Mission of Burma | the Bradford Ballroom | March 12, 1983
By PHOENIX STAFF | October 25, 2006
Mission of Burma back in their younger days | Burma had played like screaming geniuses to nearly empty rooms all over town when they decided to call it quits in ’83. They’d even been barred from the Paradise for having insufficient draw. But by the end of their first career, capacity crowds were finally catching on to the one band who would keep Boston on the post-punk map. The biggest shows were their last, in the theater district’s Bradford Ballroom. As legend goes, the all-ages matinee was wilder because, for some kids, this last show was also the first time they got to see a band they loved. By night, the group were well practiced and ripping. It was a rare case of a group dissolving in peak form. Hearing and seeing Burma, with Roger Miller by then requiring huge ear protectors on stage, tearing through great tunes like “Revolver” and the artful, angular “Peking Spring” was exhilarating and sad. Of course, the joke was on us. After nearly 20 years, Burma reunited in 2002 to reap the accolades that evaded them when they were helping to ink the blueprint for alternative rock. |
Were you there? Wish you were? Seen better? Tell us about it below.
Related:
Fallout joys, The 40 greatest concerts in Boston history: 14, Post-punk pantheon, More
- Fallout joys
In his newly published The Sound of Our Town: A History of Boston Rock & Roll , Phoenix contributor Brett Milano explores the evolution of the local music scene.
- The 40 greatest concerts in Boston history: 14
Lou Barlow + Elliott Smith | Green Street Grill | October 4, 1998
- Post-punk pantheon
They were, by definition, misfits.
- Dinosaur Jr. | Farm
The much ballyhoo'd resurrection of the original Dino lineup a few years ago — with bassist/crybaby Lou Barlow and laconic-to-the-point-of-sometimes-seeming-retarded-or-maybe-dead frontman J Mascis burying the axe — saw the faithful turn ecstatic at the dropping of '07's Beyond .
- Chaos theory
Health are a rock band composed of four earnest and ambitious Los Angelinos.
- Say it ain't so, Joe
Breaking: Biden resigns the vice-presidency amid Wentzgate scandal
- The Big Hurt: Who charted?
In order to serve you better, I'll be taking an occasional look at the charts and giving a brief rundown of the week in pop.
- Crossword: 'Italian for beginners'
Don't let this happen to you
- Mining the past
John Coltrane acid blasts rage through the Mars Volta’s new The Bedlam in Goliath.
- The (other) British invasion
Five great bands from UK blues’ back pages
- Mission completed
This article originally appeared in the January 18, 1983 issue of the Boston Phoenix.
- Less
Topics:
Live Reviews
, Lou Barlow, Led Zeppelin, Roger Miller, More
, Lou Barlow, Led Zeppelin, Roger Miller, Mission of Burma, Elliott Smith, Less