Philidelphia,
Mar. 12, 1999
By PETE
WALTON
Photos
by BOBBY GILL and CHAIRPAGE
 silverchair's
first visit to Philadelphia in nearly two years drew a capacity
crowd to the Trocadero in Center City. It was a chilly Friday
night and a late starting show (silverchair were not due on
stage until 10:15 p.m.) meant a long wait along Arch Street
for fans who'd queued up to get inside.
As if
the cold streets of Philadelphia weren't enough, the Troc's
sprinkler system decided to open up on the crowd as they waited
for opening band Lit to begin. Sound engineer Alex Guessard
and lighting technician Hugh Taranto scrambled to protect
their precious equipment from the spray. Window fans were
brought out to dry the sound and light mixers, and there were
no malfunctions during the show.
 Lit's
energetic set was highlighted by their hit single My Own Worst
Enemy. Lead vocalist A.J. Popoff thanked silverchair for bringing
them along on the tour. (Lit and the 'chair hooked up for
the first time two nights earlier, and will tour together
through the March 23 show in Boston.
silverchair
kicked off their set with Israel's Son, followed quickly by
Emotion Sickness, the lead track from the band's latest album,
Neon Ballroom. The new song was well received by the crowd,
considering that the release of the album was still several
days away.
"Hi,
we're silverchair from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia,"
singer-guitarist Daniel Johns told the crowd, most of whom
probably pretty much knew that. Next on the set list were
Abuse Me and Slave from the band's 1997 album Freak Show.
Slave
was so enthusiastically performed that a mishap occurred to
drummer Ben Gillies.
"Ben's
broken a drum," Johns said after the song. "It's
all right, that happens when you rock."
Drum technician
and tour manager Danny Herringe quickly came to Gillies' aid,
allowing the show to continue without missing -- well, without
missing a beat.
 "This
is a new song and it's for ... that guy up there," Johns
said, pointing to a surprised young fan in the balcony, as
he introduced Ana's Song from Neon Ballroom.
Suicidal
Dream was followed by Paint Pastel Princess, Madman and a
solo version of silverchair's modern rock classic Tomorrow.
After
the the intriguing love/hate song Miss You Love from Neon
Ballroom, Johns announced that the "slow songs"
were done and that it was now the "time to rock."
He exhorted the crowd to jump to The Door, and they did, continuing
to do so through Pure Massacre, Freak and the first single
from the new album, Anthem For The Year 2000. The audience
provided backing vocals for the new song, thanks to extensive
airplay on local radio stations Y-100 and WYSP.
 After
a short break, silverchair returned to the stage and assaulted
the crowd with the powerful Satin Sheets. Johns also assaulted
his Gibson SG guitar, popping a string just seconds into the
song.
Capping
the night was a spot-on rendition of No Association from Freak
Show, and then it was back to the streets of Philadelphia
for the crowd and a long bus ride to Chicago for silverchair
as their March march across North America moves to destination
number four.
 Set
List:
Israel's
Son
Emotion Sickness
Abuse Me
Slave
Ana's Song (Open Fire)
Suicidal Dream
Paint Pastel Princess
Madman
Tomorrow
Miss You Love
The Door
Pure Massacre
Freak
Anthem For The Year 2000
Satin Sheets
No Association
EXCESS
ACCESS: Before the show, Daniel Johns told chairpage why Spawn
Again hasn't appeared in the band's set list in the early
days of the March 1999 tour. He said the song is so taxing
on his voice, it takes several days for his throat to fully
recover. Bassist Chris Joannou called it "the shredder,"
referring to the way it affects Johns' vocal cords... Three
songs from silverchair's soundcheck in Philadlephia were recorded
for a "Sonic Session" to be aired two days later
on local radio station Y-100. A handful of lucky fans who
won tickets to the taping were present.
  
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