October 27th, 2014 marked the first anniversary of Lou Reed’s death, a milestone that surprisingly went by with little fanfare beyond Facebook tribute posts and a touching video from Reed’s Velvet Underground colleague John Cale. New Yorkers, however, were fortunate enough to celebrate in style with Hedwig and the Angry Itch co-creator Stephen Trask and Tits of Clay, Hedwig’s Broadway house band. An early show at Manhattan’s Mercury Lounge saw the band and Trask running through the whole of Reed’s 1972 masterpiece, Transformer, before pulling out some Velvet Underground classics for the encore.
Tits of Clay have been performing similar shows throughout the Lower East Side since this past spring, when Hedwig was gearing up for its long-awaited Broadway debut. Some early shows even featured the talents of Broadway’s very first Hedwig, Neil Patrick Harris, who earned a Tony for the role. Whereas previous Tits of Clay outings saw faithful renditions of the greatest ‘70s punk and glam rock songs known to man, the October 27 show was one devoted entirely to a singular and eternally influential rock heavy weight (and Hedwig admirer). Although Broadway’s latest Hedwig, Michael C. Hall, did not make a glittery surprise appearance at the Reed tribute, plenty of other guests were still on hand, including the underrated Lena Hall — herself a Tony winner for her role as Yitzhak in the production — who performed a duet of “Wagon Wheel” with Trask, a show highlight. A lighthearted version of “New York Telephone Conversation” and a faithful “Satellite of Love” were the night’s other big winners.
Among the Reed devotees joining in for the encore portion of the set were the Lunachicks’ Theo Kogan, who performed a strong version of “Venus in Furs”, and a “Rock & Roll” belting Chantal Claret (her former Morningwood bandmate, Peter Yanowitz, is Tits of Clay’s drummer). Photos from the packed event, courtesy of Ayala Gazit, are below.
Tits of Clay’s next non-Broadway outing will be another tribute, this time to honor promoter and club owner Don Hill, soon to reopen his club Don Hill’s as The Hills NYC. The event will take place at The Hills NYC on December 7.
All photos by Ayala Gazit
photo credit: Ayala Gazit
photo credit: Ayala Gazit
photo credit: Ayala Gazit
photo credit: Ayala Gazit
photo credit: Ayala Gazit