Blogpost: Henry Rollins @ State Theatre

Posted by T • June 30, 2023

Posted by T • June 30, 2023

Henry Rollins
State Theatre
Sydney, Australia
28 June 2023

photo by T

Spoken word performances prove to be a powerful platform for artists to speak on various social issues through their own identities, especially when it encompasses stand-up comedy, introspective accounts of experiences and self-deprecating stories about the respective protagonist’s own shortcomings, especially when it comes to a renaissance man like Henry Rollins who has since the mid-1980s consistently honed how he channels his alchemy in captivating audiences for a whole evening by himself. 

While I usually make a point of checking in with the chief whenever the opportunity presents itself during travels, it has been over seven years since I had the chance to indulge in Rollins’ unwavering anger fuelled, idiosyncratic, earnest and engaging chatter.

The fact that the man keeps himself busy all year round with a relentless schedule of work that over the decades has branched out into a myriad of media realms paired a sheer insatiable and infectious curiosity and the fact that he uses every opportunity to explore the less travelled regions of this earthround as a solitary traveller, make his spoken word performances never not a meaningful event.
The tour motto, i.e. “Good To See You”, could have not been chosen more appropriately as it proved to be applicable both ways for the artist and this night’s audience, whose frenetic welcome only seemed to charge Henry’s dynamo even further.

The initiated would appreciate how Rollins’ experiences and stages of his career have made him not merely an artful storyteller but a more compassionate man with a wide horizon whose wit cuts both ways. 

Having seen him incarnate solo over the decades, it was gratifying to see how he cleverly  spins his matter-of-factly yarns and arranges his anecdotes and often insightfully vulnerable musings on the need to be in a manner that not merely connects overarching themes but conveys so much more than mere attitude and opinion in between the lines, thereby making even the most entrenched of his middle-aged audiences susceptible to embracing the notion that painting with a broad brush might be convenient but does little more than perpetrate stereotypes.

Summa summarum, experiencing Henry Rollins and the energizing buzz in the wake of his seamlessly intertwined narratives in the wild is always a night well spent that not merely makes for what feels an intimate experience despite a backdrop of a crowd of 2,000 but feels like a welcome impulse to live life more eventfully and become a better version of oneself.

T • June 30, 2023

More recent blogposts

PJ Harvey @ Sydney Opera House Forecourt

Posted by T • March 14, 2025

PJ Harvey Sydney Opera House Forecourt 13 March 2025 Sydney, Australia photo courtesy of Daniel Boud and the Sydney Opera House.Caption Some artists perform. PJ Harvey transmutes. Like a figure walking between worlds, she never lingers too long in one place, never allows herself to fossilize into nostalgia. Instead, she reinvents - without ever severing the thread that binds her … Read more

The Get Up Kids/Ozma @ The Glass House 3/7/25

Posted by Aaron H • March 14, 2025

The Get Up Kids - Credit: AMH The Get Up Kids just finished the US leg of their 25th Anniversary Tour for their seminal album, Something To Write Home About with 2 nights at The Glass House in Pomona. Of course, I didn't wanna miss it. Following support from Indie-Rock band, Ozma -- who ran through tracks from their first … Read more

Chat Pile/Gouge Away @ The Glass House 2/22/25

Posted by Aaron H • March 4, 2025

Chat Pile Fans - Credit: AMH Chat Pile are about to wrap up their US West Coast and Canada tour with Gouge Away this week. I was fortunate enough to catch the sludgy rockers when they came through Pomona last week. Nightosphere - Credit: AMH Kansas City's Nightosphere has opened the shows every night. The trio's unique blend of shoegaze … Read more

Cursive/Pile @ The Glass House 2/14/25

Posted by Aaron H • February 18, 2025

Cursive - Photo Credit: AMH In a time of a lot of bullshit going on, spending Valentine's Day with my wife and Cursive at my favorite venue was a great escape. Cursive are out on the road in support of their newest album, Devourer, with support from Boston-Rock quartet, Pile. I hadn't previously heard of Pile and was surprised to … Read more

Luke Combs @ Accor Stadium

Posted by T • February 2, 2025

Luke Combs 01 February 2025 Accor Stadium Sydney, Australia On a balmy February evening in Sydney, country music fans from across NSW flocked to Accor Stadium for what promised to be a historic night. Luke Combs, the global superstar who has redefined modern country music, made history as the first country artist to headline a full stadium tour in Australia … Read more

Wardruna @ Enmore Theatre

Posted by T • January 28, 2025

Wardruna 25 January 2025 Enmore Theatre Sydney, Australia photo courtesy of Wardruna In the humid haze of a Sydney summer evening, the Enmore Theatre became a portal to another realm, a sacred space where time and place blurred. On January 25, 2025, Wardruna delivered a transcendent performance that not only captivated but transported its audience into the heart of Nordic … Read more

Best of 2024 Playlist

Posted by Loren • January 23, 2025

Sometimes I get all introspective and ask myself why I do this. Not very often, but the answer is always because I like music. It's that simple. I like to discover new stuff and I like to share it. Every year, the staff at Scene Point Blank sink a ton of time into 3 big Year End features. Part of … Read more

Lung @ Lee's Palace

Posted by Mirela Z. • December 10, 2024

Lung @ Lee's Palace Toronto, ON Canada November 19, 2024 Have you ever heard a distorted electric cello, with intense vocals and heavy drum beats? Powerhouse duo, cellist Kate Wakefield and drummer Daisy Caplan, are not to be underestimated! Seeing them for the first time perform live has left me wanting more! Read more

Better Lovers @ The Observatory 11/30/24

Posted by Aaron H • December 5, 2024

Better Lovers: Photo Credit - AMH Better Lovers are making the rounds again, this time with a new full-length LP, Highly Irresponsible, released earlier this Fall. The hardcore mash-up of ex-Dillinger Escape Plan and ex-Every Time I Die members recently brought their show to So-Cal, and I had the pleasure of seeing how things have been going since last year. … Read more

Rise Against/LSDunes/Cloud Nothings @ HOB 11/20/24

Posted by Aaron H • November 28, 2024

Rise Against Fans - Photo Credit: AMH Rise Against decided to hit the road this past fall and brought along L.S. Dunes. Depending on your city, different acts opened the show. Cleveland, Ohio's Cloud Nothings covered the crowd warm-up duties on their run through California. With a bill this stacked, I didn't want to miss it. Cloud Nothings - Photo … Read more

Advertisement

DCxPC 2025