Violent Femmes at the Count Basie Center—A Pop, Punk, Folk Revival.
Walking into the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, NJ, I expected to enjoy the Violent Femmes. What I didn’t expect was to be fully swept into a raucous, genre-blending celebration that felt more like a punk-folk revival than a concert.
The band made a grand, unconventional entrance, marching in from the back of the theater like a drum and fife troupe, instantly signaling that this would be no ordinary show. From that first, percussive opener, the energy never let up. Their stage setup was as eccentric as their sound: a cajón box drum, a Big Johnson acoustic bass, a stand-up drum kit featuring a Weber grill, and a contrabass saxophone that had jaws dropping.
The current lineup features founding members Gordon Gano and Brian Ritchie, joined by Blaise Garza and John Sparrow. Together, they delivered a tightly packed, wonderfully weird set including favorites like “Blister In The Sun,” “Country Death Song,” and “Kiss Off.” The crowd danced, shouted, and sang along like it was a ritual.
After the main set, they returned for a two-song encore: the raw, emotional “Betrayal” and the crowd-pleasing anthem “American Music.”
I came as a casual listener, but I left as a full-blown FANatic.
