NEWS: Live Review: Courtney Love Proves Herself

MUSIC: Live Review: Courtney Love Proves Herself

Courtney Love with Linda Perry
Live, June 1st @ House of Blues Sunset Strip
West Hollywood, CA

Courtney Love seemed to have a lot to prove. The ever-controversial rocker was about to take the stage to perform all new material for the first time since her well-publicized drug arrests and court-ordered rehab. As previously reported, Love’s Friday night appearance at the Hollywood’s House of Blues had only been announced the day before. Though she’d only be appearing briefly during a previously announced Linda Perry gig, the performance sold out upon the announcement of Love’s appearance and Friday night’s crowd was very much waiting for her return.

Perry teased the audience shortly after she took the stage saying “We’ve got a special guest coming on in a couple songs.” The club cheered enthusiastically, to which Perry replied, “What? You guys act like you know who it is.”

Perry wowed the crowd with her power-house larynx for a few more songs, before jokingly introducing “A new talent” that she had “discovered at Guitar Center.” Love sauntered onto stage grinning and sexy in black drain-pipe jeans and black fingerless leather gloves, immediately hugging and kissing Perry before greeting the crowd. Love then launched into the near-psychedelic title track from her forthcoming sophomore solo album, Nobody’s Daughter. Love was guitar-less working the mic-stand instead with snaky hip-shakes and banging her blonde-locks to the beat of the kick drum. It became clear by the song’s chorus that this would be one of Love’s tightest performances of her career to date. Performing with the band that she and Perry made the album with seemed to infuse Courtney with extra confidence (not that she was ever lacking). Her voice had also somehow recovered from the ravaging it took by years of hard living, back to its full rasp of her early days in Hole. The proving was done.

Though Love was performing all new compositions, the crowd responded to each like it was an old favorite. During her set’s highlight number, the emotional “Pacific Coast Highway” (its mournfulness accented by a string quartet, The Section Quartet), the crowd began to sing along which prompted Love to point her mic to the front of the crowd, obviously reveling in her triumphant moment. Not many artists can say the same for a new tune. And Love’s new material is indeed quite strong. “Sunset Marquis” and “Letter to God” rounded out her mini-set. The former was an intense and dark confessional in classic C-Lo style and the latter a surprisingly poppy ballad with twinkling piano which could easily be a hit for Love.

So Courtney Love left the stage with a quick wave and brief feel-up of fer esteemed collaborator Perry’s breasts, a knowing smile of success on her face.

Based on this brief but exciting preview and barring any major slip-ups in her rehabilitation, Love could make a graceful return to the world of rock with a classic album in hand this fall when Nobody’s Daughter is released.

Recommended Viewing:
A small clip of Love performing “Pacific Coast Highway” at Friday night’s gig


*(Photo and video by Romy Suskin)

I'm glad she's back.
And through everything she's been through, she still looks so beautiful.

why won't this fucking no talent ass clown disappear already? if it weren't for the fact that she murdered, i mean married kurt, nobody would ever have heard of this dumb bitch and she would have died a fucking strung out, no name whore on the street.

I don't know about Love having "a lot to prove". At this point if she could get through one song without falling on her ass, I think most people would be satisfied.

While I find Courtney Love oddly attractive.....If that was her proving herself as a returning talent, I am really glad that I missed her as a talent the first time and particularly pleased to have missed her low points. That was worse than most garage bands.

As usual everybody pays attention to the looks, or the antics or anything else but the music.

It's the music that matters, not the Hollywood tabloids.

That slice of the performance sounded quite strong.

I love patti smith and she wasn't really the "looker".
But If Courtney Love is saying that's the type of sound she's doing, than I love her too.

I can't figure out the attraction, but I've always loved this chick. 'Don't know why, it's not like she's a bundle of talent or has been able to keep herself together. Still...

All was thinking while watching that clip was, "This sucks." The lyrics are cheesy. The music sounds canned. Her voice was terrible. "Live Through This" is a good record. I don't dislike her on principle. I just don't see any redeeming qualities in that clip or the one of the same song earlier this week.

Her music has always sucked and she has continued to do trashy, tactless things in the public eye since she murdered Cobain. Dont see why anyone would pay money to watch her unless it was quarters in a booth somewhere.

I agree with this, but at the same time it's difficult to ignore how frighteningly thin she looks. With that said, I love Courtney in all her grungy glory!! Her recent laps of sanity (not that she was ever all together to begin with) mad me quite sad, but I'm happy to see she's duct-tapped the pieces back together and came screaming back into the spot light with a new album.

Are you kidding me? This chick CANNOT sing, never has been able to sing. Her lame cover of Gold Dust Woman was so out of tune that it was unlistenable. The above clip is no exception. Why do people keep listening to her? She's OUT OF TUNE! I can only surmise that Courtney Love fans are tone deaf.

Anger management anyone?

Yeah, looks like she's completely rehabilitated alright....

Wow, tough crowd!

what a fucking joke

Since when does music need to be in-tune to be good ? Have you never heard of punk-rock ?

I need better proof.

i would give my opinion but I figure if you can't say something nice...

Courtney Love proves herself. Proves herself to be alive...sort of.

thats mickey rouke(sp) in drag!

I Was thinking she looked a bit like Priss from Blade runner myself.