REVIEW: Missing Persons - US Festival 1983

©2000+ By Cyndi Glass

I am giddy. I can hardly think. I can hardly plan what to do next, or figure out what to carry and what to put down, or what I need to pick up on my way upstairs, or even stay vertical, or not drop things. I'm sitting here and my head is buzzing. Fortunately, I'm not really stoned. I just fulfilled a 10 year dream, that's all.

Tonight, to put it simply, I saw the pro-shot for TV, unedited, uncut, multi-camera, somewhat blurry, guitar-dominated, sixty-three minute, thirteen-song, magnificent extravaganza otherwise known as the US Festival 1983 performance of Missing Persons.

I did not expect to like it THIS much. I've been familiar, of course, with the two songs that MTV showed, which I've had on video since 1993. But this...this was an entirely different thing - this sounded LIVE - this was raw and untouched audio - this was the essence of Missing Persons as they commanded the stage in front of the largest audience on record at that point (when almost all of their concerts, before and since, were at bars, clubs, amusement parks and small arenas).

Dale introduces them all mid-way through the show after "U.S. Drag," I believe - as "Terry Bozzio on drums, Patrick O'Hearn on bass, Chuck Wild on keyboards, Sophia Warren Cuccurullo on guitar...and I'm Dale." You are indeed, honey.

It starts out with footage of the screen, where the lights light up the words "Missing Persons" with the I's in "Missing" flashing on and off (they're shaped like people - that's part of the reason the "I" in the Privacy logo was a little Warren man). Mark Goodman comes out to intro the band, and then we are treated to an empty stage for minute after minute as Warren noodles around with his monitors, talks loudly (but off-mike) and creates weird, unearthly guitar sounds like nothing I've heard in my life. Just when the crowd is probably beginning to think this is a huge and elaborate prank - that the whole concept of "Missing Persons" is an empty stage with equipment all set up and guitar shrieks and moans that would wake the dead - here they come.

Terry is dressed in some kind of tight black pair of pants, with no shirt and a silver foil bandana around his neck. Chuck is in a white shirt that looks as if the wind may blow it off at any moment, and pants that allow him to bounce around at will, and his hair looks like it may be capable of solo flight, with nearly vertical wings and blond streaks. Patrick's resplendent in a white shirt and blousy pants with large, vertical black and white stripes, and Dale's in tight, silver pants and her usual plastic/foil bra ensemble, along with a silvery "jacket" that she has created out of some sort of drape, and extremely high heels, with a plastic hat that manages to somewhat control her mane of blonde, magenta and sky blue hair. Warren, who looks as if he is absolutely having the time of his life, is in a matching outfit of tan and white striped pants, cute little white shoes, an adorably sexy tan and white long jacket, and one of his festive earrings. No shirt at all underneath, just his beautiful chest. His hair is long, brown, and fluffier than I've ever seen it, as is Patrick's and Terry's.

The show begins with "Mental Hopscotch," and I quickly realize that this show is going to be the fulfillment of a dream I've had ever since becoming a Missing Persons fan. I will never, apparently, have the chance to see the original five members do a show together, obviously, but all of my Missing Persons footage is either lipsynched or so horribly filmed that only the most strenuously dedicated of Warren fans should bother with it. Besides the 2 songs from the US Festival that MTV bothered to show. Don't worry, I'm grateful. It's been my sole well-filmed MP live footage.

But this!!! I am on the edge of my seat, even more giddy, as I recognize Terry's drum introduction to the second song...and then, just as I know he will, Warren plays those heavenly four notes, and "Noticeable One" begins. The camera gives everyone equal time, and Warren is caught several times yelling "Notice Me!" into the camera, and his solo is to die for.

The third song is "Words," and this I've seen before. However, the audio feed sounds so much better on this copy that I almost don't recognize it as something I've heard so many times. Oh yeah, and it's in this song that the silvery jacket is removed, letting all of American get a good look at Dale's talent for fashion design (wink). After that, it's the bit with the Polaroid. But what MTV didn't show was that after she took the picture, Warren took it out of her hand and tried to stick it down the front of her pants. Immediately after that, he sticks it in one of her top's straps on her back, as MTV DID show, and walks off, grinning.

And then, Terry introduces "Tears," and for the first time, I am able to hear the guitar so loudly that I like this song. No kidding. It's EVERYWHERE! There's a point either before or after this song where there's some silence as something is fixed, and Warren yells out to this huge crowd, "Anyone here from Brooklyn??!" Then they tear into "It Ain't None Of Your Business," in which Warren does some kick ass backup vocals.

Then they rip it up with "Bad Streets," which, if you don't know, gives them a chance to blast all over the map with whatever they feel like doing. Terry, in song after song, but in this one in particular, is an entire orchestra somehow contained in one perpetual motion body. Dale sings verse 2 both times, which doesn't seem to faze anyone on the stage. Meanwhile, Warren decides to retrieve the Polaroid from Dale's strap mid-song, and he does so, showing it to the camera, showing it to Thomas, and playing with it, while never missing the chords he's striking. His solo in this is really wild, not at all what I expected, and he's got some effect going, tossing sounds out into the air as he lifts his hands and giggles.

Next is the stalking, strange "U.S. Drag," and the surprise in this one is that Patrick ditches the synth bass for a bass guitar, hopping and contorting all over the stage and playing the weirdest basslines that somehow manage to work. Warren is over messing with his monitors again, but the person that really owns this song is Terry. One word, and it's the only word necessary to describe his flawless performance: DAMN.

"Windows" follows, and I must admit this has never been one of my favorite Missing Persons songs, but again, this particular audio mix wins me over, as Warren is as loud as everyone else for once and I can actually hear his guitar part and see how it fits into the song (most bootlegs are audience taped and therefore the drums and keyboards are louder than everything except Dale's voice). And next is a favorite of mine..."Here And Now" - and all I can say is WOW! Totally out of control!!!

Next is what Dale introduces as the crowd's, and her, favorite song, "Walking In L.A." - and it is so amazing. This is the second of the two songs I had seen before from what was shown on MTV, but again, this audio mix sounded different from anything I've ever heard. Chuck, in particular, owns this song, bouncing around and playing his buoyant keyboard riff, and Terry's just as wild as ever. And Warren, as every fan knows, sings "Walkin'!!!" into the mike so well, every single time he does it, alternating with Terry, and he's even turned up loud! And, to the delight of Missing Persons fans everywhere, I'm sure, the footage of the crowd still includes that crazy fan who we all probably have named "Beavis," in honor of his head-banging, fist-pumping, crazy-ass worship of the drum beat in the bridge.

And then it's time for them to leave the stage, but they return, of course. Patrick follows closely behind Terry, gleefully grabbing his bare shoulders from behind and leaping into the air with a huge grin on his face. Chuck and Warren make it onto the stage from somewhere, offscreen, and then, making me dizzy, Terry does his famous intro: "Not to be prejudiced or anything, but this one's for all the BOYS in the audience" and then starts into that mesmerizing, pounding heartbeat of a drum intro that only means one thing: "I Like Boys." My reaction? Oh. My. God. Dale is not on the stage, and she begins the song on her cordless mike from the deserted backstage area, entering stage right by Warren and playing with a towel around her neck, which she removes with a flair. She's right next to Warren as he plays, and then she puts her arm around him, still singing, and he kisses her on the cheek.

At the end of that song, she looks as if she might cry, and then she speaks: "If you can't see me all the way back there, I'm smiling!" Yep, I think this was probably one of those peak experiences you hear so much about.

They begin "Destination Unknown," then, and the crowd cheers!!! That had to be a rush - hearing a crowd that large react to one of their songs. They seem to have a bit of difficulty holding the song together, probably because it required them to slow down, and they all seemed to be so giddy and electrified that perhaps it wasn't possible.

And then, when even I thought it must be over, came the biggest surprise of all, making me sit on the couch and say, out loud, "No way!" and then laugh, also out loud, at the unintentional pun. Because what they chose to end the show with was "No Way Out." At this point in my notes, I was beyond words and merely scribbled "!!!!!!!!" Midway through the song, they (including Warren) were singing ferociously, and they yelled "way!" and then there was a second of complete silence before they slammed into "out!" and I yelled "WOO!!!!" and startled my dogs right off the couch. This is another one where Patrick's on bass, and they never lose time, and they never falter, and Warren rips the world apart with the guitar in the ending.

With a simple "See ya!" Dale leaves the stage, followed by her bandmates. Oh yes. To quote "Here And Now," yes it felt the way it should, and yes, it felt really good.