The last time I listened to Adam Green was when he was crooning out songs about downloading porn and smoking crack with the beloved Moldy Peaches. Since the Peaches' 2004 hiatus, Adam Green has managed to release six solo albums (with a seventh to be released this May), garnering critical praise and building a substantial fan base. This is why I found myself biking through the rain to Johnny Brenda’s: to reunite myself with the music of Adam Green.
The four-piece, Strokes-inspired the Dead Trees opened the evening, powering through a quick set with little banter to distract from their straightforward riffs and beautiful vocal harmonies. The crowd of 30+ people reacted -- as one might expect with an opening band -- with no reaction at all. The highlight of the set came during an untitled, Clash reminiscent song off their upcoming album, which impressively inspired minor head bobbing from the seemingly uninterested crowd.
As the clock rolled past 10:30, Adam Green took the stage, clad in a studded leather jacket and bellbottoms, beer in hand. With the Dead Trees serving as Green's backing band, Green launched into his set, strutting and flailing about the stage like a seasoned pro. Confessing a guilty pleasure in the song “Drugs,” Green put on a captain’s hat - perhaps an allusion to the "get you high tonight" Captain Jack. Slowing down, Green performed a handful of solo acoustic songs, including request “I Want to Die,” before the Dead Trees returned to the stage, bringing energy to Adam’s drunken showmanship.
As any regular concertgoer will attest, the crowd makes or breaks a show. This problem particularly plagues the Philadelphia indie music scene, and this show was a case in point. As Green and company flamboyantly entertained as they do best, the performers were met with a sea of stoic faces. Faced with this Philadelphia crowd's callous indifference, Adam Green openly asked the room of 60 people, “Why did you even come here? What do you want?" The inaudible response was all the answer Green needed before he jumped onto the nearest person (a petite girl a couple feet away) and laid across the stage with her while singing about Jesus in “The Princess’ Bed.”
At that point, the crowd loosened up, offering Green beers and even stuffing some bills down his pants. Green continued with his quirky set, including “Buddy Bradley,” “Dance With Me,” and “Emily” before closing with “Jessica,” a song about the singer/actress Jessica Simpson. A minute later, Green came back to entertain with “No Legs” and “Lockout” between discussions of iPads and anal play. Finishing with “Getting Led,” Green burst off stage with an overflowing beer, leaving the Dead Trees to fade out with the vocal accompaniment.
Attempting to bridge the gap between the stage and the apathetic crowd, Green would have benefited from some friendlier faces than the ones he found in Philadelphia. Nonetheless, the wildly entertaining show did not disappoint, and any Adam Green fans, deterred by the rain, should be sorry they missed it.
