Live: Boston Spaceships

Boston Spaceships. September 30th, 2008 at Paradise in Boston, MA.
Former Guided By Voices front man Bob Pollard's latest vehicle, Boston Spaceships, marked their first appearance in Boston with a three-hour marathon filled with obscure songs and amplified feedback. The near-capacity crowd was as rowdy as the alcohol fueled band members; fist pumping their way through the 50-year old singer's set, which was not short on high kicks and microphone windmills.

"Drunk and tight" was Pollard's impression of how the group sounded Tuesday night. "You can be drunk and tight, or sober and…suck".

As the show marched past the two-hour mark, the crowd seemed to get a bit restless. Security swarmed around one overzealous ticket-holder, who felt compelled to hurl a can of beer in the general direction of bassist Jason Narducy. Pollard didn't seem to even notice the commotion, as he tore through a set list the size of a painting canvas.

GBV fanatics were noticeably antsy towards the end of the encore, where not a single GBV song had been seen. But the band did not disappoint, launching into "Game Of Pricks" as the final song of the first encore. This was followed by "A Salty Salute", "Motoraway", and "Tractor Rape Chain".

The crowd and the band equally exhausted, the show came to an end and Pollard stumbled away, leaving non-believers now "down with the mothership".

Boston Spaceships - Psych Threat (from Brown Submarine)
Guided By Voices - Motoraway (from Alien Lanes)