and, according to many, best of their three original studio albums. Raw Power was mixed by Bowie, and it was their first under the name Iggy & The Stooges. It didn’t sell very well at the time of its release, but today it is recognized as one of the greatest albums in rock history by critics, fans and not least the thousands of musicians who have drawn inspiration from it.
On Wednesday August 11, Iggy & The Stooges will be visiting Oslo for the first time ever. At this point, taking a guess at which songs they will perform would be just that – guesswork. Still, right at the top of our wish list are “Search & Destroy”, “Shake Appeal” and “Gimme Danger”, together with “I Wanna Be Your Dog”, “1969”, “No Fun”, “TV Eye”, “I Got a Right” and “I’m Sick of You”.
