The crowd was there, but Hatfield & Co. snoozed through show

Asbury Park Press: June 3, 1995

By Eric Deggans, PRESS MUSIC WRITER

  SEA BRIGHT-"This is the weirdest concert I've ever been to," said one exasperated onlooker, shaking his head for emphasis. "It's just really strange."

  I knew how he felt. Five minutes into Juliana Hatfield's Thursday night set at the Tradewinds, the signs of trouble were already there.

  The band members looked like they'd stoked up on Demerol before taking the stage, sleepwalking through the bombastic opener "What a Life" like they were trying to remember what movies were on pay-per-view back in their hotel room.

  The audience shifted uncomfortably, totally supportive of Hatfield and ready to explode into a frenzy of dance and moshing, if only the band would give them a reason. Unfortunately, they didn't, preferring to run through their set with detached cool and let the vibe slide downhill, like watching a disaster movie in slow motion.

  Thank god for opening act Jeff Buckley. Bouncing onstage midway through Hatfield's set to sing backup on the single "Universal Heartbeat," he concluded his backup duties by diving into the audience, crowd surfing his way to the side of the stage.

  Suddenly, the fans had the burst of energy they needed, and began to loosen up. "You guys are all right," Hatfield finally said after riffing through an earlier hit, "Spin the Bottle." "At first, I had my doubts."

  After that comment, it was obvious; the carrot-topped frontwoman just didn't get it. Earth to Juluana: It wasnt the audience that was sleepwalking on the job, honey-it was you.

  Nothing is more annoying than a band that wants something for nothing, especially when they're onstage. And Hatfield seemed to expect the 1,000 fans packed into the seaside club to explode the minute she picked up her guitar; never mind that they're the ones who actually paid to be there-don't they know who the star is here?

  To be sure, Hatfield's band-now expanded to a four-piece unit with a second guitarist and keyboardis-offered expert backing, roaring through energetic rockers like "Fleur de Lys" and "OK OK" with practiced ease.

  But Hatfield's pretentious vibe-combined with a sound system that chose the worst moments to fritz out-contributed to a tepid show that disappointed many in the crowd, this reviewer included.

  Buckley's set was equally obtuse, kicking off with the ethereal, textured "Mojo Pin," his vibrant voice warbling off the walls like Robert Plant on depressants. Offering a few harder-edge songs along with his current single "Last Goodbye" and a breathtaking version of the sideways groove "So Real," the singer/songwriter seemed to be trying a shot at the Modern Rock God pose.

  But, after a few minutes spent listening to the swirling guitars, tentative percussion and Buckley's trademark falsetto vocals, I found myself wondering where the songs were. No hooks, few consistent melodies and a wandering song structure contributed to the rootless, disconnected feeling his set brought.

  When the formula worked, it was exhilarating experience. But too many times, as with Hatfield's shoe-gazing onstage vibe, you found yourself wondering when the show was actually going to start.