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Shepherd Express Metro - Milwaukee
By David Bourgeois

"The Club is Open". So started a buzzing blue and red neon sign that hung over the Dayton, Ohio, band Guided By Voices as they played Shank Hall last Thursday night in support of their latest album, the Ric Ocasek produced Do The Collapse.

After a nearly one-hour set by opening band Lynnfield Pioneers, who bowed heavily to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, GBV frontman and founding member Robert Pollard and his cohorts took the stage for a two-hour blitzkrieg.

Pollard is so much the gracious host that he gleefully served cans of beer to the crowd and chatted with them as if they were his next door neighbors. When the music kicked in, though, Guided By Voices was all business; their live sound mirrored the lo-fi hum heard on earlier albums. Even when they played new songs off Do The Collapse, their scorching sound harkened back to earlier GBV releases.

Credit lead guitarist Doug Gillard for this searing sound - a noticeable departure from the kind of Byrds-esque guitar that Tobin Sprout played when he had this job. The vocals and guitar blended the best on songs like "I Am A Tree" and "Cut-out Witch".

But the crowd responded best when GBV rolled out some old standards during two encores: "I Am A Scientist" and "Your Name Is Wild" - both heavily hook-driven tunes.

Perhaps the crowd was too enthusiastic. When the band played its final song, "Echos Myron", an unruly fan tossed a beer can on stage and hit their neon sign. Part of it went dark; "The Club is Open" became simply "Open". The band surveyed the damage, walked off the stage, and the club was closed - another perfectly flawed concert from one of the most interesting bands in rock 'n' roll today.