Nina Hagen with Gene Loves Jezebel

[€uroMeinke]

Nina Hagen with Gene Loves Jezebel
is coming to the House of Blues Anaheim on Thursday June 29

I just picked up a pair of tickets in the advance sale - Nina Hagen is one of those performers I always missed - I'm looking forward to finally seeing her, though I do regret missing the show at the whiskey when she was 7 months pregnant wearing a gian black dildo - ah well, we'll see what treats she has this time.

For the school night averse - she's also playing HOB sunset strip on Saturday July 1 - but something about seeing Nina Hagen at Disneyland just seems a bit more satisfying.

Tickets are $23 plus the usual usurous fees

[Not Afraid]

I've seen her several times - inclusing the BLACK DILDO TOUR and can attest to her greatness as a performer. Now, the GLJ thing should be oddly interesting. I never saw them live - or I don't think so at least.

[lizziebith]

Chris -- I thought we saw her together...I'm fairly sure there are pics from right before...??? I saw GLB with Melissa...and then we had an interesting elevator ride with one of them and wanted to pick the nits...

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by lizziebith

Chris -- I thought we saw her together...I'm fairly sure there are pics from right before...??? I saw GLB with Melissa...and then we had an interesting elevator ride with one of them and wanted to pick the nits...

You know after I posted, I recalled that I had seen her around the time she was dating Flea. I know Lisa and I met her at Mad Platter when she was signing for Fearless

Here she is with the back of Lisa's head circa 1983:

[wendybeth]

Lisa's hair looks strangely smooth.


Wow! 1983.... It seems so long ago- I have to admit, I had a damned fine time in the '80's.

[mousepod]

Nina and GLJ... truly a grouping of the sublime and the ridiculous.

The last time I saw Nina was also in the 80s, though I've followed her career since - from doing the voice of Sally in the German version of Nightmare Before Christmas to her Indian-influenced spiritual records to her appearance in Weill/Brecht's 'Threepenny Opera' to her Big Band album - Nina just doesn't stop, and doesn't disappoint.

The one (and only IIRC) time I saw GLJ in the early 80s, the show erupted into a silly string fight. And that's pretty much all I remember about them.

Sounds like a fun show. I ought to check it out.

[€uroMeinke]

Crossposted from my Live Journal:

We pretty much left for Downtown Disney as soon as I got home from work, picked up our tickets, grabbed a bite to eat, and hit the House of Blues. Gene Loves Jezabel opened and they were surprisingly fun. There were easily less than 100 people in the audience but they had no problem having a good time, making fun of themselves, "Nobody buys CDs anymore - well nobody buys our CDs anymore - except maybe my mother." They had a lot of fun with the audience and at one point handed off the mic to a woman at the front of the stage who sang a rather good version of Jesse`s Girl before the lead singer intrupted regaling both the woman and the band for knowing the song let alone being able to spontaneously do a cover of it.

Nina came up at 9:30 and took the stage with a vengence. She is such an out-there performer, but the moment she took the stage you knew you were in for a treat. She was dressed as a sort of Twisted Wonder Woman, wearing red, knee-high, patent leather, 4-inch, platform boots; a stars and stripes mini skirt; a red tank-top with the letters FBI emblazzoned on the front, over some sort of day-glo chartrusse, floppy sleeved, sheer tule, top; and her hair piled high in some sort of Gary Larson school-girl do.

The set was beyond eclectic exploring such musical styles as Reggea, ska, punk, folk, disco, rap, and rockabilly just to name a few. She blended her old hits with covers of Bob Marley (Get up, Stand up) and Neil Young (his new "Impeach the President" song). All interspesed with her religious political bantor about eliminating borders, pacifist mothers, the Hindi god Hannuman, female genital mutilation in Africa, and thanks to America from delivering Germany from facism and genocide.

Some of the highlights of the evening include performance of New York, New York; Born in Xixxiax; African Regea; and closing the first set with My Way. Her encore included a rendition of Ave Maria reminding everyone of her opratic training. Actually, there were at least two points where her mic got disconnected - and if it weren`t for the lack of electronic effects on her voice, you would never notice. That woman can sing. Nina`s command of the stage was also amazing - exaggerated cheesecake poses, sitting down on the stage floor in front of her Indian harmonium, dancing, rolling - it felt like you were in her livingroom.

It was just great to see her still put on such a performance after 25 years. She talked about her daughter, Comsa Shiva, celebrating her 25th, and doing a version of Snow White which Nina joined her playing the evil queen - ah to see that show.

Oh and here are some cell phone pics of Nina in the show:

[Not Afraid]

Not a stage show, darling. A film!

Soon to have a sequel.

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

Not a stage show, darling. A film!

Soon to have a sequel.

Heh - the one review there gave it 1 star (out of 10) - why does that make me want to see it all the more?