Report from the recent Ariel Pink show in Los Angeles. Monty Bar 7/19/24
A scene report and show review
Ariel Pink performs at The Monty. pic by Griffin S.
Ariel Pink is arguably my favorite artist, and has been for a while. There are not enough good things I can say about him. I even find his personality somewhat endearing. Even if I disagree with some of what he says or believes, I do think his persona is a refreshing presence in the increasingly stale indie and alternative music worlds. It seems like the paradigm has shifted in regard to “counterculture.” Fans nowadays want their favs to be non-problematic and simply validate their own political beliefs, no matter how niche. But enough opining on my own personal thoughts towards the stale nature of indie music and culture nowadays, on to the show…
I left my place to get to the venue incredibly early. Chalk it up to my neurotic Jewishness, but I always show up to events I am excited for way too early. The show was relatively unpromoted, save for a couple of low-key Instagram posts. Entry was $10 and this being a Los Angeles Ariel Pink show, and the packed venues he played on his last tour, I figured getting there early would ensure I had a spot and could maybe hang out at the bar for a bit before the show started. I drove about ten minutes and found parking in a hospital (is it unethical to do this? LA parking is cutthroat so I feel like the families waiting to visit the dying or injured patients would understand).
I walked from the parking garage to the bar and found it was locked. I realized maybe showing up hours early to this gig may have been a bad idea. I instead occupied my time walking around, smoking and scrolling through Instagram and Twitter (I will never debase myself as to call it X). As the show neared closer, and I saw the man himself (Ariel has quite the presence) attempt to get inside, only to be met with locked doors (he eventually did get in) it seemed like this show was on. Fans began lining up and I had some nice conversations with fellow diehards (thank you to the couple who didn’t immediately run away after I talked at you incessantly about Japanese New Wave and Shūji Terayama. You were very cool and I had a great time). We were eventually allowed inside and spent the lead up having drinks (I am sober now so I opted for Red Bull and a Cranberry Juice) and listening to the legendary Don Bolles spin a flawless set of obscure bubblegum and glam (shout out to Don Bolles by the way. Absolute legend and one of the coolest guys to grace the planet).
As it got closer to Ariel’s set time, fans began filing into the bar. I will say I felt woefully underdressed for this event. My vintage trucker hat, t-shirt and sneakers felt underwhelming compared to the incredibly cool and insane outfits I noticed fellow fans decked out in. Maybe I need to go clothes shopping?
I am not going to spend any time talking about the openers. I’ll just say they were solid, good vibes. Ariel and his band took the stage and cut immediately into their set, kicking it off with the fan favorite White Freckles. There is absolutely no point in listing the setlist. It was good, a lot of hits and a couple of deeper cuts. The fans had packed the venue now and Ariel seemed to be in good spirits. He played through his set with enthusiasm and a positive disposition. There wasn’t one instance of him storming off the stage or refusing to sing. The fans seemed to be enthusiastically welcoming the weirdo king, the therapist from the barrio, the nymphomaniac, the goth bomb himself back with open arms.