Back in August, I got an e-mail from the Cat’s Cradle – a great club in Chapel Hill – saying that Iggy Pop was booked there in October.
In disbelief, I rallied the troops – we were going to see Iggy! I started the countdown to the ticket on-sale date.
The show sold out in less than half a day, and I was one of the lucky ones who got tickets.
You may be asking, Why is Iggy Pop such a big deal?
Iggy Pop is often referred to as the “godfather of punk.” He has been performing in bands since he was in high school in the 1960s.
He’s been a fixture on the underground music scene for over 30 years.
Iggy was born James Newell Osterberg in Muskegon, Mich., in 1947. As a youngster, he was shy and introverted. Obviously, that changed when he found music.
The Stooges were his first semi-well-known band. Their debut album, Raw Power, was released in 1973 and cut out soon after.
The album has since been re-released and remastered and is hailed by rock critics and fans as one of the top rock albums ever.
Iggy’s solo career began after the Stooges’ demise in 1977. Since then, the man is constantly changing and experimenting with new sounds.
Iggy does what he wants, and that is so refreshing in our current climate of manufactured music and “make a quick buck” bands.
So, I was going to finally get to see Iggy, the legend.
When the day arrived and I got to Chapel Hill, I was astounded at the people who were already in town for the show.
One couple had pictures from an Iggy show they saw 25 years ago. Others were just sharing stories about Iggy.
When his tour bus pulled into the parking lot, people were rushing over to the window to watch him get out.
The diversity of the crowd was interesting – there were punk kids, hippie-types, people who looked like professionals and a bunch of college student-types like me.
There were different levels of fandom represented too.
There were some scary obsessed fans, there were some more casual listeners, and there were those who were there simply to rock.
Once the Cat’s Cradle’s doors were opened, I got a good spot and started people watching.
I saw Robert Sledge who used to play bass for Ben Folds Five among the crowd.
Then I saw the man, Iggy, in the flesh, walk into the club from outside just like anyone else. Of course, he went straight for the dressing room.
A Chapel Hill band called Snatches of Pink opened the show, and was really good.
The bassist could be Chris Robinson’s – from the Black Crowes – twin, and he had all the cool “rock hair” moves down. They sounded like an old rock ‘n’ roll band and had cool moves. And they were LOUD!
But, I was waiting for Iggy.
Iggy Pop did not disappoint. He came out roaring and stayed that way.
He opened with the song “Mask” off the new album, then went into “Espanol” from Avenue B – his 1999 album.
I was actually surprised that he played so much new stuff. Of course he pulled out the old favorites like “Search and Destroy,” “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” “Raw Power” and “Wild Child.”
After 30 years, Iggy Pop is still relevant and totally energetic. I have never seen anyone like him.
Another thing that struck me about Iggy is that he is not afraid of his fans.
That may sound silly, but frequently rock stars travel with private security guards who also keep an eye on them during the performance.
I never saw one with Iggy, and he kept lunging into the crowd, and in the middle of the set, and he invited a bunch of people on stage for a sing-along.
After the sing-along, one particularly inebriated man hugged Iggy and wouldn’t let go. Instead of yelling for security, Iggy smiled and hugged him back.
After the show, the friend who went with me said it was cool that Iggy had covered a Sex Pistols’s song. When I corrected her and said that actually the Sex Pistols had covered his song – “I Wanna Be Your Dog”- she was amazed.
So many bands have covered Iggy Pop’s songs and have been directly influenced by his music.
It was a total treat to get to see him in person, and he is just as cool and entertaining now as he was 30 years ago.
Maybe even more so.

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