Photos by Kelsea McCulloch
The movie world is rife with filmmakers who personally oversee nearly every phase of the process themselves—writing, directing, editing—but rare is the auteur who goes so far as to score their own films, and no one on that short list has ever done it with quite the same panache as John Carpenter. As much as his technique behind the camera, it’s the music this master of horror and science fiction conjures up that has cemented his place in popular culture, to the point where the tension-filled theme of Halloween is as iconic as Michael Myers’ spray-painted Shatner mask itself, if not more so. Now, following a successful reissue series and a pair of long-overdue studio albums, Carpenter is giving fans a new way to enjoy their favorite soundtracks, live in concert.
Assembled at the Pabst Theater to greet the 68-year-old’s first ever tour was a passionate, cultish crowd, many of whom had clearly picked out their best black scary movie T-shirt specifically for this special occasion. An enormous cheer went up as the lights dimmed and Carpenter took the stage, accompanied by a tight, competent backing band that includes, among others, his own son, Cody, and his godson, Daniel Davies, who is himself, oddly enough, the child of Kinks guitarist Dave Davies. As they kicked the night off with an arresting rendition of the main theme from 1981’s Escape from New York, the odd-looking beveled screen looming behind the band sprang to life with lurid scenes from Snake Plissken’s badass, post-apocalyptic exploits, giving the impression they were performing inside some funhouse version of the film itself.
As might be expected, the visuals and staging continued to play a big part, often making for some rather memorable moments, such as when a heavy-duty smoke machine provided The Fog’s titular mist or when the group donned dark sunglasses à la They Live, “Obey,” “Consume” and other subliminal totalitarian slogans flashing above them. Sharing space with his original soundtrack work were some excellent selections from his new Lost Themes album series, all generally in line with his sparsely evocative, synth-based style, as well as a blood-splattered tribute to Ennio Morricone’s classic turn scoring 1982’s The Thing. Ending after about 75 minutes, Carpenter certainly left the adoring crowd wanting more, but regardless of length it was still a genuine pleasure to experience the work of such a profoundly multitalented artist like never before.
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