There probably aren’t many firsts left in the career of rock legend Iggy Pop, who turned 76 today (April 21). However, the Stooges frontman still has a few surprises up his (lack of) sleeves. Pop covered longtime friend Lou Reed‘s 1972 David Bowie-produced classic “Walk on the Wild Side” last night at Los Angeles’ Regent Theater, apparently for the first time ever.
The song appeared as the opener of the encore, and while musically it didn’t stray too far from the original, Pop’s unmistakable low-register intonations gave it a very unusual feel. Pop also took the opportunity to flex his familiar shirtless torso to the audience while his band the Losers, consisting of guitarists Andrew Watt and Jamie Hince, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Chad Smith, worked through the familiar instrumental groove.
As previously reported, Watt produced Pop’s latest album, Every Loser, which was the first release on the former’s new Gold Tooth imprint through Atlantic. Only two songs from the project were performed last night (“Frenzy” and “Strung Out Johnny”), with seven of the 12 selections drawn from Pop’s work with the Stooges.
Pop and the Losers will also perform tomorrow in San Francisco, on April 2 and April 27 in Los Angeles at the Orpheum Theatre and Hollywood Palladium, respectively. The run concludes on April 29 in Las Vegas. Apart from those musicians, Pop will take his regular solo band on an extensive summer tour, including four summer stadium shows in Europe opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and a July 1 blowout at London’s Crystal Palace Park alongside Blondie, Buzzcocks, and Generation Sex.
