Back to the venue. The Bottleneck may not stink anymore, and its bartenders are actually now very friendly and efficient, but in the bathroom, there was over an inch of standing water on the floor. The stalls have no locks, so the balancing act that must occur is a pretty tricky one after a cocktail or two. Did I mention that I was wearing sandals? Lesson learned. The bathroom situation got so precarious that about 20 minutes after my own personal circus act in there, both the men’s and women’s rooms were closed completely while the venue called on a plumber. As far as I’m aware, they didn’t open for the rest of the show. I made sure to avoid walking in the alleys later on.
On the other hand, the sound in the Bottleneck is excellent. The engineers are aided by two boards, one at the stage and one in the center of the room. When the Black Angels moved to the stage, it got loud — shake-your-insides loud — and it was fantastic. For me, the band is all about Alex Maas’ powerful voice, which can growl and wail with an intensity that can carry the entire band in a venue as noisy as the Bottleneck was that night. The video screen behind the band alternated between a psychedelic, hazy rainbow wave and bright, white light. The show peaked with the performance of “Young Men Dead,” a song that should be familiar even to non-fans as a tough, hazy number that’s a great taste of why the band is such a great live act.
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