LOU REED

Electric Factory

Philadelphia, PA 3/8/96

"Some people like to go out dancing, some people like to go to a Lou Reed concert.", sang Lou Reed. Opening with a powerful "Sweet Jane", Reed and his band treated admiring fans to an energetic 18 song set. Currently on the road promoting his new album, "Set the Twilight Reeling", Lou took the band through great live renditions of the new material. He served up a good helping of the old stuff too.

Aside from a problem with one of his guitars during "Video Violence", this was a flawless evening. Reed and his band performed about half of the songs on the new album, including an excellent version of the title track. Lou played lead guitar on most of the songs. On the laid back shuffle of "NYC Man", he played some especially tasty licks.

Lou joked about trying to find the groove on the long intro to "Dirty Blvd.". When he did, he turned it into one of the many highlights of the night. From "New Sensations", to the medley of "I'm Waiting for the Man/Vicious", to "I Love You, Suzanne", Reed was clearly having a great time on stage. Lou ended the show on a somber note though, with an excellent version of the title track from his 1992 album, "Magic and Loss".

If you get the chance to catch Lou Reed on this tour, don't miss it. You'll be glad you went.