Henry Rollins “Good To See You” – Gig Review 28th June @ The State Theatre, Syd NSW
Henry Rollins
State Theatre, Sydney NSW
June 28, 2023
“I want the century to end better than it started”
Henry Rollins is no stranger to Australia. Having first travelled here in 1989 as part of the Rollins Band tour, he’s since ventured here more than 40 times as a musician, spoken word artist and interviewer, most recently in 2018 as part of the Mercedes Benz ‘Tough Conversations’ campaign.
5 years is a long time for Henry to be away from this part of the world, but one spicy cough and three tour reschedulings later we finally get to see the punk rock icon in person for his 24-date Aus/NZ tour.
Tonight’s proceedings bring us to the very swanky State Theatre in Sydney and if you’ve never been here before then do yourself a favour, get here early, grab a drink and head upstairs. Even if you don’t have tickets in the dress circle, the upper level on which it is situated is adorned with some truly eye-catching and historic art. With marble statues, fine art paintings and velveted antique furniture adorning the joint, one could easily spend some time here simply staring at the walls. Every square inch of this ornate gothic, Italian art deco theatre is exceptional viewing and a tad nicer than a couple of the other places I’d previously seen Henry perform at, like the iconic Enmore, or on the side stages at the 2006 Big Day Out.
Looking at the sea of old punk fans filling the majestic main foyer of Sydney’s State Theatre, I can’t imagine that back in 1929, esteemed architect Henry White had envisioned in any way that this rabble of ne’er do wells would be welcomed en masse to these hallowed halls to witness a screaming punk rock icon tell modern-day horror stories of covid-era stalkers and dead-mum tea bags. There’s a beautiful cross-section of people of all ages and genders. In the mix is a woman I’m putting up for Mother of the Year. As she escorts her two young daughters into the dress circle, an older female employee of the theatre asks “Aren’t they a bit young for Henry Rollins?” The mother replies “Not at all, it’s education,” as she holds her daughter’s hands and heads to their seats. The employee turns away baffled and keeps pointing people to the doors that have been in the same spot for nearly a hundred years.
We head into the theatre itself to the sound of ‘Motörhead’ by Motörhead off of the album Motörhead and soon after a very punctual Henry Rollins bursts onto the stage with all the energy of a bloke that has been locked down in his own home for the last couple of years. Henry has never been accused of being a gentle presence on any stage. The pace and energy in which he delivers his collection of several decades worth of travel, tour and unique celebrity stories has always been impressive but tonight seems like everything in him is turned up to a Spinal Tap 11. Almost as if he’s got five years of material to tell us and only two and a half hours to do it in. Henry is beyond excited to be back in Australia and Lemmy help anyone who was hoping for a cruisey, laid-back performance.
The man who once played in small sweatbox punk rooms in the early 80’s is now talking to a few thousand people in an elegant theatre on the other side of the world about couch hopping on his first Aussie tour in 1989 at The Cruel Sea’s Surry Hills abode, the limitations of vast international travel while in a punk band, writing a book in a small sweaty hotel in Africa, halfwits during a pandemic, cancel culture, anti-science sentiment and the power of the first three Ramones records, all while referring back to his personal statement “I want the century to end better than it started”.
That statement remained the underlying theme to tonight’s performance as he reflected upon his own life choices, all while trying to encourage a punk rock ethos in young people. Saying that a life spent stacking shelves for a multinational conglomerate may be a perfectly fine way for some people to live, but life has much more to offer than a life of modern slavery served under the bootheel of large corporations and modern government. It may be worthwhile for us all to take chances in our short time on this big blue rock, while navigating and minimising the problems this world already faces.
From the dangers of insular generational lifestyle breeding exemplified by Donald Trump’s family and small-town America. Breaking the cycle of archaic familial traditions steeped in bigotry. Right down to the food we consume, dripping in sugar and preservatives, being offered up in supermarkets and the prevalence of first-world health issues in the wake of its introduction. Always clarifying that if you’re happy to live that way, that’s all well and good, but Henry wasn’t about to go down that one-way street. We’re all gunna die, not anytime soon hopefully. But how are you going to live in the meantime, and what are you leaving behind once you cark it?
It all sounds so serious doesn’t it? But Rollins managed to cover these topics while making us all laugh. Helping us find our smiles in the face of impending doom. He constantly referred to his own increasing age (despite it apparently not affecting him in the same fashion as the rest of us) and the inevitable spectre of death. It takes great skill to make an audience laugh collectively and comfortably while telling the story about your dead mum. His recollection of best friend Ian MacKaye’s (Fugazi, Minor Threat) account of her funeral and the dispersion of the ashes will live with me forever and I’ll never look at duck poo the same way again.
Henry’s longtime manager, the brilliant Heidi May gets many mentions and if you’ve ever heard their podcast, Henry and Heidi, she sounds like a soft-spoken and measured person. Yet in this one-sided barrage, Henry hilariously makes her sound like a shrieking harpie from the depths of nagging hell, while he recounts the story of his Danish stalker during lockdown and laughing down the line at her when she sorrowfully informed him of his mother’s death. He expresses all the glee of a 12-year-old boy as he torments poor Heidi May with his twisted worldview, yet does so with all the respect and love in the world.
But as far as his presence on stage, the guy is a blur. I didn’t have this much energy as a 20-year-old, let alone what I’ll be like when I get to 62. To maintain two and a half hours of this without an intermission or even a drink of water is genuinely impressive, and it was almost a battle of attrition with the audience to see who could outlast the other tonight. Some people wilted, but most of us prevailed. With a wave and a bow, the legend wrapped up proceedings as the members of the audience that hadn’t faded and still had feelings in their legs rose to give him a standing ovation.
By the end, everyone leaves a bit sore and exhausted. Despite how beautiful the theatre is, there’s bugger all leg room in these posh surroundings. I exit via the merch table, forego the usual t-shirt or beanie and buy myself a Henry Rollins Tea Towel (won’t be wiping up the dishes with that bad boy). Some people are weary after that aggressive bombardment from the self-appointed hype-man for the youth of today, but I feel inspired. If anything, I have to get my sorry self back to the gym, just so I can keep up with Henry next time he graces our wondrous shores.
Hopefully the two young girls with their mother learned something as well. They may very well be the ones that make this century end better than it started.
Review by Duane James @duanejames666
