To listen to Doomsday's online radio stations which plays music like The Church, go to http://www.live365.com/stations/321348 or http://music.yahoo.com/launchcast/station.asp?u=1396688969 and select "Night Moods" or "The Kosmos" moods. 

After a relatively uneventful journey from Maine, I finally had a sign of things to come. I encountered a form of Kali at the tollbooth. She had dark kohled eyes, and blood red nails that glistened as she reluctantly accepted my tribute of silver. I then made my way into the mouth of the city that had once been my home. It was even more of a gleaming metropolis than when I left it seven years ago, with a new glowing spiderweb bridge leading into it., something straight out of an old German film. A sparkling new art deco tower added to the surreal quality of the once-familiar skyline.

I navigated through confusing new tunnels, more akin to Europe than America, and made my way to my destination, which was Paradise -- or at least the theatre that bore its name. After driving nearly an hour through the maze of one-way streets, I managed to find a semi-legal parking spot in front of a not-quite-abandoned warehouse that seemed to be the home of some sort of seedy activity. After securing my turquoise vahana, I made my way into the frosty night, seeking the sanctuary of my favorite Church...

With little fanfare, the four walked onto the stage. No mystery or drama was needed -- their mere presence created an aura of its own. As I predicted, they opened with "Sealine," the first song on their latest CD Forget Yourself. The audience was treated by a spectacular guitar solo by Marty Willson-Piper, the first of many that night.

"Telepath," also from Forget Yourself was the next tune, the live version having more depth and resonance than the studio release. Next was "Radiance" from their previous CD After Everything Now This, which had a delayed start because Steve Kilbey's bass was out of tune. Once corrected, the Magician began again, his bass working the appropriate spells upon the audience. The band successfully completed the song, with Marty languidly playing the role of guitar hero, making it all seem sooo easy. Steve Kilbey then introduced Marty as their "resident cosmonaut who speaks 452 different languages." With Marty's interstellar licks, the cosmonaut reference is no exaggeration.

They played "Chromium" next, another song from After Everything, followed by two new songs, "Nothing Seeker" and "The Theatre and Its Double." They then did a hit from 1988's Starfish, the ever-popular "Reptile," which I still hear on a regular basis on my local rock station WCLZ. There was a technical glitch with Marty's guitar during "Reptile," but he took it in stride, humming his trademark guitar solo.

The technical problems seemed to be resolved by the next song which was "Maya." The cellist from the opening act Sea Ray refined the mystical quality of the song. The focus then switched to the band's soft-spoken guitarist, Peter Koppes, whom Steve Kilbey introduced as a "dingo battler." "Appalatia" from the new CD was done as a duet between Koppes and Marty Willson-Piper and was very soothing.

Next were two more gems from Starfish, "Destination" and "Under the Milky Way." "Destination" was haunting, the lyrics even more meaningful in today's chaotic age. "UTMW" had a folksy tinge, enhanced by Marty Willson-Piper's acoustic 12-string. The starry lighting effects added to the celestial quality of "UTMW" -- I remember them doing something similar back in 1990 when they were at the Orpheum. The next song was an ominous tune from After Everything, "Numbers." Like "Destination" (the prequel?), "Numbers" was equally supernatural, with Marty Willson-Piper drawing out the ending in the most exquisite fashion.

And speaking of Marty, his singing abilities shone in the next song "See Your Lights," which had a huge jam session with all four of them rocking hard. "Song In Space," which seems written about Marty, was the next number, leading subtly into the classic "Tantalized" from their 1985 album Heyday.

After a short break, Steve Kilbey came out and began doing a solo performance of "Cantilever," a song available on the limited edition bonus CD (get it if you don't already own it). Marty Willson-Piper and drummer extraordinaire Tim Powell soon joined Steve Kilbey and finished the song, leading to another break.

They began the final encore with another song not heard in years, "Myrrh" from Heyday that got long-time fans like myself quite excited, but I found the sound quality a bit muddy (more technical problems?).

Then came the piece d'resistance -- "You Took" from their second album The Blurred Crusade, which I am pretty certain they also did back in 1990. Marty Willson-Piper played so hard he broke a string, but as usual, he bounced back -- literally! His energy level kept increasing until he finished off all the strings ala Jimi Hendrix, with himself and Tim Powell the only ones remaining -- the Magician and resident High Priest having quietly exited during the frenzied jam.

My only disappointments? I wish they had squeezed in "Lay Low" from their latest CD -- that would have been a good one to hear live. Or my personal favorite "Terra Nova Caine." And I almost found myself wishing I had the audacity to bug them for an autograph when they were spotted at a nearby Thai restaurant. But with such an intimate venue as the Paradise, how could one get any closer to The Church than grooving with them for two solid hours! I felt privileged to have been there, and when I left the glittering spires for the pine trees of my adopted home, I carried with me the memories of a magical evening indeed!

Setlist:

- Sealine
- Telepath
- Radiance
- Chromium
- Nothing Seeker
- The Theatre and Its Double
- Reptile
- Maya
- Appalatia
- Destination
- Under the Milky Way
- Numbers
- See Your Lights
- Song In Space
- Tantalized

Encore 1:
- Cantilever

Encore 2:
- Myrrh
- You Took

© 2004, Doomsday Jones/Chaos Productions email: doomsdayjones@yahoo.com