It's true: there is no reason to be in Detroit, unless you want to experience depression in pretty much every form. But there was finally some good news out of the Motor City: The Gories had reunited!
A bassless, blues-influenced garage-punk trio formed in the late 80s, The Gories -- consisting of guitarists/vocalists Mick Collins (now of the Dirtbombs) and Danny Kroha (Demolition Doll Rods) and drummer Peggy O’Neill (Darkest Hours) -- broke up in 1993, leaving behind three albums, a handful of singles, and a lo-fi legacy. Playing with also recently reformed Tennessee rockers The Oblivians, the bands had only three U.S. dates before embarking on a European tour. But this show, in Detroit, was the hometown return for The Gories, and they had something to prove.
“You didn’t care about us 20 years ago, but you care now?” Collins asked the screaming fans, packed to capacity. Agog at the amount of people at the sold-out venue, Kroha could not stop smiling.
Anyone concerned that it wouldn't be the same now that the band could actually play their instruments shouldn't be. During “Ghost Rider,” Collins, t-shirt drenched in sweat (alas, no suit!), ground his guitar into the monitor at the front of the stage, relishing the noise. O’Neill sat with her legs crossed, a maraca in one hand and drumstick in the other, banging away. The only real difference was that, as Kroha pointed out before “Detroit Breakdown,” now he can play guitar and harmonica at the same time. But the breakdown in “Nitroglycerine” was still so raw it could have peeled paint.
As the band prepared to leave the stage before the encore, Collins raised his hand in farewell. “See you in another 20 years!” Fortunately this time he’s only joking.
