THE REVEREND HORTON HEAT + Murder by Death @ Foufounes Éléctriques

By Jesara Sinclair - I Keep Hearing Noises in the Basement - 05/18/2007

I always forget that Foufounes Electroniques is notorious for early shows. I arrived at the Reverend Horton Heat show around 10pm, anticipating a huge line-up of dressed-up rockabilly boys and girls. They were nowhere to be found, so I made my way upstairs, where the concert room was packed and Reverend Horton Heat were spitting out the last half-hour of their set.

I was really looking forward to this show. They're such a fixture on the psychobilly scene and have been around forever, it seems. I don't know if it was because it was so late into their set, or maybe they’re getting a little old, but I found the show a little slow. I'm not quite sure what it was; the music was great, as I had anticipated, but the crowd and the band seemed a little tired. Even when Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath climbed up onto Jimbo Wallace's bass, it seemed like an old, rehearsed gimmick that was only being pulled out because of some performance convention or standard.

Their set was over a few songs after I arrived (and I apologize for my terrible memory not being able to reproduce the set list). They shook outreached hands from audience members, before finally exiting the stage. The crowd shouted and stomped and clapped for an encore, and the band waited their sweet time before returning to the stage. They eventually returned and resumed playing, this time with a newfound energy. Bodies in front started moving as people started dancing again. When the encore was over, I was left with an adrenaline rush that left me yearning for more.

Next time, I'll go early.