Review by Mathew Tilsley

Along with a few other committed young males I was the first to arrive. We stood around outside and talked about "Blue" while waiting for the place to open when lo and behold David Yow walked around from the side of the building to the front entrance. A young man in his late-teens with spiky hair called Yow "Dave" and asked "Do you remember me from that Chicago show ? I came up to you..." etc. Yow paused a moment, looking interested, then shook his head and said "No man, that don't mean much to me..."

Boston's has an open-air stage out back of a bar and restaurant. Yow talked and drank with a skinhead all night who he seemed to be pals with. Sims and Kimball kept to themselves over in the corner by the merchandise. Duane wandered around aimlessly for the three or so hours before the support bands finished and the JL finally got ready. At one point I walked into him coming out of the bathroom and he gave me a big smile as I apologized ; when he came out he approached me and asked me if I was one of the singer/guitarists of local band Seven Story Mountain who had just played. Sadly I said no - I got the impression he would have wanted to talk to me if I was that guy.

Two of the boys I stood around with before the doors opened nervously went up to Yow and asked for "Slave Ship" to be played with the lights out. Yow was enthusiastic about the idea of their most chilling song being played in darkness, but said that Kimball hadn't yet mastered it.

Later on that night, the lead singer of Firewater told the crowd "The Jesus Lizard are personal friends of mine. I don't know about that guy Duane though..." Upon hearing this, Duane - who was standing near the stage - gave the Firewater vocalist a stony, dead-eyed stare which lasted for more than a few moments...

It took a long time before they finally started around midnight. They launched ferociously into "Puss" and Yow dived as hard as he could into the small crowd as soon as the song began. He got so into it so quickly you could barely hear a word he was singing. He kept shouting "All you -all you motherfuckers..." and "even if we suck shit tonight..."

Well, I didn't think this show - their last in Phoenix - sucked ; it was about as rough and intense as they come.