Sonic Youth - Live in Rialto, Tucson, AZ - 4th January 2010

'Dirty' got me hooked on Sonic Youth back in 1992 and ever since I have been going back and forth through their catalogue. A great band, and this show features some of their best. Instead of reading my uninformed ramblings, why not hear from someone who was actually at the show...these excerpts are taken from the Tucson Weekly:

A huge crowd turned out for Monday's show and amidst shouts and fanfare, Sonic Youth returned to Tucson after a long absence and were quite excellent. Thurston Moore told us, "The last time we were in Tucson, we played with Saccharine Trust at a place called the Backdoor. The owner had a gun shoved into the front of his pants when he paid us."

The highlight of the night was the encore's double-helping of Daydream Nation. The band played "The Sprawl" and "'Cross the Breeze" back to back, with gusto. The rest was almost entirely material off their latest, The Eternal, though they also played Sister's "Stereo Sanctity." It was one of the leanest moments of the evening.

Still, they can test one's patience, as almost every song dissembles into orchestral walls of noise that last a long time. Sonic Youth is a jam band, one that substitutes cacophony for jazzy noodling, though they've got range. They can play ferociously tight, and they can play sprawlingly. Their soundscapes can be fetching and delicate (such as the sweeping rendition of "Massage the History" that slowly unwound itself until all that remained was the soft strumming of Kim Gordon's guitar), or monstrous and overwhelming. Despite some excess, they're an awesome live band.

Thanks to The Pessimist Club for uploading this most excellent recording; 128kbps but recorded using high-end boom mics above the sound desk. Set list in the comments...download HERE.