Early on in the Echo and the Bunnymen set on Monday night at the Fox Theater in Oakland, Ian McCulloch responded to a query from the audience about how he was feeling.
“I’m feeling good — fantastic,” the vocalist answered. “Thanks for asking.”
Yet, it was hard to take him on his word on this night, when all the evidence pointed to the contrary.
Walking into the Fox, most fans had probably heard that McCulloch hadn’t been feeling well on this tour. He had been sick at an earlier Atlanta gig, according to a tweet from the band, and has reportedly been suffering from major problems with his back. The group also ended up postponing a pair of Texas dates, in Houston and Dallas, due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
Supporters of the Liverpool-born post-punk act were obviously hoping that all those difficulties were in the rearview mirror and that McCulloch would be in fine shape to lead the six-piece Bunnymen band through an excellent evening of song in Oakland.
Not even close.
The show started out fairly well, with McCulloch at least resembling himself on the opening number “Going Up” — from the band’s 1980 debut, “Crocodiles” — and then moving up to the sophomore effort “Heaven Up Here” for a comparatively strong “Show of Strength.”
Yet, even during the first half of the show — which was leaps and bounds better than what came later — it seemed like there was an energy black hole in the middle of the stage where McCulloch sat on a stool shrouded in semi-darkness. I’m all in favor of being artistic and setting the mood, but not when it comes at the complete loss of stage presence.
Some might applaud McCulloch for sticking it out and performing when he obviously wasn’t at 100 percent. But, then again, those people might not have witnessed his actual performance at the Fox on Monday night.
About a half-dozen songs into the show — right around the time the band was finishing up an applause-worthy version of “Bring on the Dancing Horses” from 1985’s “Songs to Learn and Sing” — the whole thing started to go downhill quickly.
McCulloch — at one point saying “I’ve got a frog in my throat” — was having a really hard time carrying a tune or trying to stay in time with the band. The rest of the group tried to carry the load, but when the frontman is having this hard of a go it will ultimately impact the whole ensemble.
Things that should have been true highlights — such as a blend of “Nothing Lasts Forever” with Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side” and the band’s acclaimed cover of the Doors’ “People Are Strange” — were anything but.
Will Sergeant was brilliant in spots, painting with dramatic post-punk style and flare on “All My Colours (Zimbo)” and other numbers during the first half of the show. Yet, the guitarist — who was the sole band member shown in bright light on the stage — seemed to slink back into the shadows, figurately speaking, as the night progressed.
The group managed to pull it together for one song at the end — delivering a great version of “The Cutter” from 1983’s “Porcupine” — before exiting the stage after just 57 minutes.
And it might have been better if Echo and the Bunnymen hadn’t returned, given what would occur during the two encores.
First up, the group delivered a sour take on “Lips Like Sugar” — one of the best songs of the ’80s — by deciding to refashion it into a plodding, jammed-out bore. Then came a barely professional take on “The Killing Moon” — another huge fan favorite — that would’ve gotten booed off a karaoke stage. The band closed, thankfully, with a disappointing “Ocean Rain.”
Fans clapped half-heartedly, with some shaking their heads at what they’d experienced on this night, clearly in hopes that they’d never hear a repeat of this particular Echo show.
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