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It might not seem like traditional Halloween entertainment, but the Clarks dropped by Arlington's Iota to scare up some good times. The Pittsburgh rock & roll band performed before teeming masses of costume-clad patrons, hitting them with a blend of old and new favorites. This show continued the Clarks' pattern of hitting the small Virginia club once every two months, hoping to continue the spread of the band's old-style rock. Whether this mission will ultimately succeed is still unknown, but the band's fans in the DC Metro area are sure glad for the effort.
Since this was the fourth Clarks show that I have attended at Iota, I have really gotten a feel for the venue and its fit with the band. This show may have delivered the best blend of acoustics, as David Minarik's drums were noticeably more mellow than during previous shows. This allowed lead singer Scott Blasey's wailing vocals to take center stage, a preferable outcome in this fan's eyes. The crowd was as animated as usual, with the trademark "Let's go Steelers" chants breaking out midway through the set. (Pittsburgh fans have to stick together.) With Let It Go having been released for over four months, fans could be heard singing along to these new numbers as well as the band's classic hits.
Early highlights included "Snowman," a song which has opened up the last three Iota shows, and "Mercury," an old favorite sandwiched between a pair of promising new tunes. For all of the emphasis that the band places on Let It Go's offerings, the older efforts still spark the greatest interest with the crowd. "Caroline" proved just that, as did "Courtney" shortly thereafter. A few of the newer songs have become instant hits, including "Better Off Without You," a catchy sing-along that provided the perfect segue into the second half of the set. Of course, the excitement really hit three songs later when the Clarks hit the crowd back-to-back with their biggest hits, "Cigarette" and "Penny on the Floor."
The end of the set is best exemplified by the rapid rise of a few of the band's newer tunes, including bassist Greg Joseph's "Butterflies & Airplanes." This chipper number can best be described as "peppy," a sound which quickly got swallowed by the crushing rock of closing offering "Chasin' Girls." Could this be one of the band's new signature songs? With the way the Clarks ripped through it, combined with the aggressive guitars and drums at its conclusion, that may well be the case. A stirring "Let's Get It On" and the customary "Last Call" closed out the encore, as fans poured out into the cold night with a mixture of chills and thrills.
Setlist:
Encore:
Submitted 11/1/00.
If you have any questions or comments about this or any other concert, please feel free to e-mail me.