Iggy Pop & the Stooges
03.17.07
Stubb's BBQ (Austin)
words: Julie A. Schuchard
photos: Julie A. Schuchard

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Preparing for a Stooges show is similar to preparing for battle. I only carried with me the bare minimum – a Canon 20D and two lenses. I was there to shoot the Stooges. But knowing press in the pit were limited to three songs and wanting to shoot the entire show, I decided to take my chances on the other side of the barrier, in the crowd. Still, my plan involved a certain level of sacrifice: arriving six hours early and spending my last night at SXSW standing in the same spot waiting to see one band.

I watched as the demographic of people in front mutated around me. At first, it was inhabited by the teenage fans of the lady-led piano sounds of A Fine Frenzy and heartthrob, UK-based blues rocker Paolo Nutini. Once Nutini left the stage, the timid spectators were demoted by the presence of serious Stooges fans, there to relish the man that made being dirty cool. The two feet in front of me disappeared as the swelling crowd thrust forward. I turned to see the teenage girls behind me replaced by an aged couple with bleached hair, spiked chokers and years of rock hanging from their faces. We smiled at each other through a cloud of cigarette smoke.

Kings of Leon took the stage with everything a good rock show should be. Their Southern blues style wooed fans, as the crowd ebbed forward with every guitar riff.

Following The Kings was Austin’s own Spoon. Perhaps the adrenaline of sharing the hometown stage with The Stooges fueled their performance, as an electric Britt Daniel preyed on the energy in the air. Spoon is one of those bands everyone loves to see live. Still, the anticipation for The Stooges hung overhead like a dense storm cloud ready to pour. I mean really, how does any band play to a crowd waiting for The Stooges?

The moment Spoon left the stage additional security staff filed in, lining up like ducks ready to be knocked down. The invasion of The Stooges crew was like watching a small army that in one sweep cleared the stage and in the next, had every cord in its place. It seemed to perfectly mirror the elaborate Stooges rider posted on The Smoking Gun as the “Funniest in Rock History,” with the unreasonable demands of fine wine and a Bob Hope impersonator.

Scott and Ron Asheton strolled on stage followed by former Minutemen bassist Mike Watt. Waiting for the drum hits of "Loose," Iggy Pop ran out in his usual attire, igniting the frenzy of security guards trying to contain the crowd and press moving nervously in a cluster along the front of the stage. It’s a toss up which mosh pit was more rowdy, the crowd or the photographers. Halfway into “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” Iggy unleashed chaos with the first of several stage dives. It was a defining moment for anyone doubting this 59-year-old still had his rock edge.

Like clockwork, after the third song, “TV Eye,” the photographers cleared out of the press area, and just as I thought, I had a clear view of everything. From that point on, I saw the show through my lens. The classic Stooges songs “1970,” “Fun House,” and “L.A. Blues” rang in my ears as the movement of the crowd pressed on my back. I followed the spectacle of Iggy’s every move, running back and forth on stage, jumping out into the crowd, hanging off the speakers, rolling around on stage, pulling down his pants, pouring water over his head and spitting it at the crowd. Suddenly the six hours I stood waiting paid off when I got the one shot: an exhausted Iggy Pop, drenched in water, lying flat on the stage.

Iggy Pop’s performance was predictably full of those raunchy moments only he could deliver. During the eruptive encore “No Fun” he catered to the fans that love him when he requested everyone come to the stage and "dance with the asshole Stooges."

As airborne bodies penetrated the barrier I too was compelled to join in the human ballistics, first as a photographer, wanting to capture the moment, then as a Stooges fan, wanting to be a part of it. So, I put my camera down and instead of taking pictures, I danced the last song of SXSW with Iggy Pop and The Stooges.