Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles, California

Last night's performance by The Doors 21st Century at the Universal Amphitheater was a sold-out, stunning success. There was no opening band scheduled to open the 8:15 show time. Friday night traffic was wreaking havoc with several friends trying to get there from San Diego and Orange County. Luckily for them, the venue lights didn't flash until about 8:45, giving them an extra half hour to arrive.

At 8:50 the stage went dark. L.A. deejay & Doors fan Jim Ladd was recognizable standing at the front mike as some bizarre (okay, unfamiliar to me) music played. The young lion photo of Jim with 1943-1971 written underneath was projected on the back as well as the two giant screens flanking the stage. Jim recited the "is everybody in ... is everybody in ... is everybody in ... the ceremony is about to begin ... ladies and gentlemen, from Los Angeles, California" introduction ... according to my scribbled notes, they were introduced as The 21st Century Doors.

The audience jumped to their feet and stayed there as the stage lights went up to reveal the shadowy figures onstage, and the band launched into the rousing Roadhouse Blues. Ray was wearing a dark jacket draped over his shoulders, over a light grey long sleeved shirt and a dark knit shirt. Robby was in his brown & black long-sleeved print shirt over a dark t-shirt and camouflage pants. Ian was in blue jeans, black leather jacket over black t-shirt and wraparound sunglasses. Bassist Angelo Barbera was all in black, and drummer Ty Dennis was in a black shirt, light pants, and dark knit cap on his head (but only for awhile).

Ray removed his jacket before the band went into Break On Through, which included the Dead Cats, Dead Rats section. There was a psychedelic light show projected behind the band during this song, and throughout much of the show: globby, colorful psychedelic bubbles. This show's video backdrop also included images of Presidents Bush and Nixon, cemetery crosses, etc. There were some new, timely lines inserted, asking 'are we going to war', and 'Bush is gonna drive us all insane.' Ian did some AMAZING strutting through this song. What an exciting focal point he makes!

Now it is was 9:05 as the band began When The Music's Over. Some of the backdrop images included a bullfight and the moon, but most of the time I was focused on the performances! As the song reached its climax, Robby and Ray took turns singing "we want the world" after Ian sang that line first. Robby ended the song with a cool jump.

Ian told the audience (who, by the way, were STILL on their feet) that he was there to honor Jim, just like the rest of us ... but, the music lives! That was followed by Love Me Two Times. Ian introduced Ray during this song, and asked the audience if that was any way to behave at a rock & roll concert. Ray replied: "damn right it is."

The band went into Alabama Song (Whisky Bar). Ian's sunglasses were removed, Ray's shirt sleeves were rolled up, and Robby had removed his shirt to reveal a one-sided black & white t-shirt with Jim's face. This is the shirt with all the song titles written in small white letters across Jim's face.

Next up: Back Door Man with the lyric changed from 'eat more chicken' to 'eat more pussy' than any man ever seen. Following the song, Ray introduced Ty on drums, Angelo on bass, and Robby.

During Five To One, the videos projected included clips of war scenes, Martin Luther King, protests, bombs, NO ONE HERE GETS OUT ALIVE words, fires, etc. At the end of the song as Ian described what he was going to do out in the car with some people, he threw in LSD, ecstasy, and porno magazines.

The curtains closed off the background video screen as Ray introduced Strange Days with its new re-worked intro and arrangement. Ray's grey shirt was gone, and he was down to a black or dark blue short-sleeved shirt. He explained that there would be a new recording released by the end of 2003 with song and poetry contributions by Jim Carroll, John Doe, and Michael McClure --- in honor of Jim and spoken word poetry.

The curtains re-opened to reveal the video screen again. We noticed that Robby switched guitars and strapped on his Rick Turner, which always signals Spanish Caravan. Robby took the center stage spotlight for an extended and beautifully intricate introduction to that incredible song. It was easy to tell when a large portion of the audience suddenly realized what song that intro was leading into. It was amazingly executed as always, and especially enthusiastically received.

Ray came to the front microphone to introduce Jim's poetry. The stage floor was awash in smoke effects and Ian began reciting Awake / Ghost Song. This was a much bigger production than previous performances of this number, as this time there were at least 10 American Indians in native dress entering the stage and dancing all around the band. It didn't stop there, as many of them left the stage and danced up the aisles. I recognized two of them as the ones who had performed this section at the Las Vegas show last month. Ray took over the vocals for the Hill Dwellers section. At the conclusion he recited and credited many Indian tribe names.

As visually entertaining as this section was, it is my least favorite. Not only would I prefer to be "rocking out" to another favorite Doors song, but its effect overall seems to (only temporarily) slow the show's momentum. Audience members took the opportunity to answer nature's call or go for more refreshments.

People Are Strange was next up; this was the first time that audience members began to sit down (but not for long).

Moonlight Drive followed, evoking a terrific response. Fans know this is the first song that Jim, Robby, Ray and John ever played together, and how much Jim was taken with Robby's bottleneck playing ... telling Robby he wanted that used on every song! Ian took the opportunity to shake or slap a few hands at the front of the stage during the "going down, down section" sung by Ray.

Horse Latitudes followed. Robby was still using the bottleneck, and Ray added a boogie- woogie / jazzy outro to the song. Ian introduced Ray when the song ended.

Wild Child ensured that everyone was on their feet again, as Robby continued with the bottleneck. Ian did some emphatic stage-stomping during this song ... Ian really inhabits it and makes it his own like no other.

By now it was 10:10. Ray thanked the audience for coming before they launched into L.A. Woman. I was so glad to have this back in the set with Ty Dennis on drums. The L.A. Woman video with John Doe and Julee Cruise was projected behind the band. During the "mojo risin" section, Ian was standing on Ty's drum riser. He threw something out into the audience at the end ... I think it was a tambourine.

Ian told the audience they fucking ruled, and then Ray introduced the band members again. At 10:20 they began Light My Fire. When the instrumental ride began, Ian left stage front and knelt behind the drums. Robby sat on the edge of Ty's drum riser during part of Ray's keyboard lead, before he took center stage for his own lead. At one point he moved over near bassist Angelo, generously sharing the spotlight with him as he always does. There was a very psychedelic light show going on during this song. Robby infused the guitar solo part with bits from both My Favorite Things and Eleanor Rigby. The giant screens projected close- ups of Robby's always astounding guitar work. Ian returned to the mike and injected the Get Up, Stand Up, Stand Up For Your Rights that he has been including in this song. Robby shared the spotlight with drummer Ty as the song was climaxing; Ray was up on his feet, and Ian tipped over his mike stand in all the frenzy.

The band left the stage, but Ian stayed to say that we should let them know if we wanted more. DAMN RIGHT WE DID. The Doors logo was projected on the backdrop; The Doors 21st Century manager Tom Vitorino appeared onstage asking if we wanted to hear one more; the audience answered resoundingly, and were rewarded with a prompt band return to the stage for Riders On The Storm. Ray was wearing the grey shirt again when they returned.

One of them said "here's one for you", and they gave us Maggie M'Gill. That is such a great song, it's terrific that the band is including it in their sets. Again, there were camera close-ups of Robby's bottleneck work on this song. Ray joined in on the vocals during the song outro. It was 10:45 when they left the stage.

Marco then came onstage; it appeared he was preparing to remove the mike stands and guitars. He had a surprised look on his face as Ray and the others strode back onstage to the thunderous audience chanting and applause.

The second enccore began with Peace Frog, such a universal favorite! Ray enjoined everyone to love one another and reminded us that we are all native Americans, that everyone born on this soil is a native American.

Soul Kitchen was the FINAL finale. Not very far into the song, an audience member jumped onstage and was led off by Tom Vitorino. Another one jumped up to hug Ian. A girl with orange hair, then another guy, and another and another ... very soon there were so many people jumping onstage that the security could not keep up with escorting them offstage and gave up. I estimate that there may have been close to 50 people onstage at the end ... it was SO rock and roll! Although there were a few trying to hug Ian and the others, the band kept playing and never missed a beat. Robby, Ray, and Ian were flanked by stage crew members while they finished out the song. At one point Ian exclaimed that sex is back in rock and roll! Ian was lifted up onto shoulders and was visible above the joyful, exuberant audience members dancing and crowding the band as they played.

Ian's performance continues to become more confident and more his own ... he is NOT a Jim imitation. His moves are purely his ... Jim did not move and dance onstage in the manner that Ian does; their performance styles are distinctly different. I wish nay-sayers would stop accusing him of being a Jimitator; Ian is one helluva frontman for this band, and I am now an Ian fan. He should be accepted for the contributor that he is, which includes providing a magnetic and visual presence that allows us to enjoy the joint talents of Robby and Ray onstage together, again.

Angelo's quiet and energetic presence behind Robby onstage is fun to watch. He has his own unique way of demonstrating how into the groove he is. Ty's strong and exciting drumming is the perfect driver for this band; his jazz influences put him in exactly the right mode to fill John Densmore's still sorely missed presence. But that's another whole topic. I heard nothing but rave reviews about Ty's drumming; scarcely anyone seemed to regret that Stewart Copeland was missing from the stage. The drumming talent matters more than the headline name.

Backstage after the show, Beverly and I talked with Robby in his dressing room and had a picture taken. Robby's wife Lynn was there, as were their son Waylon and his long-time lady, Jessamyn. It was great to see Waylon again; with the Robby Krieger Band on hiatus right now, it has been many months.

We spoke with Ray & Dorothy's son Pablo, and his wife Sharmin. We congratulated them on their pending parenthood and talked about an A.I. performance that we saw last year.

It was a thrill to meet Ian. He signed setlists for Beverly and I. I gave him my card, asked him to visit my website which is chock full of news and reviews, and told him I think he is doing a terrific job and he has my full support! He was very gracious and spent alot of time mingling with fans.

We missed seeing Angelo backstage, but saw Ty roaming the halls and met his wife, Sondra.

If you missed seeing the stage production of Celebration Of The Lizard in San Diego a few years ago, then stay tuned ... you may get another chance, according to Joel Lipman, that show's creator.

Check out oodles of photos from the show in the photo gallery of The Doors 21st Century section of Robby's website.

WHAT AN EXCITING NIGHT IT WAS! There were plenty of fans in line outside the box office without tickets hoping to score admission. I didn't see anyone selling extra tickets or even scalpers with tickets that they couldn't unload, so there may have been many disappointed fans who waited too long to buy theirs.

And lastly, congratulations to good friend Larry Morgia; his wife Migumi gave birth that morning to their first son, but twelve hours later he was en route to the Universal Amphitheater!

Idafan.com

Let's dispense with the obvious right off the bat. It's not 1967. Jim Morrison passed into the ether 32 years ago.

And the landscape of rock 'n' roll has changed dramatically since the legendary Doors first walked onto a Los Angeles stage more than 35 years ago. But for the cynical and jaded who can't fathom the band without Morrison at the helm and would question the validity of a Doors reunion in the 21st century; well, they probably never really got it to begin with.

For one night, time stopped and thousands of loyal fans rejoiced as the Doors -- the 21st century version featuring founding members and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger -- performed a magical concert that, more than any show in recent memory, illustrated the power and influence of timeless, life-changing rock 'n' roll.

The City of Angels' most infamous band showed, during a 135-minute set, that its reunion is not a mere exercise in time-worn nostalgia, one final fling. No, the Doors' first L.A. performance in more than 30 years was a potent statement as to how their music is a celebration of life and how much both band and audience enjoy being involved with it.

From the minute the band hit the stage, the audience stood and cheered and didn't stop until the final note of Soul Kitchen had faded away. They'll remember a gig that not only honored the Doors' music but gave homage to Morrison through voice and song. After an appropriately trippy introduction by KLOS DJ Jim Ladd, the lights dimmed to reveal a huge picture of Morrison, one that remained on the three video screens throughout the opening raucousness of Roadhouse Blues, a bawdy paean to the lusty life and to Morrison.

The band made several references to the departed rock icon that came off as tender and sincere, not over-the-top. Newly recruited lead singer Ian Astbury, who's carved his own prodigious path in the Cult, is a perfect choice as the voice of the new Doors. While he bears a striking resemblance to Morrison, he's still his own man. He didn't try to imitate Morrison or come off as a wannabe clone. He expertly channeled the vibe and shamanistic spirit of Morrison and the band's music while delivering straightforward renditions of the songs, done in his own impressive vocal style.

Manzarek and Krieger still have incredible chops. Often staring at one another intently with big smiles on their faces while blending their instruments into extended jazz-influenced passages and rock-hard riffing, it was obvious that they were happy to be playing their amazing music live again.

The video images added substance to the music, projecting colorful, psychedelic images along with anti-war sentiments, perfect fare for these dicey times.

John Lappen - Hollywood Reporter

Break on through expectations

Mock if you must, but the newly reconstituted Doors weren't nearly the embarrassment some expected at Universal.

Here's a completely stoned idea: Let's not ridicule the newly (and only partially) reconstituted Doors - or "the Doors 21st Century," as they have rechristened themselves in the hopes of avoiding further litigation from a certain disgruntled drummer dubbed Densmore.

Ask anyone who ever heard rightly deleted abominations such as "Other Voices" and "Full Circle," early '70s albums for which Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger imagined themselves singers, glaringly illustrating a truth upheld for three decades: The Doors performing without Jim Morrison is as ludicrous as the Stones trying to sell out stadiums without Mick Jagger.

So obvious is this notion that there seemed to be no need to attend the legendary Los Angeles band's slight return Friday night at Universal Amphitheatre. There simply was no possibility that this sham could be good, right?

Wrong, though before you consider me a converted cheerleader, I'd like to point out that a few moments weren't just bad, they were pretentiously, boneheadedly bad, and that though this two-hour- plus performance - for an ecstatic capacity crowd of all ages, by the way - was more than entertaining nostalgia, it's nothing I'd want to sit through more than once every five years. You know, like "Beatlemania!"

That said, this was far better than any old tribute band, and that so many decent ones exist these days defies the logic that tells us no one could fill Morrison's tight leather pants. What surprisingly satisfying substitute Ian Astbury has going for him is that he's a known quantity; when he would slip out of character, which wasn't often, I was instantly reminded that he's a (minor) rock star in his own right, as lead singer for British band the Cult - thus, I think, he's allowed more leeway to embellish and interpret than your average aping schmo.

Especially since Astbury makes a great Morrison. I've never enjoyed him in the Cult half as much as I did here, partly because, like Val Kilmer before him, he has much of the shamanistic Jim down pat.

Never mind the look, though having grown his hair out and donning the right shades, jacket, jeans and boots he captures it well. It's in his moves, the way he stands and stares, the way he suddenly leaps backward overcome, sweat-drenched hair flailing, dancing on one foot when something like Love Me Two Times or Back Door Man hits a fever pitch.

"Can you feel it yet?" he asked fist-raising fans between a gingerly tweaked Strange Days and a clumsy Spanish Caravan that found Krieger's flamenco skills failing him. "It's also up to you. Turn off your (bleeping) head. Feel the music."

What he means is you have to give yourself over to this new Doors. Not in the way audiences did in the late '60s, when Morrison - one of the most significant (if overvalued) figures in rock history - helped pop lemmings break on through to a different consciousness via unprecedented dark sensuality, brooding charisma, raw but vivid poetry focused as much on self as society, and a heap of drugs.

This is much simpler. You merely need believe that the music still matters and can transcend ceaseless repetition on classic-rock radio. How that happens, actually, isn't so much through Astbury, who nails Morrison's ("all right, yeah!") growl and bark but has none of his crooning sweetness - meaning he spats out all of Moonlight Drive instead of building up to its orgasm, while the seduction of Light My Fire and the preternatural symbolism of Riders on the Storm just elude him.

Rather, it's Manzarek and Krieger, choppy but still with mighty chops, that convince the damners. Densmore has it wrong: This isn't dubious, like, say, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, which retains only a rhythm section, not its most vital component, John Fogerty. These new Doors aren't so misleading - chiefly because the sound, which was always as important as Morrison's words, is intact, despite its drummer's absence.

Densmore is a unique sticksman, yes, but he's kidding himself if he thinks he isn't the most easily replaced. Stewart Copeland, late of the Police, had taken over his spot but has been out with a broken elbow - and his absence definitely showed. Replacement Ty Dennis was noticeably patchy, lacking swing on People Are Strange, spoiling theatrical dynamics on When the Music's Over, making L.A. Woman, that thrilling rush, seem far too sluggish.

But smug, stately Manzarek (still unbearably stuck in the '60s when he speaks) and low- key Krieger (clad in a Morrison T-shirt) were remarkable, reaffirming that they are unheralded masters with singular styles - crazed carousel vs. bottleneck blues - that once meshed imperceptibly to form an unmistakable sound.

They'd like to do more than just revive it; they'd like to carry it forward. Manzarek mentioned these neo-Doors intend to have a new album out by the end of the year, sporting lyrics from noted poets such as Jim Carroll, Michael McClure and X's John Doe.

Whether that will be laudable or laughable is anyone's guess, though we all know it can't possibly compare to the band's groundbreaking best. Worse, a ridiculous treatment of Morrison's poem Ghost Song, replete with dry ice and 10 prancing American Indians, doesn't bode well.

Yet even if they stumble - again - they now know they can fall back on their past with dignity. Yes, it's just an amazing simulation. But in a time of questionable political motives and debatable military action, of rapidly changing mores and widening economic gaps, it's soul-satisfying to hear the anger and passion in pieces both violent (Five to One) and slyly carefree (Roadhouse Blues) once more.

Less as a reflection of today's confusion, that is, than a reminder of what went wrong (and right) way back when.

Ben Wener - The Orange County Register

Doors Reunion Absolutely Deadly

Whatever you might think of Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek (news), just don't call them "The Doors."

With third surviving member John Densmore (news) taking them to court, Krieger and Manzarek (along with the Cult's Ian Astbury) are now billing themselves as "The Doors of the 21st Century." Ignoring the fact that this unwieldy moniker sounds less like the name of a rock band than a show on the House and Garden channel, it's also a misnomer. With a setlist and cheesy staging that wouldn't have been out of place when the band released "L.A. Woman" in 1971, a more accurate title would be "The Doors of the 20th Century: A Re-creation."

But even that wouldn't be quite right; a certain amount of historical revisionism was on tap at the Universal Amphitheater Friday night. As might be expected, the impression you come away with is that Manzarek and Krieger were the Doors' driving force, the band's truly essential members. Morrison, although he was the superstar front man (and the first image flashed on the video screen), comes across as merely a useful idiot. His good looks and moody lyrics were the Doors' meal ticket, but, hey, he's replaceable. Densmore, on the other hand, has been turned into a non- person, expunged from the band's history with a Stalin-like ruthlessness. It's an argument not completely without merit: Manzarek's keyboards, mixing postwar blues and Weimar cabaret, and Krieger's liquid, Wes Montgomery- influenced guitar gave the Doors a musical signature, and their improvisational flights were among the evening's highlights.

The rhythm section of Angelo Barberi and Ty Dennis (the band's second drummer in less than a month; maybe they're also trying to be the Spinal Tap of the 21st century) performed ably.

Astbury, whose work with the Cult showed him to be a singer distinctly in the Morrison mold, steps into the breech with an admirable confidence. It's the role he was born to play. He pored over the films and studied the band's playbook and has all the moves down -- from Morrison's phrasing, to his little hop step dance, his leap during When the Music's Over and the way he held the mikestand.

Manzarek and Krieger keep him on a short leash, and his performance never becomes more than an impressive act of mimicry. With his set jaw and poker-faced seriousness, the sly humor and headstrong brinkmanship that made Morrison a complex, involving presence is beyond him.

Without it, Astbury sounds downright silly intoning Morrison's more self- consciously poetic lyrics (especially those of Horse Latitudes, with its invocation of equine "mute nostril agony"). The evening's low point comes when he is asked to recite one of Morrison's poems, Ghost Dance. He's not helped by the flaccid cocktail jazz that accompanies the recitation; when the band is joined by a group of dancing Native American shamans, the specter of self-parody that was hovering in the wings most of the evening takes center stage.

Moments such as this make it clear why these Doors didn't stray from the band's classic hits. Moonlight Ride, Five to One (which was accompanied by a video montage of political figures, including Nixon, Mao and LBJ, making it clear that like generals, the Doors are fighting the last war), and Roadhouse Blues were given straightforward readings, and retain their power; they're prime examples of classic rock. The medley of Brecht/ Weill's Alabama Song and Howlin' Wolf's Back Door Man (heard on 1970's "Absolutely Live") is reprised; it's still the band's most audacious musical leap. But a revamped Strange Days, which turns the original's eerie lysergic paranoia into an ungainly galloping tango, was tepidly received.

This doesn't bode well for the band's plan to record a new album. But then, they kept any new material under wraps; the two-hour show was less a concert than dinner theater rock, an exercise in empty nostalgia without the original cast. When they were looking for a new name, perhaps Manzarek and Krieger should have opted for Dormant.

Steven Mirkin

Resurrected Doors, Seeds find the past closed, buried

In separate shows, Jim Morrison's old mates come up shorter than Sky Saxon's new crew because of higher expectations.

Both the Doors and the Seeds formed in Los Angeles in 1965, each with a lineup of vocals, guitar, keyboards and drums. They shared psychedelic tendencies, but the similarities pretty much ended there.

The Doors went on to become a rock icon, with their legacy of dark, sexual, personal and political urgency only deepening after singer Jim Morrison's death in 1971.

The Seeds, fronted by scruffy eccentric Sky Saxon, could claim only a niche in the obscure garage-rock pantheon.

Still, separate performances this weekend by what's left of both groups brought to mind puzzling and not easily answered questions about what, exactly, is being true to one's roots.

The issues weren't so urgent for Saxon, the only original member appearing with the Seeds at the Knitting Factory Hollywood on Saturday. You couldn't really accuse the colorful singer-songwriter and his latest lineup of younger musicians of cashing in on the band's relatively obscure legacy, which included one barely Top-40 hit, the driving 1966 single "Pushin' Too Hard."

Now sporting a bassist, the quintet mostly stuck to middling renditions of such trippy artifacts as "Pushin'" and the chiming ballad "Can't Seem to Make You Mine" that matched Saxon's enthusiastic, if not terribly gripping, performance. However, it was hard to feel outrage over the lackluster hour, mostly because there wasn't much at stake to begin with.

Not so for Friday's return of the Doors -- a.k.a. the 21st Century Doors, or the Doors: 21st Century -- at the Universal Amphitheatre. Also adding a bassist, original keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger appeared with Ian Astbury of English goth band the Cult handling vocals, but without original drummer John Densmore (or, for that matter, his replacement, Stewart Copeland, who was replaced, without explanation from the band members, by local drummer Ty Dennis).

Densmore has sued his former mates for using the group's old name, but Manzarek insisted throughout Friday's show that the Doors, while continuing to honor Morrison's poetic tradition, are a new thing.

OK, so what's this new thing got? A logo that looks a lot like the old Doors logo, a two-hour set of nothing but old Doors tunes and the promise of a new album later this year.

Repeated claims that this group is "keeping the music alive" felt disingenuous. The Doors' music seemed to be living on quite well already, and while Astbury filled the part visually, his faithful following of Morrison's texts didn't make up for his limited vocal range and lack of risk-taking.

The rented rhythm section did fine, but genuine sparks were minimal, furthering the sense that the whole affair was a sad replay of something that was once great.

The fans in the packed house certainly enjoyed themselves. But what sort of honor was it, really, for the Doors to resurrect their singer's memory, just so they could bury him once and for all?

Natalie Nichols, Special to The Times

Setlist

Roadhouse Blues
Break On Through
When The Music's Over
Love Me Two Times
Alabama Song
Backdoor Man
Five To One
Strange Days
Spanish Caravan
Ghost Song
People Are Strange
Moonlight Drive
Wild Child
LA Woman
Light My Fire

Encore 1:

Riders On The Storm
Maggie M'Gill

Encore 2:

Peace Frog
Soul Kitchen