As some people in my situation might tell you, being over 22 at shows can totally suck. Once you pass that threshold of age, you start to seriously ride that figurative fence of “creepy old person” in the sea of young faces when seeing some bands. There are shows where that generally isn’t a problem for me, such as when I saw Thurston Moore Band at The Sinclair last night. But, having experienced Thurston Moore playing live for the first time in his decades-long career in music, it really has made me reflect on age when it comes to music and the right way to handle it. So, here comes the ramblings of some old fart with hopefully some semblance of a review in there.

PCPC started the night off and immediately plugged into the sense of nostalgia that permeated the atmosphere of the whole show. Throwing together members of NY bands Parquet Courts (or Parkay Quarts) and PC Worship, I don’t think a more appropriate choice could have been made as an opener for Thurston Moore. Starting off with a song that sounded like it could have been ripped right off Daydream Nation, controlled chaos was the name of the game for PCPC. Channelling the classic Sonic Youth sound of creating loud dissonant sonic landscapes that go off the wall at times but never quite lose control completely, vivid comparisons can’t help but be made. It also doesn’t help that guitarist Austin Brown looks and plays eerily like a young Thurston Moore.

Following a ghostly image of your past self would be daunting for any musician, especially one with the reputation of Thurston Moore. Plainly having a music stand on stage with the lyrics of the songs didn’t aid in hiding the growing age of the alternative rock legend. He was able to play it off surprisingly well though, I have to say. Instead of the “Oh, I’m Thurston Moore and I’m so old now” vibe I expected, he was able to turn it into a “Oh, I’m Thurston Moore and fuck you, I’ll have a music stand if I want to, because I’m Thurston fucking Moore.” Having an all-star lineup to back you up with Debbie Googe of My Bloody Valentine, James Sedwards of Nought, and Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth probably helps a bit with that as well.

Starting off with “Forevermore”, the vast majority of the set stayed within the confines of the recently released album The Best Day. A lot of reviews have characterized the new album as a return to form for Thurston Moore, steeping it in the deep and dark confines of the Sonic Youth past. While that mood held true for “Forevermore” and “Speak to the Wild”, Thurston Moore showed his ability to open up and have fun as well. Taking time to sincerely thank the crowd and introduce the band before starting up “Germs Burn”, you could immediately tell that the man was genuinely happy to be back on stage and interested in connecting with his audience. Asking for some of the lights to be turned on the crowd so he could actually see them, Thurston Moore even showed a bit of humor with a brief trivia session, seeing if anyone knew which classic rock album came out 45 years ago that day. (Led Zeppelin II, for those who didn’t know.) Playfully offering the winner a sip of Debbie’s drink, the band quickly jumped back into the title track of the album and then finished off with the combo of “Grace Lake” and “Pretty Bad”.

Thurston Moore’s attitude on stage definitely came as a shock to me. Coming from someone who was used to the dreary and scathing tones of albums like Daydream Nation and Goo when picturing Sonic Youth and subsequently Thurston Moore, this bright and cherry version who happily embraced concepts like rock ‘n’ roll and having a good time was not what I expected. Recently, one of my fellow writers described their experience of seeing J Mascis, another alt-rock legend, akin to a religious experience. Seeing Thurston Moore live did not really equate to the heights of witnessing a rock god, but the experience definitely had a zen feeling to it. What was expected to be a trial steeped in nostalgia turned into the celebration of a veteran musician who understood that with age comes a deeper understanding and acceptance of the situation at hand. Thurston Moore isn’t an unreachable and intangible musical deity, just an older dude looking to have fun on stage. And that’s okay.