Given that it is their hometown it is no surprise that Faith No More have played more gigs in San Francisco than anywhere else but next week’s series of comeback gigs at the city’s Warfield Theatre will only be their fifth, sixth and seventh gigs at the venue.
2 July 1986
There is some confusion over when FNM played their first gig at the historic former vaudeville theatre. They are reported to have played there on 2 July 1986 when the band comprised Chuck Mosley, Roddy Bottum, Bill Gould, Mike Bordin and jim Martin. The Aussiemusicfan gig database provide the following setlist:
Chinese Arithmetic (instrumental)
New Beginnings
New Improved Song
The Crab Song
As The Worm Turns
Arabian Disco
We Care A Lot
The Jungle
R’n’R
Jim
Blood
Why Do You Bother?
Strangely FNM are reported as supporting John Lydon’s Public Image Limited that night but the poster for the PIL gig shows that that gig took place at the city’s Civic Auditorium, as does PIL’s official website’s gig archive.
19 August 1992
o such doubts over FNM’s next (or first) Warfield date. Faith No More were at this stage a band at the peak of their powers with the date coming as Faith No More took a break from their US tour supporting Guns N’ Roses and Metallica which had been postponed due to James Hetfield’s pyrotechnic injury and would resume six days later. Angel Dust had been released months previously, peaked at number 10 in the US charts at 10 and was at 36 at the time of the Warfield date.
The band kicked off with the sonic assault of Caffeine:
Set list:
Caffeine
Death March
Land Of Sunshine
The Real Thing
Midlife Crisis
As The Worm Turns
RV
Surprise! You’re Dead!
Be Aggressive
Crack Hitler
Easy
We Care A Lot
Jizzlobber
Woodpecker From Mars
Epic
Introduce Yourself
Mark Bowen
Why Do You Bother?
Edge Of The World
20 January 1993
Faith No More launched a US tour of their own in January, a month which also saw them garner a Grammy nomination. But not everyone was convinced and indeed the day of their Warfield performance – the fifth on their 14-date US tour – the Sacramento Bee published a scathing review of their 18 January University of Davis performance under the headline “Faith No More buries message in sonic stew”. The article began with the damning: “Life is full of profound mysteries, but few are as inexplicable as the popularity of Faith No More.”
So much for one deluded review’s opinion and back to the Warfield. The band were supported by Babes in Toyland and Kyuss and opened with the sonic assault of Caffeine after support band the Easy Goings got a torrid reception from the crowd. As for FNM, the San Jose Mercury reported in their review: “The band’s Wednesday night show at the Warfield was noisy at times — but it was a thinking person’s noisy. Amid the vocal histrionics of Mike Patton and the slash and burn instrumental pyrotechnics of guitarist Jim Martin, there were moments of intricate and inspired musicality.”
It added: “Faith No More primarily performed songs from its most recent album, “Angel Dust” — but in concert divested them of their studio sleekness, giving them a hysterical, almost punk-ish edge. But that edge also had complex chords and ensemble sections, clashing time signatures and an eclectic feel that’s rare in this genre.”
And the review concluded: “What all of this — Patton’s vocal agility and the rest of the group’s musicianship — produces is a redefinition of what slash/speed metal is and could be. This music doesn’t have to be a dull, monolithic form played by simpletons for simpletons. Instead, it can be music of ear-burning sound and innovative and soul-searing expression. All it needs is a little faith — or, Faith No More.”
Not as much on YouTube for this one but here is Patton in full flow during As the Worm Turns:
And the setlist:
Caffeine
Falling To Pieces
Land Of Sunshine
The Crab Song
Midlife Crisis
Chinese Arithmetic
RV
Surprise! You’re Dead!
Be Aggressive
Introduce Yourself
Easy
Crack Hitler
We Care A Lot
Woodpecker From Mars
Jizzlobber
Epic
Kindergarten
Sweet Dreams (Nestles)
Edge Of The World
Let’s Lynch The Landlord (Dead Kennedys)
As The Worm Turns
A Small Victory
24 April 1995
Faith No More returned to the Warfield in 1995, weeks after the release of King for a Day…King for a Lifetime. Indeed, the concert set list included nine cuts from the March release.
The San Francisco Chronicle review reported: “Mixing material from the new album with landmarks from the four previous, the band took aim at the pop sensibilities of many of their colleagues from the so-called alternative music field. Faith No More brutally lampooned the Cranberries with an apparently spontaneous version of that band’s hit Zombie, which vocalist Michael Patton transformed into a song about nose rings, extracting a Dolores O’Riordan look-alike from the front rows to sing along with him onstage.”
And continues, focusing on the band’s musicianship: “While such eclecticism was crucial to the band’s underground breakthrough, when Faith No More lashed the energy of punk to heavy metal, the musicians long ago abandoned the amateurism of punk for accomplished musicianship that allows them greater range in making their statement. Rather than simple, straight-ahead rockonomy, the musicians indulged in shifting time signatures, densely chorded passages and always scrupulous, sometimes even intricate, song structure.”
The review concluded: “Patton threw himself around stage like a limp rag doll, buckling under the very passion of his vocals. With trimmed-close hair and a short-sleeved shirt, Patton looked like anything but a rock star. But that is part of the statement, something more than a posture, underlined by the hip philosophizing, occasional sloganeering and outright sarcasm reflected in the band’s lyrics.
“There are polemics at work here. Anti-pop, anti-show business, Faith No More takes great pains to deconstruct rock concert conventions. The show ended appropriately with Bottum and Patton tossing a coin to decide whether they would play one more number. “This song goes out to every one of you from every one of us,” Patton said disingenuously before the band cranked out the final tune and left the stage.”
I have two versions of the set list:
Digging The Grave
Be Aggressive
Midlife Crisis
The Crab Song
Surprise! You’re Dead!
Evidence
What A Day
We Care A Lot
Easy
Introduce Yourself
Get Out
Zombie (Cranberries)
King For A Day
Epic
Ricochet
Just A Man
Last To Know
I Started A Joke
The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies
The Negele database also has From Out of Nowhere and Caffeine.
6 October 1997
The band returned to Warfield finally in their death throes in 1997. The Chronicle previewed rather than reviewed the gig, thus:
“Faith No More’s show at the Warfield tomorrow night signals an auspicious return for the veteran Bay Area rock group.”
The same article quotes Billy on the eve of the show: “These shows are giving me more satisfaction than any I’ve ever done. Right now we’re playing really well, and our spirits are all very good, but you can never tell what will happen when we get off the road.”
As this was in the early internet era, we have some great audience descriptions of the show here and here.
Here are some quick quotes:
“After Ugly In The Morning:
Patton: “Well having said that… why don’t you say something? You know it all, you say
something?!”
Roddy?: “You ready for a little more?”
Patton: “Tell us something about yourself, we’re just the band! You, ladies and
gentlemen are the audience!”
Roddy?: “And what a show you are ladies and gentlemen!”
Patton: “Who are you? Who are you?!”
Roddy?: “Where’s my sister?! Raise your hand Kathryn” –
Patton: “I don’t care who you are I wanna dance with ya! I want you to fuck me. You! Fuck! Me!” ”
Set list:
Midnight Cowboy
Collision
Midlife Crisis
Last Cup Of Sorrow
The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies
Evidence
Easy
Introduce Yourself
Ugly In The Morning
Home Sick Home
Ashes To Ashes
King For A Day
Pristina
Epic
Naked In Front Of The Computer
Highway Star (Deep Purple)
Just A Man
This Guy’s In Love With You
Land Of Sunshine
Caffeine
Stripsearch
I have not had any luck finding video for this but there is no shortage of full audio downloads out there on that there t’interweb.
As it transpired Faith No More played only two more US shows after this Warfield date so Monday will really be an historic return.
Acknowledgements:
As always such articles would not be possible without the two following gig resources:
anaussiemusicfan.com
Stefan Negele database
In addition, the archives of the San Francisco Chronicle have been very helpful.
Not long after starting writing this I became aware of Dan’s similar blog post so make sure to check it out too.
I attended the Aug. 19, 1992 show, and that one was supported by Babes in Toyland and Kyuss, so unless they supported them for both that show and the January ’93 show (a possibility), the listing here may be incorrect. I’ll see you all on Wednesday.
Here are my suggestions for the pre-Warfield meet-up locations –
I’m the kind of person that I want the meet-up to be right around the corner so that if I get antsy, I can just bolt over to show. The last thing I want is to lose track of time and then find myself stranded blocks away as the show starts…not like that’s ever happened but it’s just one of those “showing up to school naked” type fears. I know I’m not the only one like that, so even though I don’t drink in this part of town I did some research on google maps + yelp of all the bars at ground zero of the Warfield and here’s what I came up with.
Tuesday –
21 Club
98 Turk St
http://www.yelp.com/biz/21-club-san-francisco
Total dive bar that was in Esquire and FHM top 100 bars of America? Really? This is the kind of shit you publish after smoking crack on Turk st. You really have to read the yelp reviews to get an idea of the place.
Since this is a block away from my school I did some recon earlier in the week. The place was half full on Wednesday at 5 PM with a colorful collection of prostitutes and other characters. The interesting thing about this bar is that it’s right on the corner with two large glass windows, so it kind of feels like being in a penalty box. You can just stand there getting your drink on while watching Turk and 6th street in all of it’s glory just outside the window.
Wednesday –
21 Club with a back up plan of across the street at –
Aunt Charlie’s Lounge
133 Turk St
http://www.yelp.com/biz/aunt-charlies-lounge-san-francisco
Wednesday no cover and drag queen show! Rad!
The drag queen show is the same time as the FNM show, but still, a fucking drag queen bar. These are the kind of people you want pouring your drinks. Drag queens take drinking to whole new level.
Where would be a good place to go and hang out pre (perhaps post) show? Is there somewhere close to the Warfield? Anyone…….
Bud Light Concert Series
NEVERMIND………
Faith No More
Date: Tue, Apr 13, 2010
Showtime: 8:00 PM
Days until show: 2
Doors open: 7:00 PM
Ages: All Ages
On sale now
Ticket Prices*: $45.00-
Does anyone know what time the doors open at?
Roddy just tweeted “Other Surprises” on Wed night show!!!!! OMG!!!!! I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!
Awesome post admin. I can’t wipe the grin off my face today. One more day!
Looking at the set lists I guess I have never heard “Everything’s ruined” live. Let’s see if FNM 2.0 can get them to play it. Maybe if enough fans tweet Roddy and Billy they’ll play it, Hopefully on wed the 14th Superfan night!
One more day until me and Ti Mort fly out. We are travelling over 3000 miles from Canada to see these fuckers!
Chris I totally agree with you about Cowboy Song! I`ve been getting prepared by listening to all the albums back to back in a row! Round 2 today!
I’ve seen the footage before, but still pretty surreal to see Patton singing “Death March.” And I have the audio of them doing “Mark Bowen” on a CD somewhere from that concert, I think it was on the “A Small Victory” single. Pretty fucking awesome setlist from that show as well.
And on the eve of their upcoming Warfield shows, let me just say that I really expect them to pull out all the stops. I highly doubt they’ll play it, but if “The Cowboy Song” is performed, I will officially smash my computer over my head in happiness.