Live Review: Courtney Love Proves Herself

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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)

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