Photos: Sonic Youth at the Vic
By Lizz Kannenberg in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 30, 2009 6:20PM
We've all heard the bitter critic jokes about Sonic Youth's name: Sonic Old, Sonic Middle Aged, Sonic Geezers. With all five (former Pavement bassist Mark Ibold joined the band in 2006) members in their late 40's or early 50's, the not-so-clever plays on the group's moniker were probably inevitable, but anyone making them clearly hasn't caught the godfathers of experimental indie rock lately. Even from the photo pit at the Vic on Sunday, Lee Ranaldo's gray mop top was the only giveaway that this wasn't some hot new Pfork-approved Brooklyn group . Band linchpin Thurston Moore crawled across the stage about a minute into opener "She Is Not Alone," torturing his battered Jazzmaster with a drumstick and making his 50 years look more like 15. He and Ranaldo played off of each others' youthful antics and still-powerful voices for the next 70 minutes, while the stoic Kim Gordon thumped out basslines and quirky guitar progressions and unsung hero Steve Shelley proved he's still an innovative and hard-hitting drummer.
It may have been 25 years since the group's debut, but they're not ready for the AARP discounts yet.