the disease is the cure

Blixa Bargeld in Café Mitropa, West Berlin, Schöneberg, 1981

Lou Reed - Masonic Auditorium, Detroit, Michigan, April 26, 1978

“Fuckin’ Detroit — are you kidding me?!” That’s how Lou Reed greets the Motor City at the start of this show. The crowd loves it. But before we get to the show itself, let’s talk about fashion. We’ve seen a lot of Lou looks during our Summer of Lou trek so far. But his 1978 ensemble is something else. Suspenders, sleeveless t-shirt with his own face on it, transparent guitar, flares … it’s breathtaking! The suspenders in particular make him look more like a comedian than a rock star — which I suppose makes sense, considering that Take No Prisoners was recorded in ‘78.  

Sartorial choices aside, this Detroit audience tape is a solid representation of a well-represented year for Lou. The “Everyman Band” is slick and sleazy, kind of a dirtbag version of the E-Street Band, lead guitars blasting, saxes honking, keys tinkling, backup singers cooing. Lou sounds more at ease and confident than he has in years (maybe it’s the suspenders!) and the new Street Hassle material is delivered with glee, alongside the now-expected warhorses. The set’s high-point comes during the intro to “Coney Island Baby,” where Lou croons a bit of the original doo wop “Coney Island Baby” by the Excellents, a hazy memory from way back in ‘62. Beeyootiful. 

Despite his ribbing of Detroit at the start, Reed pays tribute to the city by bringing out hometown hero Mitch Ryder to sing a very loose “Rock and Roll” — Ryder was one of the first to cover a Lou composition and the songwriter seems to have really appreciated it. The show comes to a harrowing end with a soul-sleaze remake of “Heroin,” which feels roughly a million miles from the song’s beginnings. But it works somehow, with Lou delivering a powerful vocal, as his backup singers wail “Her-oooo-innnnnn” behind him … Things are getting weird in the late 70s. Onwards!

Lanino Bernardino, St. John The Baptist in The Wilderness, undated