MC50 at le Poisson Rouge

As a youth in the 1960s, guitarist Wayne Kramer formed the Bounty Hunters in the basement of Kramer's mother's basement in Detroit, Michigan. After some personnel changes, the band in 1965 became the hard rocking MC5, an abbreviation for Motor City Five. Based on its high energy shows and controversial politics, MC5 landed on the cover of Rolling Stone even before the release of the band's 1969 debut album. The band split in 1972 and Kramer began a two-year prison sentence in 1975 for drug offenses. After his parole, Kramer moved to New York City and worked as a carpenter for several years. In 1979 he played with Johnny Thunders in the band Gang War and also in Was (Not Was), and in 1980 he played with Fats Deacon and the Dumbwaiters. Kramer launched a solo career in 1994. Kramer briefly reformed various versions of MC5 until he stabilized a lineup from 2005 to 2012 with Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators as vocalist. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of MC5's debut album, Kramer assembled MC50 for tours in 2018 and 2019; MC50 consists of Kramer, vocalist Marcus Durant of Zen Guerrilla, guitarist Kim Thayil of Soundgarden, bassist Billy Gould of Faith No More, and drummer Brendan Canty of Fugazi.

MC50 performed all eight songs from MC5's debut album tonight at le Poisson Rouge, though not in album order, plus seven tracks from the band's other two albums. Thanks to the all-star musicians, nothing could go wrong, even though all of Kramer's band mates were young children when the albums were released. In true MC5 proto-punk tradition, MC50's performance for the most part was fast, loud and intense. Kramer dominated the band, with a few lead vocals and numerous extended guitar solos. Durant sang soulfully, pouring his angst-filled vocals especially into the few slower, blues-inspired moments. MC50's hard-edged guitar rock was hearty, muscular, and angry. With no new music to promote, MC50 enacted a slice of music history, offering a half-century look-back into the root elements of yesterday and today's garage rock, hard rock, blues rock, and psychedelic rock.

Setlist:

1. Ramblin' Rose
2. Kick Out the Jams
3. Come Together
4. Motor City Is Burning (John Lee Hooker cover)
5. Tonight
6. Gotta Keep Movin'
7. Teenage Lust
8. Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)
9. Borderline
10. I Want You Right Now
11. Starship
12. I Can Only Give You Everything (Them cover)

Encore:

1. Call Me Animal
2. Sister Anne
3. Let Me Try
4. Looking at You