Iggy and The Stooges - Hollywood Palladium - 12-01-11

Timothy Norris

​See also:
*Henry Rollins: The Column! Is Raw Power the American answer to Exile on Main St.?
*Our Iggy and The Stooges and Le Butcherettes slideshow
*Le Butcherettes' Teri Gender Bender is the most volatile woman in rock
*Le Butcherettes' Teri Gender Bender On Raw Meat And Sexism In Mexico

Iggy and The Stooges
Hollywood Palladium
12-01-11

Better Than... your nightly ab workout.

If there was something to be learned from Thursday night's sold out Iggy Pop and The Stooges show, it's that dynamism knows no age. At 64, Pop may not be quite as agile as he once was, but he sure as hell ain't slowing down, and on stage he's as bizarrely captivating as ever.

Before The Stooges made their entrance, the Palladium and its drink lines were swarming with L.A.'s leather clad elite. Openers Le Butcherettes were quickly able to capitalize.

It didn't take long for the trio to capture the attention of the then-near-capacity crowd, thanks in no small part to frontwoman Teri Gender Bender. The petite powerhouse (and dead ringer for The Craft-era Fairuza Balk) appeared in signature punk regalia -- stockings, a dollish dress, and an apron covered in blood. She busted some twisted dance moves -- high kicks, arm flails, and one purposefully disastrous handstand -- and went all sinister operatic on "Dress Off."

She also danced with and serenaded the top half of a male mannequin. The mix of chaotic theatrics and punky noise rock worked wonders, and likely gained these three youngsters new fans in the process.

Timothy Norris

​Even still, it's tough to hold a candle to Iggy Pop, especially in a room filled with aged punk rockers. The crowd erupted as soon as the house lights went down, and shortly thereafter Pop hit the stage running.

Shirtless and as abnormally ripped as ever, he launched into "Raw Power" without hesitation, jumping and noodling his torso like a tanned fish out of water. It wasn't more than two songs before he was sailing into the crowd. By the fifth he had fans scaling barricades and dodging security guards to join him onstage. And by the time "I Wanna Be Your Dog" hit, the floor's multigenerational circle pit had grown to engulf nearly half the crowd.