Talk about putting your head in the lion's mouth! Patrick Stickles began Titus Andronicus' sparkling 45 minute set opening for the Pogues with a warning that while the audience should enjoy the day, we shouldn't drink so much self control is lost as we are still responsible for our own actions. Responsible? … Wow, dude. I guess you can take the rock star out of the school teacher but you can't take the school teacher out of the rock star!!
But you can only get away with what amounts to an admonishment like that, when you open with a devastating one-two punch, "A More Perfect Union" and " Richard II" , and don't look back for a second. Immediately a mosh pit formed and on a most difficult opening slot, much harder than their less successful opening for Vampire Weekend in 2009, they made believers of an audience who didn't care about them one way or the other.
Patrick neither ponders nor provokes, he speaks his mind and allows the band to speak for itself, which it does astonishingly well. It really was one long highlight, but "Titus Andronicus" was a highlight among highlights; the song opened with Patrick on keyboards and by the coda, with the fans nearest the stage picking up on the "You're life is over" -extended for better reason than Elton's ridiculous "Rocket Man", and singing along, they had managed to ignite the place.
Almost as good was a "Four Score And Seven" -building to "I wasn't born to die like a dog, I was born to die just like a man". Ooooh, and "No Future, Part III" where everybody caught the "You will always be a loser…"
What else,? The penultimate "Titus Andronicus, Forever", the band members each get to solo on this brilliant old time rocker, with Patrick saying "Now watch me…" before a killer solo: "I'm sick and I'm scared and the enemy is everywhere" is so vulnerable and tough. A wonderful moment every single time you hear it.
And finally, Patrick tells us that St. Pattys made him think of what his Irish ancestors suffered to come to the States and provide a better future for their children and children's children. "And, maybe, if we wanna think about something today, wherever we are from, we should think about that." Maybe he should have become a teacher? But better Patrick didn't and decided to lead the greatest, smartest rock band in the world… Helen calls me "fanboy" when it comes to these cats. She might have a point.