Photo courtesy of Paul Marotta

Iggy Pop will make your grandma bark, I saw it with my own eyes.There’s something about experiencing him live that brings out a primal instinct in people and it was on full display at the Orpheum on Monday where the show played like one giant party.

As the curtain came up and the drumbeat of “Lust For Life” filled the room, the crowd was instantly on their feet erupting in electricity as he entered the stage running around in a jacket that had only minutes to live. The band dressed in matching red and black suits like a cheap Las Vegas act were deceiving as they pumped a new vitality into his music. Switching off between material from The Idiot, Lust for Life and Post Pop Depression the band played like it had all been recorded yesterday. This was a dream night for 70’s Iggy fans with the biggest one (Josh Homme) dancing like a big kid onstage as they pulled out deep cuts like “Sixteen”, “Mass Production” and “Funtime”. The latter was a particular highlight not only for the crowd surfing sex doll but also the ascending screams that brought a rollercoaster exhilaration as the crowd participated in it like the wave at a sports game.

Despite his age (68!) and all he’s been through Iggy kept up with the band bringing the stamina of a horse to the two hour show. Closing with “Success” (a song never done live before this tour) it was a fitting description of a night that fans will be talking about for years.

Setlist:
Lust for Life
Sister Midnight
American Valhalla
Sixteen
In the Lobby
Some Weird Sin
Funtime
Tonight
Sunday
German Days
Mass Production
Nightclubbing
The Passenger
China Girl

Encore:
Gardenia
Break Into Your Heart
Fall in Love With Me
Repo Man
Baby
Chocolate Drops
Paraguay
Success