Mark Lanegan Band- The Showbox, Seattle, June 30, 2000

by Neil Sherk


I can't even begin to describe how unbelievable last night's show was. All I can say is that I strongly recommend doing whatever it takes to get your hands on a bootleg. Mark has never sounded better, and he treated a packed house to an intense set that moved from a variety of covers to his own material. He sang with unmatched intensity, but looked relaxed and even made a few wise cracks between songs. (At one point he looked frustrated as he searched for a towel. Finally spotting one on top of the kick drum, he picked it up, shook his head, smiled, and said something like, "Well, howdy, asshole. It was right there the whole time!")

The band consisted of Mike Johnson (acoustic and electric guitar), Ben Shepherd (electric guitar), Alan Davis (bass), and Bill Rieflin (drums). They performed flawlessly. Mike added some scorching guitar solos, especially on Borracho and one unknown (new?) song. Mark Hoyt came out to contribute backing vocals on Badi-Da.

The set included some unknown songs, two of which were obviously covers (including a country song), and a couple more that might have been Mark's. The highlight of the show was On Jesus' Program, which was even better than the album version (believe it or not), building to an intense climax instead of fading out at the end.

After playing for more than an hour, Mark and the band came back for two encores. Given the strength of the performance and the appreciation of the crowd, I'm sure Mark will want to do this more often. If enough people find out what an amazing show he puts on, he might have to.

Here's what they played -- based on my sketchy (and almost illegible) notes, as all of the setlists had been swiped before the band even left the stage.

Carry Home
Badi-Da
Creeping Coastline of Lights
I'll Take Care of You
Consider Me
Together Again
A Taste of Honey
(unknown)
On Jesus' Program
Boogie Boogie
(unknown)/The River Rise
Pendulum
(unknown)
(unknown)
Bell Black Ocean
Hotel

first encore:
Mockingbirds
Borracho

second encore:
Where Did You Sleep Last Night


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