Live in Berlin, Germany, 04.06.2003
Text written by Przemek "Zambi" Stepien
Photos taken by Przemek "Zambi" Stepien, Marcin Mikula
We attacked the perforated roads of Poland to traverse to Berlin for one (and only one) goal in mind - see Robbi play live. Unfortunately I was unaware of the Tribes brilliance whilst the band was perpetrating their last tour of Europe in 1997, therefore this was the first and possibly only occasion to see the greatest band in the world (for those who don't agree I will scale down my rhetoric to 'one of the best bands in the world'). We arrived in front of the Knaack (a run-down concert hole for no more then 200 listeners) at about 8 p.m. basically worried about the availability of tickets ... but as anyone who stumbled upon a Tribe After Tribe concert during this latest tour can confirm, a typical gig is about a quarter full.
Despite the sadness that engulfed my heart for a moment due to the lack of popular interest in what was subjectively a momentous occasion, as it soon turned out I soon stopped caring about my gloom. After all we had the immense pleasure (or more accurately me due to the fact that the rest of my five head posse turned out to be inarticulate in English) of harassing the entire band before the start of the gig. After a few pictures capturing us in the midst of the one and only Robbi Robb, our pack of already semidrunk Poles ended up guzzling beer with the band in front of a sordid Turkish bar. The whole situation awoke the chipmunk in me and soon I found myself in the midst of heated discussions with SA rock legend Tim Parr and bassist Joey Vera (ow, and yes, with Robbi also). The openness of the band soon made us feel like a pack of friends gingerly indulging ourself in the act of 'getting drunk' (I must admit our fivesome was doing it to better effect).
The whole concert started out rather late, with Robbi and the band appearing in the Knaack in full fighting gear about 22:30. Already content with our visit to Berlin, we were in no way ready for the stage brilliance of the band. But first of all Tribe After Tribe had the doubtful pleasure of having a support band - called Cameron if my memory is not failing me - 'rock' the stage. This apparently local hardcore outfit turned out to be a flawed idea. Even though the band had some definite potential and occasionly came up with interesting musical solutions one couldn't help to notice that the band was essentially incompatible with the sound of Tribe After Tribe and lacked any degree of improvisation on the scene. Seldomly are headlining bands content with their supports, so normally I would have just thrown the band out of my memory and concentrated on the concert that was to follow... But the total disregard the band and their incomprehensible group of fans showed towards group they were starting for basically blew my top. As it turned out a certain part of the listeners paid 12 Euro just to listen to a 30-45 minute show of the support group, then turned on their heels and headed home. As for Cameron half of the members quickly dissappeared never to be seen again while the rest were haplessly packing away right in the midst of the Tribe concert moving apparatus right in front of scene, which turned out to be of most irritance to me and my friend (also Przemek). I fell foul to a hit and run attack of a rolling loudspeaker, whilst my comrade did some muay thai trying to dodge the attack of a guitar hastily trying to leave the club when Knaack was rocking to the Robbi and co.
As to the Tribe concert itself ... we are all speechless. With the utmost honesty I must say that I expected a good concert, but the assault of sound we encountered surpassed all we could have hoped. Amongst our group were people who were no extreme fans of the recorded music of Tribe After Tribe, although they all ackknowlegde its quality. But after the concert all of reached the same conclusion - you haven't heard Tribe After Tribe until you have seen them in concert. The degree of showmanship, energy, improvisation and pure instrumental genius (especially Stuverud on drums) is something that I have never encountered in my long history of concerts, maybe except for an over-the-top showing by Living Colour near the King's Palace in Warsaw one year ago (never thought I would ever see the Old Town rock to the sound of rock, jazz and funk) and the sweat of Femi Kuti live. I have encountered concerts by the likes of Pearl Jam, Tool, Prodigy or Korn but each of them lacked the something unspeakable attached with the Tribe playing live. The set was basically identical to that of other gigs of the tour ('Bury Me', 'Out Of Control', 'Ice Below', 'Eloise', 'Boy', 'Build A Subway', 'Hopeles The Clown' and one song I didn't recognise), although Berlin was I think the first concert where Tribe After Tribe came out for an encore with 'Uh-Oh' and 'Lazarus'. A feat even more the greater that Knaack had no climatisation and I thought it more possible that one of the band members should faint than for them to play almost 2 hours of music. And to think that Tribe After Tribe rocked as if it was playing for at least 2000 people not the meagre 50 that felt the extasy of Robbi's music in the Knaack Klub. I remember that once I heard the first few drumbeats foretelling 'Ice Below' a smile attached itself to my face - this band is brilliant exlamation I thought to myself. Even 'Hopeless The Clown', a song which inevitably means fast forward on my tape player, never broke the vibe that was engulfing me. 'Build A Subway' destroyed my vocal chords and meant havoc for body, already bushed by over an hour of music. Then the encore ... 'Uh-Oh' is probably my favourite song and hearing it live was heaven to my membrane. To understand how phenomanal a Tribe concert is all one has to know is that these 10 or so songs played by the band lasted almost 2 hours, which makes it about 10 minutes a song ... Definitely the best concert I've ever been to and to think our group was about 1/10 of the people present.
To end my review I have a few thoughts I would like to share. Those reading these scribblings know that Tribe After Tribe music is apart from any genre and their placement as a grunge band results from a lack of any category that fits their profile. This plus the 'serial killings' of Tribe After Tribe labels have meant that the music is largely unknown to the whole world. I have listened to the Tribe since 1997 and they are one of the few bands whose music doesn't 'grow out' of you... the fascination this music has awoken in me has outlived most other bands that I used to connect with the word 'great'. To this day only four other outfits (musicians) in the world have lived unscathed through the ravages that time has made with my taste, namely Pink Floyd (no 1 of the lot), Faith No More, Sting and U2 ... This to me means that the Tribe is one of the greats as the band closest to them in sound, quality and construction is the above mentioned perfection of Pink Floyd. But after being at one of the Tribe concerts one cannot dispose of the feeling that we are now the Elder Tribe and that unfortunately no Young Tribe is there to follow. And it comes to me that this godly music will most likely fall out of all living memory never to be known and heard again. It is hard to rid yourself of a certain degree of sadness that in a world paying its legiance to Christina Aguileras and Korns such a band as Tribe After Tribe will only be admired by the few that have miraculously been enlightened by a lucky strike of fate (read: somehow acquired their CD). I hope that our petty lot is enough for Robbi and co to feel fulfilled, because leider I see no bright future for them.
We arrived home with two regrets - one that we didn't continue our visit in Germany with a ride to Gelsenkirchen and two that we weren't able to show our gratitude for an unbelievable night at least by donating a bottle of the best Poland has to offer - Zubrowka - to the band. If any of the band members read this: Thank You.
